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Annex A: Eligibility Criteria for Free School Meal Entitlement
Scottish school children's entitlement to free school meals is currently linked to the benefits system. Until 2003 free school meal eligibility was mainly linked to income support. In 2003, a system of tax credits was introduced and benefits such as income support are being phased out gradually. It was therefore necessary to change the eligibility criteria for free school meals to reflect this change. The School Meals (Scotland) Act 2003 was introduced to ensure that Scottish children were not disadvantaged by the tax credit changes and ensure that, as far as possible, the status quo was maintained in relation to free school meals entitlement. This was done by linking entitlement to receipt of maximum Child Tax Credit (subject to an income threshold) but not Working Tax Credit. The income threshold is updated annually.
Last year's annual income threshold determining entitlement to maximum Child Tax Credit was £13,910. Since 6 April 2006 the annual income threshold has been £14,155. This means that the eligibility criteria for free school meals during 2006-07 are as follows:
From 6 April 2006, children are eligible for free school meals if they or their parents are in receipt of one of the following:
- Income support ( IS)
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance ( JSA)
- Child Tax Credit ( CTC), but not Working Tax Credit ( WTC), with an income of less than £14,155.
Children will also be eligible if their parents receive the following:
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
The Education (School Meals) (Scotland) Act 2003 was designed to maintain existing eligibility for free school meals as far as possible. Parents who were eligible for free school meals before 2003 should still be entitled to free school meals under the new criteria, unless their circumstances have changed.
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