Children eligible for free school meals in Wales will continue to get provision throughout the summer holidays. But no decision has been made yet on whether to continue the holiday offer beyond that, the Welsh Government confirmed.
Nearly one in four children are eligible for free school meals in Wales, and that has risen in the last year. The scheme is aimed at addressing "holiday hunger" as the cost of living crisis deepens.
Councils will provide eligible families with vouchers, bank transfers of money or packed lunches. The Welsh Government announced earlier this year that: “As part of a wider package of support to help families struggling with the cost of living crisis, Welsh Ministers have decided to extend this provision throughout the summer half term and summer holiday 2022 – up to the start of the new academic year.”
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A Welsh Government spokesperson confirmed no decision had been made on whether to extend that to next half term and beyond. It is also not clear whether the Welsh Government's offer of universal free school meals for all reception class children would be extended into the school holidays.
From September all reception pupils will be offered free schoo l meals with the offer extended to year one and two children next April. Some councils are expanding the offer to those years next term or the start of the spring term 2023. The Welsh Government is funding the scheme and has said it will fund those local authorities who can extend the offer to year one and two children early.
Of the 380,139 pupils aged five to 15 in Wales, 23.6% were known to be eligible for free school meals, up from 22.9% at April 2021, the latest Wales School Census shows. This does not include those pupils getting transitional protection so they have their free school meals protected during the Universal Credit rollout period.
The eligibility criteria for free school meals
Children whose parents receive the following support payments are entitled to receive free school meals in maintained schools in Wales:
- Income support
- Income based jobseekers allowance
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child tax credit, provided they are not entitled to working tax credit and their annual income does not exceed £16,190.
- Guarantee element of state pension credit.
- Working tax credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for working tax credit.
- Universal credit
- Young people who receive income related employment and support allowance, universal credit, income support or income based job seekers allowance in their own right may also be eligible to receive free school meals
The age must a child/young person be to receive free school meals
Free school meals are available to any full-time pupil who is still at school and eligible. This includes nursery children who attend full days and also sixth formers.
Free school meals are not available for students in further education institutions. Further Education students from low income households can contact student support at their FE Institution as help with the cost of meals might be available.
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