Are you eligible for free school meal support while in reception, year 1 and 2 and beyond?
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will receive a free school meal but once they reach Year 3, you will be required to pay for their meals.
If you or your child is receiving any of the following benefits you may be eligible for free school meals after reception and years 1 and 2 but also for extra support whilst in those years.
- Income support
- Income based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income related Employment Support Allowance
- Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income of less than £16,190
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit (your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax and not including any benefits you receive)
If it is confirmed that your child is entitled to free school meals, they will remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they are in on 31 March 2022. There will be no need to inform your school or the council if your personal circumstances change.
Why free school meals are so important
A helping hand with the cost of living
To prepare a packed lunch that is equivalent to a school meal in terms of nutritional value will cost on average £2.25 per day (November 2022 figures) and this price could start to rise as food costs and inflation rise.
Our menus run on a three-week menu cycle so that a child does not get bored of eating the same meal daily and it would be difficult and expensive to replicate this with a packed lunch.
It gives children the nutrients they need to grow and develop
A number of studies have shown that the majority of packed lunches fail to meet the school food standards and that it is far easier for a child to get the nutrients they need from a school lunch, in fact the School Food Plan reported that only 1 per cent of packed lunches meet the nutritional standards applied to school meals.
Our school lunches are provided by our own in-house School Meals service HES Catering who ensures that all of our school lunches served exceed national nutritional standards so you can be confident that your child is having a balanced meal.
Havering Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)
Being eligible for free school meals gives you access to funded spaces for the Havering HAF Programme.
Find out more about the HAF programme
Need between term time support with meals?
Havering run a scheme to support you with free school meals between term times if you are eligible.