Orchard Primary and Pre-School
Free School Meals
Free school meals are available to pupils whose parents are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit, and your annual household income is £7,400 per annum (£616 per month) or less after tax, and not including any benefits
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit, provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and your annual income is less than £16,190, as assessed by HMRC
- Guaranteed Pension Credit
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
It is important that parents/carers claim free school meals if they think they are entitled to them. This is because schools receive extra money, called Pupil Premium, for each child who is eligible for free school meals. This money is used to support your child's education, so please apply if you are eligible.
Applications for Free School Meals should be made online directly to Worcestershire County Council via the link below.
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Free School Meals Application Form Worcestershire County Council Online Form
Free School Meal Holiday Vouchers
During the school holidays, pupils eligible for free school meals may receive a voucher for use during the holidays via the Edenred portal, Worcestershire County Council's contracted provider. All vouchers issued will have a validity period of one month from the date of the order. Vouchers are not available for nursery-age children or 6th form students and cannot be ordered to replace term-time meals.
A list of FAQs can be found below:
HAF (Holidays, Activities, and Food) Programme
This is a Department for Education (DfE)-funded programme aimed at enabling children and young people in receipt of benefits-related free school meals (FSM) to attend school holiday activities and experiences during Easter, Summer and Christmas.
Please click here for more information: