The school uses a service provided by Slough Borough Council to check if parents are eligible to claim free school meals for their children. Eligibility is checked by the local authority using information from the Department of Work and Pensions, the Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs. Parents are not required to provide documentary evidence each term to prove they can still claim for free school meals; claims are automatically re-checked using the information already provided.

Families in receipt of the following benefits are entitled to claim free school meals:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Protection of free school meal eligibility

If your child is currently eligible for free school meals, they’ll remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they are in on 31 March 2022 even if your circumstances change.  This protection has been introduced whilst the government completes its rollout of Universal Credit nationally.

If you think you may be eligible to claim free school meals for your son or daughter, please complete the Slough Borough Council on-line free school meals form. You will be informed by the Council if your application is successful or not and they will also notify the School.

The free school meals system is managed with complete discretion. Once eligibility is confirmed, your son or daughter will have an allowance allocated to their cashless catering account each day. This allowance will be sufficient for them to purchase a balanced meal. They can choose what to spend the allowance on; however, money not used does not carry over to the next day.

The school receives Pupil Premium Grant funding for each child who is eligible for free school meals to help your child and others access to additional learning experiences and resources. If you are eligible for free school meals but wish your son or daughter to bring packed lunch from home, please still apply so the school receives the additional Pupil Premium funding.

For further information about how the school spends the Pupil Premium Grant funding received, please click here.