FREE SCHOOL MEALS SERVICE

BEWARE OF MISLEADING FORMS

City of Birmingham application forms for free school meals fail to provide sufficient information concerning entitlement when your son or daughter is in receipt of Income Support.

It stipulates that parents/guardians are only eligible to claim free school meals if they currently obtain Income Support. However, this is incorrect.

Disabled young people, when reaching 16 years of age are themselves able to claim Income Support in their own right – regardless of the income/earnings which parents receive each year.

The application (declaration) form does not mention this crucial piece of information. Indeed, it ignores this legal entitlement for the young person.

Therefore, in order to claim the free school meal service, "stake your claim" at the foot of the form and staple a photocopy of your son or daughters’ current Income Support entitlement letter and give these to the school secretary. This evidence will then be passed to the School Meals Department. Tell the school that you still intend to claim for free meals while the claim form is being processed.