Find out if your child is eligible and sign up for the free school meals scheme.
Who can get free school meals
Every child in primary school can get free school meals.
If your child is in secondary school, you must get at least one of the qualifying benefits and be signed up to the free school meals scheme.
Qualifying benefits
If you receive one of the following benefits, your child is eligible for free school meals:
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit – your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits)
- Child Tax Credit with a taxable income of no more than £16,190 and not in receipt of Working Tax Credit
- The Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
- Support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS)
If you receive Working Tax Credit you will not be entitled to free school meals unless you have:
- stopped work in the last 4 weeks, or
- reduced your hours to less than 16 hours in the last 4 weeks
Applications must be made in the name of the parent or guardian who is receiving the qualifying benefit.
Extra support for Camden children
We also provide extra support with food worth £500 a year for every child who is signed up to the free school meals scheme. This includes:
- free breakfast clubs
- food vouchers in the school holidays
If you receive one of the qualifying benefits, your child is eligible for this support too.
Dietary needs or allergies
If your child has dietary needs or allergies, they’ll be catered for.
You should speak to the school if your child:
- has an allergy or intolerance
- requires Halal or Kosher food
If your child is vegetarian or vegan, you do not need to do anything. These options will be available.
How to apply
You can apply for the free school meals scheme by using our online form.
If you need help with your application, you can call us on 020 7974 4444.
You will need
Before you start, have your National Insurance Number or Asylum Seeker Number ready.
Start your application
What happens next
Your application will be processed within the next 10 days.
Once processed you’ll receive an email inviting you to access our Parent Portal.
Once logged into the portal you’ll be able to see the result of your application.
You only need to apply once. If your application is successful, it will be reviewed each year on 31 August. We’ll check it against the eligibility criteria and let you know if anything changes.
Moving schools
If your child moves to a new school in Camden and is eligible for free school meals, you should contact us and give details of the new school.
If your child moves to a school outside Camden, you should contact the new school or the new local authority and ask how to apply for free school meals.