Help A-Z My Falkirk Falkirk Council Search COVID-19 information and guidance HomeServicesSchools & educationEducation benefits & supportFree School Meals & School Clothing Grants Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants We can provide Free School Meals, and payment towards the cost of school clothing and footwear (clothing grants) to the value of £120.00 per child/per year. To be eligible, you should normally be resident in the Falkirk Council area and your child(ren) must attend any primary, special or secondary school managed by Falkirk Council. Payments may also be made where pupils are attending schools outside the area in limited circumstances. To check if you qualify, please refer to the table below. Your income School Clothing Grant Free School Meals Income Support yes yes Income-based Job Seekers Allowance yes yes Income related Employment and Support Allowance yes yes Universal Credit with monthly earned income of not more than £610 yes yes Universal Credit with monthly earned income between £610 and £1,342 yes no Child Tax Credit only (no Working Tax Credit) with other income under £16,105 yes yes Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with other income under £7,330 yes yes Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with other income between £7,330 and £16,105 yes no Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 yes yes Please note: If you do not meet the national qualifying criteria for Free School Meals as outlined above but you currently have a live claim for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction with Falkirk Council then your children will also qualify for Free School Meals. Pupils are eligible to apply for Free School Meals in their own right if they are aged 16-18 and in receipt of one of the benefits listed above. From August 2021, all pupils attending Primary 1 - 4 are universally entitled to free school meals. However, you should still submit an application for Clothing Grant for these pupils if necessary. Pupils who turn 16 on or before 30th September will not be eligible for an award of clothing grant but should apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) instead. These pupils are still eligible for free school meals. How to apply If you need to submit a new application form you can do so by following the link below. Please note: You may need to provide supporting evidence with your online application form. Please see the Additional information section below where you can see examples of the evidence we usually need from you. Apply for Free School Meals and Clothing Grants The deadline for Clothing Grant applications is 31st March each year. There is no deadline for Free School Meals applications. What happens next If you have submitted a new application form, we aim to contact you within 28 days of receiving your application. Please refer to our FAQ's if you have any queries about your entitlement or the application process. Update your bank details If you need to update your bank details, use our online form below: Request to change your bank details for Clothing Grant payments Supporting documents Submit any documents you have been asked to supply using our online form. You can currently use the form to submit documents for the following services: Housing Benefit Council Tax Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants Education Maintenance Allowance Homespot application form Submit a supporting document Additional information Further information about Free School Meals and Clothing Grants can be found on our frequently asked questions page. This contains a variety of information regarding applications, payments and more. Please also see below examples of the evidence of income we may need you to submit with your online application form. Universal Credit Award Details Example 1 PDF file, 137.7 KB Universal Credit Award Details Example 2 (from Mobile) PDF file, 798.4 KB Tax Credits Award Example 1 (Letter) PDF file, 6.2 MB Tax Credits Award Example 2 (Online) PDF file, 616.5 KB 01324 506070 fsm@falkirk.gov.uk Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants Frequently asked questions A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Services Benefits & support Bins, rubbish & recycling Births, deaths & marriages Business & investment Children & families Council & democracy Council tax Crime & antisocial behaviour Environment Homes & property Jobs & careers Law & licensing Libraries People & communities Planning & building standards Roads, parking & transport Schools & education Social care & health Sport, leisure & culture Tourism & visitor attractions Accessibility Privacy Help & legal notices Cookies How are we performing Search Places Maps Contact us Service disruptions & alerts Social media Employee information Falkirk Council ©2021 Falkirk Council This site uses cookies We use cookies to make our website better and to give you the best possible experience. Ask our chatbot