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Why apply for free school meals?

  • School dinners provide a healthy, nutritious and tasty meal - a daily selection of freshly cooked main meals and desserts, fresh fruit or yoghurt and salads. See current school menus here.
  • Special dietary needs can be catered for.
  • Research shows that a school dinner can help concentration levels in the afternoon.
  • Someone else preparing and cooking lunch for your child saves you worrying about a packed meal every day.
  • 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. Your child’s school will make any appropriate arrangements.

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How much could I save?

School meals for one child currently cost £1.90, which adds up to £9.50 each week and for two children £19.00 per week. If you have two children and you qualify for free school meals you could save £741.00 over the year.

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What isn’t included?

  • If your child is eligible for free school meals, they may not necessarily be given free snacks or drinks if they attend school clubs (such as breakfast clubs, after school clubs, homework clubs). But if your child goes on a school trip or attends a club or sports practice, the school must provide a packed lunch or give your child money to purchase a meal (if available where they are going).
  • If your child attends nursery, we cannot provide free mid-morning or afternoon snacks.

When would I not be eligible?

  • Parents who receive other state benefits but not those mentioned on the main free school meals page.
  • Parents who receive Working Tax Credit.
  • If your child attends an independent school. Please contact your child's school about any help and support they can give.
  • If your child attends school part time (for example, children at nursery). To qualify children must be receiving education before and after the lunch period.
  • Foster carers do not qualify for this benefit as your carer’s allowance includes school meals.
  • If you are a full time student in Higher Education, you may be eligible to claim free school meals for your children.

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My circumstances have changed. What do I do?

1. I’ve started work and my benefit has changed or stopped.
The easiest option is simply to email us at student.info@newcastle.gov.uk with your full details. We will check against local and national benefits systems and confirm whether your free school meals entitlement will continue.

If your entitlement ends, it will end on the same date your benefit stops. If this means that your child has already been receiving free meals when they were no longer eligible, because you did not tell us about the change to your circumstances, you may be required to pay back any monies owed to their school.

2. I want to add another child to my application.
The easiest option is simply to email us at student.info@newcastle.gov.uk with your full details. Or click here to complete the online application. 

3. The family has moved house.
The easiest option is simply to email us at student.info@newcastle.gov.uk with your full details. We will check with your child’s or children’s school that this new information is correct and amend our records.

4. Child changes school
The easiest option is simply to email us at student.info@newcastle.gov.uk with your full details. We will check with your child’s or children’s school that this new information is correct and amend our records.

If you don’t want to email us, you can phone us on 0191 211 5323 to tell us about changes to your circumstances.

Or you can write to us at:

Newcastle City Council
Student Services, Room 213
Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8PU

Page last updated: 27 September, 2012