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Education benefits

14 November 2011

You can get free school meals for your children if you are on the following:

• income support
• income based jobseeker's allowance
• income-related employment and support allowance
• pension credit guarantee credit
• child tax credit - if you do not work more than 16 hours a week and your income is below £16,190
• working tax credit - cases where a parent is entitled to working tax credit during the four-week period immediately after their employment ceases, or after they start to work less than 16 hours per week
• working tax credit in Scotland- if your income is below £6,420 (see Education (School Lunches) (Scotland ) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/178)
• you are getting support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (asylum seekers).

If you are aged between 16 and 18 and qualify for any of these benefits you can also get free school meals.

If you live in Scotland your local authority may provide free school lunches if you have a childin primary school (P1 to P3 pupils). Your local authority may also provide food and drink at school free of charge at any point of the school day other than lunch times. This can inlcude providing free fruit, breakfasts or other free school meals to children and young people. For more information contact your local authority.

Help with travel and uniforms

You may also be able to get help with the costs of travel to school or be entitled to a school clothing grant. For more information contact your Local Authority.

Claiming education benefits

You can claim education benefits by contacting your Local Authority. You can also claim free school meals and help with travel from the DirectGov website.

More information

• directgov website
• disability rights handbook - for all benefits information
• education maintenance allowance, bursaries and adult learning grants - Factsheet F48
• other factsheets
• what you can claim

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