Free School Meals

In our experience not everyone who is entitled to free school meals feels able to apply for them.  We would very much like to encourage everyone who qualifies to take advantage of this service.  

School meals at Westcliff High School for Girls offer healthy nutritious food, hot and cold, prepared and cooked freshly every day.  The daily free school meal allowance of £3.50 is enough to buy a full hot meal.  Students learn better and have more energy for their studies when they eat at regular intervals.  Details of our sample menus can be found by clicking here.  

You could be entitled to free school meals if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part V1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (if not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income of less than £16,190)
• 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

If this is a first claim for free school meals, please complete an application via this link.  We appreciate that these forms can often seem intrusive or long winded however every step of the process is handled sensitively and confidentially.  

Subsequent renewals of free school meals will be verified on a six monthly basis by the school following the Universal Credit roll-out.  

If you need assistance or want to seek confidential advice you can contact the below email address.educationawards@essex.gov.uk