Newcastle City Council - Free school meals

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Apply now for free school meals

Free school meals are worth £370.50 per child per year. The approval of your free school meals application may mean you also get financial help with music tuition and with curriculum related residential trips or school visits. Apply now!

Am I eligible for free school meals?

To apply for free school meals for your child, you must live in Newcastle and be in receipt of one of the following benefits:

  • Income Support
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • income-related employment and support allowance
  • support from the National Asylum Support Service
  • Child Tax Credit and not in receipt of Working Tax Credit with an annual income defined by HM Revenues and Customs
  • the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

If you are a young person who receives income support or income based jobseeker's allowance in your own right, you are also entitled to receive free school meals. Pupils are entitled to free milk up to their 5th birthday if they attend a primary or nursery school session lasting more than 2 hours per day.

How do I apply?

The person receiving the benefit should complete the application. Click here to apply for free school meals.

Newcastle City Council
Student Services, Room 308
Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8PU
Email: student.info@newcastle.gov.uk

When do I apply?

  • as soon as your child starts school or,
  • as soon as you become entitled to free school meals.

You can claim free school meals for children up to the age of 19 if they attend a school sixth form full time. (They must be under 19 on 1 September.) An application cannot be backdated.

What happens next?

  • We will check your eligibility for free school meals on local and national benefits systems. 
  • Sometimes we may need more information before we can make a decision. If this is the case, we will contact you to ask you to provide this.
  • We will write to tell you the outcome of your application and what date your child’s free school meals will start. We will also let the school know.
  • Successful claims will start from the nearest Monday from the date we receive your application or the date handed in at a school, providing we can confirm proof of benefit.
  • If your claim is unsuccessful and you think it has been wrongly assessed, please write to School Access , Children’s Services Directorate, Newcastle City Council, Civic Centre, Newcastle NE1 8PU or phone 0191 211 5323.

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