How do I apply for Free School Meals?
If your child attends a school in the Bradford District, you can apply here:
Apply now for free school meals and school clothing allowance
Or download and fill in one of the forms below.
If your child attends a school outside the Bradford district you need to apply to that local authority:
What are Free School Meals?
Free School Meals pays for a school lunch for your child.
Children must attend a tax-payer funded nursery or school full time. Pupils who attend part time can get Free School Meals for any days they attend both before and after lunch.
Also, the parent / guardian must get one of the following:
- Child Tax Credit, (but not Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (for this, you will need to apply directly to the school, not to Bradford Council).
Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit 'run-on' (the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit) their children are entitled to free school meals for this period.
You can only apply to Bradford Council for Free School Meals if your child attends a school or nursery in the Bradford District. If your child attends a school in another local authority's district you should apply to that local authority. If you are unsure which local authority your child's school is located in please ask the school.
Why are Free School Meals important?
As well as making sure your child gets a free and nutritionally balanced lunch, getting Free School Meals also means:
- you may get an allowance of £26 per year from the Council to help with the cost of school clothing - see our school clothing allowance scheme.
- you can get help with the cost of your child's residential school trips (you need to speak to your school about this)
- you may get help with travel costs to school - see our home to school travel policy.
- you may get assistance with Council run music lessons at school
- the school gets a "Pupil Premium" from the government for every child registered - this means an extra £619 to support your child at school, per year
Change in circumstances
Your entitlement may stop if your circumstances change, so you must tell us if you stop getting the above benefit.
