Applications for free school meals can be made online. Please read the information on this page fully before you submit an application.
Please wait until your child has been allocated a school place and are attending full days before you apply for free school meals.
If your child's school is listed below, this means that the school have not signed up for the service to allow us to process applications on their behalf. You will need to speak to the school direct.
Schools for which we cannot process free school meals applications:
- Archway Academy
- Bankfields Primary School
- Caedmon Primary School
- Dormanstown Primary Academy
- Grangetown Primary School
- Handale Primary school
- Huntcliff School
- Kilton Thorpe Specialist Academy
- Laurence Jackson School
- Mo Mowlam Academy
- Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary
- Saltburn Primary School
- Saint Bede's Catholic VA Primary School
- Saint Gabriel's Catholic Voluntary Primary Academy
- Saint Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy
- Saint Paulinus Catholic Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy
- St Benedict's Catholic Primary School
- St Margaret Clitherow’s RC Primary School
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School
- St Peter's Catholic College
- Whale Hill Primary School
Eligibility for Free School Meals
Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parent/carer are in receipt of, one or more of the qualifying benefits below:
- Universal Credit - (providing you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
- Income Support
- Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
- The Guaranteed Element of Pension Credit
- Support under part V1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit, provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by HMRC
- A 'Run-On' of Working Tax Credit - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
If you or your partner are currently in receipt of Working Tax Credit, regardless of your income, you will not qualify.
Nursery children are entitled to free meals if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Their parent/carer receive one of the benefits listed above
- The child receives education before and after the lunch time period
- The child is in a maintained nursery or an academy nursey. (Not a private nursery)
Post-16 students can receive free school meals if they attend a sixth form in a Redcar & Cleveland School.
If your child attends a further education college, they should apply for free meals by contacting the college directly.
Universal Infant Free School Meals
All children in reception, year one and year two, are automatically entitled to free school meals.
Parents/carers who are on benefits and meet the above criteria are encouraged to still apply for free school meals as this attracts additional funding known as Pupil Premium. This funding will help increase your child's attainment and provide valuable support within the school.
Transitional Protection
From 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants will continue to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This will apply even if their earnings rise above the new threshold during that time.
- In addition, any child gaining eligibility for free school meals after 1 April 2018 will be protected against losing free school meals during the Universal Credit rollout period.
- Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants that no longer meet the above eligibility criteria at that point will continue to receive free school meals until the end of their current phase of education (i.e., primary or secondary)
- Transitional Protection applies to all children whether eligible through legacy benefits or Universal Credit.
- Transitional Protections are put in place on an individual child basis, not on a family basis.
- This means that younger children will not become entitled to free school meals simply because their older sibling is in receipt of transitional protection. The younger child must meet the eligibility criteria at the time the application is made to become eligible for free school meals.
How to Apply
You can apply online with our digital form. Please apply by clicking here or you can also print a copy of the Free School Meals application form below:
Completed application forms can either be returned to your child's school, by emailing educationalbenefits@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or by post to:
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, Department of Corporate Resources,
Educational Benefits, Redcar & Cleveland House, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, Yorkshire, TS10 1RT
If you are unable to apply online or print the form, please contact us on 01642 774774 where a member of the Educational Benefits Team can complete an application form over the telephone with you.
Free school meals claims cannot be backdated. There is a legal requirement for an application to be made before a claim can be processed and awarded.
We are now able to check your entitlement to free school meals via a secure government website which links to your benefit provider. We may only need to contact you to provide evidence if the eligibility checking service has not been able to verify your entitlement.
No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
Free school meals eligibility has now been permanently extended to children in all households with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), subject to maximum income thresholds.
If you believe you are part of this group, please download and complete the form below. Please note, depending on your circumstances, additional documentation will be required to process your application.
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Document
Processing your claim
Your free school meals claim will be processed within three working days of receiving a valid application. Once processed you will be notified of the outcome.
If your child is awarded free school meals, their school will be notified and will make its own arrangements for notifying the dinner service staff.
If your circumstances change, you should notify us at educationalbenefits@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or the school as soon as possible to tell us of any changes, for example:
- If you start work or have a change in benefit
- If you change address
- If your child changes school
- If your child moves address and is no longer living with you
Personal Data
When you apply for free school meals, we will use and process your information for the purposes of your application, and to help support your child's teaching and learning.
To learn more about how we process your data, please go to Corporate Privacy Notice.
For more information, you can call (01642) 774774 or email educationalbenefits@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk