Free school meals and school clothing grants - primary and secondary
If your child is in P1 to P4
Free School Meals are offered to ALL pupils in P1 - P4 without the need for parents/carers to submit an application form. However, an application form must be completed if you also require a school clothing grant for your child in P1-P4.
Don't forget to submit an application form for Free School Meals for your child when he/she moves into P5 as they will no longer be automatically entitled to Free School Meals.
If your child is P5 or above
You can claim free school meals and a school clothing grant for your child(ren) if you are receiving:
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
- Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, with an income of less than £16,105
- Both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with an income of up to £7,500
- If you are between 16 and 18 years old and receive any of these benefits in your own right, you can claim free school meals for yourself.
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Universal Credit with a monthly earned income of not more than £625
Parents/Carers in receipt of a qualifying benefit will receive an annual school clothing grant of £120 per child in primary school and £150 per child in secondary school.
Please note assistance with school clothing/footwear is not awarded to nursery pupils. Children over 16 who are eligible to apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance will NOT be entitled to a clothing grant.
For more information on Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit visit the Inland Revenue website.
How do I apply for free school meals and a school clothing grant?
Alternatively, application forms are available from any Perth & Kinross Council school or from Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, Perth.
Supporting evidence from Jobcentre Plus must be dated within 6 weeks of the date of your claim and Tax Credit Award Notices (TC602) must relate to financial year 2021/2022.
A photograph of your evidence taken from your smart phone is acceptable.
If you submit an application form for the start of session 2021/2022 and have not received a response by Thursday 5 August 2021, please contact the Schools Division using the below contact details.
Any parents/carers who would like further information about this or school meals in general should please contact the ECS Catering Support team at ECSCateringSupport@pkc.gov.uk.