Last day to apply for free school meal voucher worth £90

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TODAY is the last day parents can apply for free school meals for their kids over the summer worth £90.

In order to get the voucher, claims need to be submitted at least seven days before schools close for their six-week break.

Here’s everything you need to know about applying for a free school meal voucher over the summer

Most schools shut from the week of July 20 – which is next week – so orders will likely need to be placed by today, July 13.

Parents can apply through their child’s school or local council – check below for more information.

The government didn’t originally plan on running the free school meals scheme over the summer, but ministers were forced to U-turn on this after a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.

The Department for Education (DfE) doesn’t usually provide free meals for children over holidays – but it carried on giving out the school meal vouchers over Easter and half-terms this year due to the coronavirus crisis.

Around 1.3million eligible pupils will benefit from a £90 voucher to cover the six-week holiday.

This is the same as £15 a week, or the same as what was being offered during the pandemic.

If your child’s summer holiday lasts seven full weeks, instead of six, schools will be able to increase the voucher to £105.

The scheme, which started in March, sees schools give out vouchers to families electronically, or post a gift card to those without internet access.

Parents or carers can then spend the vouchers in Aldi, Asda, McColl’s, Morrisons, M&S Food, Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Waitrose.

Which children are eligible for free school meals?

If your child usually receives free school meals during term-time, then you should be eligible for vouchers over the summer.

Children usually qualify for free school meals if their parents get income-related benefits – this can include Universal Credit, income support, jobseeker’s allowance, and employment and support allowance.

They can be eligible from nursery age through to sixth form.

Check if your child should be getting free school meals by using the Gov.uk website.

Eligibility varies slightly between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland because the nations set their own rules.

For example, if you qualify because you’re claiming Universal Credit, new benefit claims made from April 2018 in England must come from households earning a maximum income of £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits. 

It’s the same in Scotland and Wales, but in Northern Ireland the household income threshold is a higher £14,000.

In England and Scotland, all pupils in reception and years one and two, regardless of income, can get free school meals during term time in state schools.

How do I apply for free school meals?

How you claim the free school meals depends on where you live.

For example, you can either get a form to fill in from your school, call your local council or fill in an online form.

Start by entering your postcode into the Gov.uk website to see what the process is in your area.

If you claim housing benefit or council tax support, this typically counts as a claim for free school meals so you don’t have to fill in a separate form.

There’s a different process if you live in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

The voucher system for free school meals has been plagued by errors, despite an upgrade to the database delivering the vouchers over Easter.

A few months ago, the online system for free school meal vouchers left parents and teachers in queues of more than 75,000 people.

Thousands of school children under the age of seven will also miss out on free school meals during the coronavirus crisis.