Are you entitled to free school meals?  You could save up to £380 per year !!

Is you child eligible for Free School Meals?  Over half the children in Tower Hamlets are - and your child/children could be eligible too!!

Tower Hamlets are very proud of the meals service provided and all menus meet or exceed the Government’s food group and nutritional guidelines.  A choice of hot main courses and a dessert is available everyday and research has shown that eating a healthy meal each day does improve a child’s performance in class.Free meals - a main course and desert - are available to children attending schools within Tower Hamlets whose parents/guardian (or where appliocable their partners) are either:

• receiving Income Support; or
• receiving Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; or 
• receiving Pension Guarantee Credit; or
• receiving Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; or
• in receipt of support from NASS (national Asylum Support Service)
• have an income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue, of less than £15,860 a year and must be in receipt of Child Tax Credit but not in receipt of Working Tax Credits.

Tower Hamlets Benefits Service is responsible for administering claims for free school meals on behalf of the council’s Children Families and Schools directorate.Please note you do not have to be claiming housing benefit or council tax benefit in order to make a claim for free school meals for your dependent children.

To make a claim the child’s parent (or guardian) must make a claim either by:

• completing the free school meals online claim form at http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/ and click on the “Advice and Benefits” link
• completing a paper copy of the claim form available from schools, our One Stop Shops or by telephoning the benefits service on 020 7364 5001
• making a claim for housing and/or council tax benefit (which also counts as a claim for free school meals – you do not need to complete a separate form in this case)

Information and evidence required

• the child’s name, date of birth and school
• evidence of the parent’s (or guardian’s) income (unless this has been provided already)