2024 Summer holidays vouchers
If your child is in Reception to Year 11 and:
- Educated at Home
- Attends an Independent School in Salford
- Attends a Special School outside of Salford
If you didn't receive vouchers for the 2024 Easter holiday period you will be able to apply for vouchers for the 2024 summer holidays from Monday 24 June 2024, as part of Free School Meals. The closing date for new applications will then be Friday 12 July 2024.
Any applications processed after that date will not be eligible to receive vouchers for the 2024 Summer holidays.
School holiday voucher enquiry form
If vouchers are issued by the school your child in Reception to Year 11 attends, then we can't help with your enquiry.
You will have to speak to staff at your child's school.
Assisted enrolment service for Free School Meals – Summer 2024
Update - a recent review of our Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support information that we hold has highlighted that many households may meet the criteria for free school meals but have not yet made an application for one reason for another.
As part of Salford’s BetterOff service, which is here to assist residents who may be struggling with the cost of living to get the support they need, we are running an assisted enrolment service to offer support to families to more easily access free school meals if they are eligible. Those families who appear to qualify for free school meals, but haven’t applied yet, are currently being contacted by letter to explain how the assisted enrolment service works.
As well as providing valuable benefit directly to families, the more pupils registered correctly for free school meals will help schools receive the right level of funding from the government to support disadvantaged children known as Pupil Premium funding. For each child on free school meals in a primary school, pupil premium provides £1,455 per pupil to their school and £1,035 per high school child per year.
Most free school meal applications need to be made to Salford City Council. Details of how to apply are set out below.
However, there are a small number of schools where you need to contact the school directly.
Schools where you need to apply directly
Contact these schools directly for free school meal enquiries or new applications:
- Barton Moss Primary School
- Buile Hill Academy
- Ellesmere Park High School
- Marlborough Road Academy
- Moorside High School
- St Augustine's CE Primary School
Already receiving a Free School Meal?
If your child was receiving a free school meal during the last school year there is no need to renew your application as the Government introduced transitional protection for claimants of income related free school meals.
Who qualifies for Free School Meals?
Free school meals are for children who:
- live in the city of Salford (the area covered by Salford City Council); and
- go to school (not a day nursery or children's centre) in Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford or Wigan)
If you live outside the city of Salford, but your child goes to a Salford school, complete the online form below.
Free meals are not usually available for children who go to independent (private) schools.
Who is entitled to free school meals:
- registered pupils at primary and secondary free schools, academies and local authority maintained schools (including a sixth form centre attached to a maintained school); and
- pupils attending maintained nurseries, as long as they are receiving education before and after lunch.
Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Universal Credit (not working)
- Universal Credit (working) where your net earned income is no more than £7,400 a year.*
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
- Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit Run-on, paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- If you get support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
*Please note: To be entitled to claim free school meals (FSM) when working and claiming Universal Credit, your net earned income for one period should be no more than £616.67, no more than £1,233.34 for two consecutive payment periods, and no more than £1,850.00 for three consecutive payment periods.
Therefore if your net earned income for one, two or three periods are below the upper earnings limits stated, you would be entitled to claim FSM.
When you apply online, you will need to upload screen shots of each page of the relevant payment statement(s), especially the page(s) showing any deductions that are being made, with your online application, so we can then determine if you are entitled to claim free school meals.
However, if your net earned income exceed the limits for one period, £616.67, or two periods £1,233.34, or three periods exceed £1,850.00, then you would not qualify to claim FSM.
Children who receive any of the above benefits in their own right (for example they get payments directly, instead of through a parent or guardian) can also get free school meals.
Even if your child won't have the school lunch, registering helps schools receive 'pupil premium' for each eligible child, used for useful services or extra support (e.g., music lessons, school trips).
Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)
Reception, year 1, and year 2 pupils in state-funded schools are eligible for UIFSM, regardless of parents' income.
Discuss with the school staff to fill in an application form if necessary.
In addition to UIFSM, if you do meet the criteria for claiming income related or asylum seeker free school meals, as outlined above, then please submit an online claim, so that your child’s school to receive additional Pupil Premium funding from the Government.
16 to 19 funding: free meals in further education
Parents of children who are 16 and over, who are attending a further education college or a sixth form centre (not attached to a school), must apply to their child's college for free meals if they get a qualifying income listed above.
Application options
Apply online:
Parents: Use the appropriate online form based on your situation (e.g., income-related, asylum seeker, no recourse to public funds).
School staff, council employees and employees from external organisations can also apply on behalf of parents using specific forms.
Free school meal forms for parents/carers
Free school meal forms for professionals (school staff, council employees, external organisations)
Applying by telephone:
If your entitlement can be confirmed over the phone, you can call to apply.
Otherwise, apply in person at Broughton Hub or a Gateway centre, with necessary documents.
- Broughton Hub, 50 Rigby Street, Salford
- Eccles Gateway, 28 Barton Road, Eccles
- Pendleton Gateway, 1 Broadwalk, Salford
- Swinton Gateway, 100 Chorley Road, Swinton
- Walkden Gateway, 2 Smith Street, Walkden
Staff at these locations should be able to process your free school meals application on a drop-in basis.
Documents you will need to produce
If you are applying in person, please be sure to bring documentary proof that you are currently in receipt of any of the above qualifying benefits, or confirmation that you receive support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (eg IND letter or a NASS letter).
We will be unable to process your application for free school meals unless we have seen the necessary proof that you are entitled to claim.
Need more information?
If you think your child may be entitled to free school meals you can obtain further information from the Department for Education, their school, by using our contact form.
Claiming free school meals is beneficial for you and your child's school.
This page was last updated on 8 July 2024