Free School Meals
Your child can get a free school meal if you receive any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don’t get more than £16,190 a year)
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
- Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).
Apply today if you receive any of these benefits. It takes 5 mins and in most cases Hertfordshire County Council can tell you straightaway if your child can get free meals at school.
Click here to check your eligibility, then apply.
Have your National Insurance number or Home Office number to hand when you apply.
If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll remain eligible until March 2023, or until they finish their current phase of schooling (primary or secondary), if that’s after the end of March 2023.
Additional Financial Support
Registering your child for FSM not only benefits your child and you but also generates additional financial help for the school to spend on eligible students. It is also the criteria we use to help determine eligibility for additional financial assistance for trips, equipment and financial assistance in 6th form.
Registering for FSM is confidential. While taking a meal is free, they are optional. Registering will help you access additional financial support even if your child does not eat the free meal regularly.
Please also see our Finance Assistance page to find out more about financial support offered by local charities.