Free School Meals

calmspirit

No they work longer hours than me .......... which apparently takes them over the amount to qualify for WTC...........but they do get some CTC (not sure on exact figures) so CTC(no matter how small amount?) and no WTC = free school meals.

Spendless

calmspirit wrote:

No they work longer hours than me .......... which apparently takes them over the amount to qualify for WTC...........but they do get some CTC (not sure on exact figures) so CTC(no matter how small amount?) and no WTC = free school meals.

That's not true. Our income is too high for WTC but we still receive CTC and do not receive free school meals. In our case we get the family element of CTC- roughly £10 a week, and we'd get this upto an annual household income of around £50,000.Even if our CTC was more than the family element we still wouldn't be entitled to free school meals.

I think your friend should double check her entitlement. I wouldn't want to be landed with a backdated bill for school meals that I should have been paying for.

Poppy9

Families who have children up to the age of 19yrs attending Warwickshire maintained schools and nurseries may be entitled to claim free school meals for them.

From the 30th April 2005 the criteria for claiming free school meals are as follows:-

• Family receives Income Support or Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance.

• Family receives Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

• Family receives Child Tax Credit and has an annual taxable income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue, not in excess of £13,910. NB Families who also receive an award of Working Tax Credit do not qualify to claim free school meals.
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

NB All applications must be accompanied by proof of entitlement as outlined below:

• A copy of a recent Benefit Agency/Job Centre letter, or free school meal application stamped by either agency which confirms the claimant's receipt of Income Support or Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance.

• A copy of the claimant's M1000 Pension Credit Award which confirms receipt of the Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

• A copy of the family's most recent Tax Credit Award Notice (TC602) which is issued by the Inland Revenue and confirms that Working Tax Credit is not in payment to either claimant or partner.

• Home Office documentation verifying the claimant's status under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Ace 1999.

calmspirit

oops I think I didnt look at this properly, friend and hubby work less than 16 hrs per week each (but still jointly more than me) so their earnings are higher (yes I know there's 2 of them so of course thats going to happen. I haevnt asked etails but presume they dont get WTC element because they each work less than 16 hrs, but they do get CTC ...... I can only presume that their earnings are less than the limit of 13900 which is why they get free school meals. My point was that my income is much less than theirs but because part of my income is made up from WTC then I do not get free school meals.
I think free school meals should be income based .
sorry if my previous post gave wrong impression.

Spendless

calmspirit wrote:

oops I think I didnt look at this properly, friend and hubby work less than 16 hrs per week each (but still jointly more than me) so their earnings are higher (yes I know there's 2 of them so of course thats going to happen. I haevnt asked etails but presume they dont get WTC element because they each work less than 16 hrs, but they do get CTC ...... I can only presume that their earnings are less than the limit of 13900 which is why they get free school meals. My point was that my income is much less than theirs but because part of my income is made up from WTC then I do not get free school meals.
I think free school meals should be income based .
sorry if my previous post gave wrong impression.

That would make sense if they're working less than 16 hours. They wouldn't get WTC.

rainbowkanga

Just to say I am one of those from a working family whose income is less that it would be if we were on benefits but can't get free school meals because we are working. I have contacted my MP to lobby for the rules to be changed and would urge others in the same situation to do the same.

calmspirit

rainbowkanga wrote:

Just to say I am one of those from a working family whose income is less that it would be if we were on benefits but can't get free school meals because we are working. I have contacted my MP to lobby for the rules to be changed and would urge others in the same situation to do the same.

here here

I too would be financially better off not working .....

I did see an organisation somewhere campaigning for the free school meal system to be income based....I will try find it again.

moogyboobles

Even JSA doesn't guarantee free meals. Last year my husband was on it for a couple of months. We claimed for the meals but they took so long processing it we never got them.
There are loads of things we never got that we later found we were entitled too (like fuel direct or first steps, travel expenses to interviews etc) despite asking the jobcentre and CAB! It was as if they assume you've been there before.

hazyjane_2

re:no school meals if you receive WTC, I'm planning to get legal help to make the council review it's policy, as I *believe* there's still a discretionary power to award free school meals on the basis of the individual child's circumstances. It simply makes no sense, rationally or morally, to withhold school dinners from a child whose family is struggling financially.

zoe234

how do i now if my child could qualify for free school meals?