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Free School Meals

You are strongly encouraged to register for Free School Meals for any year group.

If you are on a low income or receive Child Benefit AND any of the following benefits, you could claim free school meals for your child.

To qualify for Free School Meals you must CURRENTLY receive one of the following benefits.

  • Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400.
  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guarantee element of Pension Credit
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  • Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190

You will not qualify for free school meals for your child if:

  • Your combined income is more than £16,190 a year (this includes any benefits you are receiving)
  • You receive Working Tax Credit

Children who receive Income Support or Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals.

If the answer is ‘yes’ and you do receive one of the benefits listed above, all you need to do is go to Southend Borough Council website to complete a short online form, which you can access below. We can perform a simple online check to see if you are eligible. All information is kept confidential at all times. In the event of difficulties accessing this system, please approach your child’s school directly if you think you are eligible.

You will need the following information to complete the form:

  • First and Last Name of parent(s) that child resides with.
  • Date of Birth of parent(s) above.
  • National Insurance Number of parent(s) as above.

New applications can be processed online via the following links:

Southend on Sea Borough Council

To continue your entitlement, you must take evidence of entitlement to the school or apply via the following link:

Cecil Jones Academy-OFSM

Dear Parents and Carers

Could your child and the school be missing out on vital additional funding during this already difficult time?

Due to the current climate and probability that some households may have unfortunately lost their income or be on a considerably reduced income, we thought it was a good time to check if your child may now qualify for pupil premium. If you are in receipt of any of the benefits listed you may be eligible to help with the cost of food for your child, while the school is closed through free school meal vouchers. The school would receive additional funding for your child to provide extra support and resources and help with the cost of food. 

Are you currently receiving one of these benefits?

  • Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400.
  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guarantee element of Pension Credit
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  • Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190

If the answer is ‘yes’ and you do receive one of the benefits listed above, all you need to do is go to Southend Borough Council website to complete a short online form, which you can access at https://www.southend.gov.uk/info/200343/help_with_costs/56/free_school_meals and we can perform a simple online check to see if you are eligible. All information is kept confidential at all times. In the event of difficulties accessing this system, please approach your child’s school directly if you think you are eligible.

You will need the following information to complete the form:

  • First and Last Name of parent(s) that child resides with.
  • Date of Birth of parent(s) above.
  • National Insurance Number of parent(s) as above.