School Meals

Gateshead School Catering have been busy creating a refreshed allergens and special diets guide for schools and parents to follow. The updated information can be found at

https://www.gatesheadschoolcatering.co.uk/article/7435/Allergies-and-special-diets.

Free School Meals

Who qualifies for free school meals?

Your child will qualify for free school meals if you meet all of the following criteria:

• you or your partner receive Child Benefit (for the child you are applying for)
• the child is in full-time education, under 19 years of age
• the child attends a local authority school or sixth form (but not a sixth-form college). If your child attends nursery, attendance must be full time and your child must attend before and after lunch in a nursery run by Gateshead Council

In addition, you and your partner must receive one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA - IB)
• Guarantee Pension Credit
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA Income Related)
• Child Tax Credit - but not Working Tax Credit - and your income for Tax Credit purposes must be less than £16,190.00 (details are shown on your Tax Credit award notice)
• Working Tax Credit Run-on
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (see section 'Families with no recourse to public funds' for information)
• Universal Credit - with a net earned family income of less than £7,400

Receipt of one of the above benefits will be checked with the relevant government departments (HMRC, DWP and Home Office) - this may be done via the Eligibility Checking Service. By signing the declaration on the application form, you are giving your consent for us to check your eligibility through this service.

Families with no recourse to public funds

Families who may be eligible include (but are not limited to):

• Zambrano carers
• families with the right to remain in the UK under Article 8 of the ECHR
• families receiving support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 and subject to a NRPF condition
• Chen carers
• families holding a BNO passport
• Spousal visa holders
• Work visa holders
• Student visa holders
• families with no immigration status

To be eligible for free school meals, your family's annual household income must be no higher than the following:

• £22,700 for families outside of London with one child
• £26,300 for families outside of London with two or more children

This includes any wider income or support you may be receiving in addition to any earnings from employment.

You must also have less than £16,000 in savings, including any shares, investments and bank accounts, but not including your home.

If you think you fall into one of these groups, do not complete the application form. Instead, call us on 0191 433 3729 or email benefitsFSM@gateshead.gov.uk with the heading 'NRPF free school meals' in the subject field. Provide your contact details so we can get in touch with you.