Free school meals are available to eligible pupils who attend schools, on a full-time basis, which are under the jurisdiction of Ceredigion Education Authority.*

This includes:

  • Younger children who attend for full days (aged 4+)
  • Sixth form pupils

A pupil may be able to get free meals if their parent or guardian (that is, the person who has care of the child) gets any of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • 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 £16,190)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • from 1 April 2019, Universal Credit - provided your household has an annualised net earned income1 of no more than £7,400 (as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)

1 Net earned income is defined as household income after taxes and deductions. It does not include income from Universal Credit or other benefits.

If your children receive Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance in their own right, they could also be able to receive free school meals.

* All full-time pupils attending primary sector education in Ceredigion will be automatically entitled to Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM) in September 2024.

Please note that if your child/ren are in these specific years, and you wish to receive the School Essentials Grant payment, you will still need to complete a Free School Meals Application Form. You should also let the school know directly if you wish for these child/ren to receive a free meal each day, or if they will be bringing a packed lunch.

Applications

In the first instance please complete an application form.

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Other ways to apply

Contact the Local Authority on 01545 570881 in order to complete an application over the telephone or visit one of our Customer Service Centres.

Initial and ongoing checks to confirm your eligibility will be made using your National Insurance Number and Date of Birth, these should be completed automatically once your claim is processed and approved.

Where checks are impossible or inconclusive we will ask you to provide documentary proof.

Changes in Circumstances

If your circumstances change then you will need to inform the Local Authority immediately. In instances where claimants fail to notify the Authority of changes that affect their children's entitlement to free school meals, the Authority reserves the right to take suitable action. Please note that not all changes will result in any changes to receipt of Free School Meals due to Transitional Protection.

What is “Transitional Protection”?

On 1st April 2019, the Welsh Government introduced new rules for claiming free school meals. Because of this, a relatively small number of children and young people could have lost their eligibility for free school meals. “Transitional protection” was introduced to ensure that these children and young people could continue to receive free school meals for a limited period of time.

Transitional protection can be summarised as follows:

  • Any child or young person who was eligible for free school meals on 1st April 2019, when the new rules were introduced, will have their free school meals protected until 31st December 20232, even if their circumstances change and they no longer meet the eligibility criteria

2 This is the point by which the Department for Work and Pensions expects Universal Credit to be fully rolled out, and is based on the most up-to-date expectations at the time of writing.

  • Any child or young person who becomes eligible for free school meals between 1st April 2019, when the new rules were introduced, and 31st December 2023, will have their free school meals protected until 31st December 2023, even if their circumstances change and they no longer meet the eligibility criteria
  • Any child or young person who is eligible for free school meals on 31st December 2023 will continue to have their free school meals protected until the end of their current school phase (ie until they finish in the phase they are in on 31st December 2023, either primary education or secondary education). This applies even if their circumstances change and they no longer meet the eligibility criteria
  • Transitional protection will not be extended to claimants who are not on Universal Credit or legacy benefits, and are therefore unaffected by the change in free school meals eligibility criteria

For further information regarding the changes made by Welsh Government to Free School Meals please see the following link:- www.gov.wales/free-school-meals-frequently-asked-questions