Free School Meals and Food Voucher Scheme

Free School Meals

If you think you are eligible to claim for free school meals for your child(ren); you can apply to Sandwell Council, Education Benefits Team here.

 

Free School Meals - criteria to qualify

Many families in Sandwell could get free school meals but don't claim for them.

Your child may be entitled to free school meals if:

• your annual income is less than £16,190; and

• you claim Child Tax Credit (*Not Including Working Tax Credit) only; and

• your child is attending a Sandwell School (if your child(ren) doesn't attend a Sandwell School, you will need to apply to the Local Authority which your child(ren) school is in)

•  

*Please note you will not qualify for free school meals if you receive any amount of Working Tax Credit. Before applying please check your latest Tax Credit Awards Notice if you are unsure.

 

Your child may also qualify for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Universal Credit ** if you apply on or after 1 April 2018, your household income must be less than £7,400 a year as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods (after tax and not including any benefits you get) Your net earned income is your household income after taxes and deductions and does not include income from Universal Credit or any other benefits you may receive. 
• Employment and Support Allowance (income related)
• Guaranteed Pension Credit (including Child Tax Credit)
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• support from the National Asylum Support Service.
•  

**You may be asked to provide supporting evidence if you receive Universal Credit, for example a copy of your Universal Credit Statement(s)

 

**Universal Credit will be rolled out in Sandwell from November 2018. For further information on Universal Credit please read the following link 'Get ready for Universal Credit' page. 

 

Please note - If your child is eligible or becomes eligible for free school meals at any time before 31 March 2022, they will remain eligible until this date or beyond dependent on what school phase (see below) they are in. You will not need to apply for Free School Meals again if you are already eligible at a Sandwell School.

 

Free School Meal (FSM) Vouchers

We are using Wonde (schoolvouchers.com) via Sandwell LA as a platform to issue school meals vouchers to support families whose children are entitled to Free School Meals during school holidays until further notice. 

 

Vouchers will be to the value of £15 per child per week and will be issued in two stages.

 

When you have received your link via email or text for the e-voucher you will need to set up a school voucher account (unless you already have a account for another sibling). Please follow the step by step instructions on this page of how to do this. 

 

Please contact the school office if you are experiencing any problems accessing your voucher or if you believe you should have received a message from Wonde and haven't. 

 

Please be aware that the timescale for the e-voucher to be sent will vary by supermarket. The expected turnaround is approximately 24 hours.

 

If you are finding hard to make ends meet free confidential advice around benefits or budgeting is available via the Council's welfare rights team who can advise you or your family.

Contact via email at welfarerights_team@sandwell.gov.uk or telephone 0121 569 3158.

 

 

 

Click here to see step by step instructions of how to access your voucher

Click here to view a video of how to access your school voucher.