Free School Meals

You may qualify for free school meals if you receive one of the following benefits.

• Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC)) that does not exceed £16,190
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based and Contributions-based JSA and ESA on an equal basis
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after the person stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit – during the initial roll-out of the benefit.

Universal infant free school meals

All pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools are now entitled to free school meals.

It is important that all parents who receive one of the benefits listed above register for free school meals as this will enable your child's school to claim "pupil premium allocation". You will also receive a free £5 voucher towards school uniform if you register.

The pupil premium is additional funding given to publicly funded schools in England to raise attainment. This additional funding for schools can help to buy new equipment and resources. Please see more information on how Arnbrook uses it's pupil premium funding here or ask to speak to Mrs Stringfellow in school.

To register, please call 0300 500 80 80, download the form here or use the citizen portal.  We can support you in making a free school meals application - just get in touch of speak to our school office staff.

The information needed to register includes:

• Personal details (including national insurance number and date of birth) for you and your partner
• Child’s details in full including their date of birth and the school they attend
• If eligible for free school meals, the start date will normally be within two days of parents contacting us and entitlement being verified. We will also write to confirm the date the child’s free school meals and milk will start.

Care packages available during school closure

If your child receives Free School Meals funding, they are eligible for a food care package if they are not attending school during school closure. The government have not indicated that they will re-start the supermarket voucher scheme during term-time - care packages replace this currently. 

The package will contain ingredients to make a tasty, healthy lunch at home for your child(ren) each day. Please see a sample menu on the link below, although it may change slightly each week.

Please complete the form by clicking here if you'd like your child to receive a care package. This is separate from the larger food supplies we provide every week during term time. Please complete this by Thursday 7th January.

If you cannot access the form, please contact us on 0115 9190199 or email office@arnbrookprimary.net

Packages will be available for collection every Tuesday afternoon, from 1:00pm - 4:00pm outside our school office. If you are self-isolating as someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result or shielding, we can arrange for these to be delivered if required. You will need to contact us on 0115 919010199 or email office@arnbrookprimary.net