The Government gives money to schools as part of their Annual Budget to help children from lower income families have a free school meal and do their very best with their learning.

Do you qualify?

Pupils who are in households receiving Universal Credit are able to claim a free school meal daily, during term time only.

Children may also be eligible if their household meets any of the following criteria:

• a parent receives support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the household is in receipt of income related Employment and Support Allowance
• the household receives the guarantee element of Pension Credit
• the household meets the criteria for families with no recourse to public funds

Pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less are eligible for further support. These pupils can claim a free school meal daily during term time, they will be able to access the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Scheme and schools will be able to claim an additional amount of funding to support the students' educational attainment. This funding is called a ‘Pupil Premium’.

For every child registered, Broughton Primary School receives an additional £1550 to improve provision for your child. If they qualify for this Pupil Premium funding, you could also get help with costs of school trips, music tuition, uniform and school clubs. Please register to make sure your child can benefit from this funding.

How does it work?

1. First, check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, so please look at the list above.
2. Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify, contact Mrs Marlow (School Business Manager) who will help you to register.
3. If you want your child to have a healthy meal at lunchtime, this will be available to them for free. 
4. Additionally, the school may receive £1550 extra funding to support your child's learning.
5. If you don’t want your child to have the school meals, we would still urge you to apply as the school will still receive the funding to make a difference to your child's education.
6. You must apply on a yearly basis to continue to check your child's eligibility. 

No one will know you have registered, and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming. Please talk to us about registering your child today.

How do you know if I am entitled?

An online checking system, provided by the Department for Education, is used to process applications. This system links with your benefit provider and confirms whether you are eligible for Free School Meals and/or Pupil Premium Funding. It does not provide us with any other information.

How is the money spent?

Broughton Primary School uses these funds to:

• Support pupils' learning in the classroom through improving quality of teaching.
• Provide targeted support and interventions from specialist adults as needed. 
• ​Provide pastoral care for pupils as needed.
• ​Support families with the cost of clubs, school trips and residentials when there are financial difficulties which could result in the child not taking part.
• ​Help with school uniform.

For more information on Free School Meals, see the 'School Meals' tab in the menu.

Please come and talk to us if you have more questions or are not sure about applying.