Free School Meals
Are you confused about 'Free School Meals’ and ‘Universal Infant Free School Meals’?
Prior to September 2014, certain children, because of family circumstances, had been entitled to benefit related free school meals. From September 2014, the government launched a new initiative called Universal Infant Free School Meals that offers free meals to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Universal Infant Free School meals is not linked to eligibility for Free School Meals which allows your child to have access to Pupil Premium funding in school.
VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
All children who are entitled to Free School Meals because of their family circumstances bring an additional £1320 into the school budget to support their learning experiences at school. This money is known as Pupil Premium money and enables school to plan and support learning opportunities for these children (Please see our Pupil Premium Strategy to find out how we use this money).
If your child is entitled to benefit related free school meals, please still apply and register your entitlement otherwise school will not receive this additional funding. This applies to children in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2, as well as any other child in KS2, even if they don't want to have the free school meal.
A child is entitled to Free School meals if parents/carers are in receipt of any of the following benefits:
- 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 (provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- During the initial roll out of the benefit, Universal Credit
How to Apply
If you are in receipt of any of the above please still register for free school meals by completing the Blackburn with Darwen application form available at
https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-meals
If you are unable to apply on line, paper copies are available from the school office or the Town Hall. If you need any further information or help completing the form please contact the school office
BwD application for free school meals
Click here to view the Pupil Premium benefits for our pupils at St Stephen's.
MAGIC BREAKFAST
Last year Magic Breakfast provided our children with free cereal and bagels to eat at home. This year we are continuing this support with bagels for breakfast in school.
The National School Breakfast Programme has now announced the launch of its breakfast at home area on the Family Action website. The breakfast at home area shares with parents the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast, and the impact this can have on their child’s readiness to learn, health and wellbeing. It offers tools to support parents in providing a low cost, nutritious daily breakfast..
Their easy to navigate breakfast at home website contains six main categories; get organised, nutrition and wellbeing, family fun, top tips, recipes and videos and research. Within these categories are planners, hacks, information about what’s in cereal, nutrition factsheets, ideas for weekend breakfast, quizzes and much more.
www.family-action.org.uk/BreakfastAtHome