As you may have seen in the news this week, the government are providing all children who are entitled to Free School Meals with vouchers. These vouchers can be redeemed at a range of supermarkets and will be provided for families during the period schools are closed.

Please be aware that vouchers will only be provided for children that receive means-tested Free School Meals and not infant-aged children who all qualify for the Universal Free School Meal programme which was introduced in 2014.

If you receive any of the benefits listed below, you may be entitled to means-tested Free School Meals and to receive Free School Meal vouchers:

• Income support

• Income-based jobseeker's allowance

• Income-related employment and support allowance

• National asylum seeker support

• Child tax credit (provided you’re not also entitled to working tax credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)

• The guaranteed element of state pension credit

• Working tax credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit.

• Universal credit with annual net earned income of less than £7,400

If you believe that your child/ren could be entitled to Free School Meals or your circumstance have recently changed, please use the link below to see if you are eligible.

https://freeschoolmeals.leicester.gov.uk/