We can provide Free School Meals, and payment towards the cost of school clothing and footwear (clothing grants) to the value of £125.00 per child/per year for primary school children, and £155.00 per child/per year for secondary school children.
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 £796 |
yes
|
yes
|
| Universal Credit with monthly earned income between £796 and £1,666
|
yes
|
no
|
| Child Tax Credit only (no Working Tax Credit) with other income under £19,995
|
yes
|
yes |
| Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with other income under £9,552 |
yes
|
yes
|
| Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with other income between £9,552 and £19,995
|
yes
|
no
|
| Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
|
yes
|
yes
|
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.
Pupils who turn 16 on or before 30th September of the relevant school year, 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.
Scottish Government expansion of universal free school meal provision in primary schools
From January 2022, all pupils attending Primary 1 - 5 are universally entitled to free school meals.
Note: You do not need to apply for Free School Meals. However eligible families should still submit an application for Free School Meals and Clothing Grant for these pupils where necessary in order to qualify for School Meal Holiday Payments and Clothing Grant.
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.
The deadline for Clothing Grant applications is 31 March of the relevant school 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:
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/Discretionary Housing Payment
- Council Tax
- Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants
- Education Maintenance Allowance
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.
- Downloads
-
Universal Credit Award Details Example 1
PDF file, 139.5 KB
- Downloads
-
Universal Credit Award Details Example 2 (from Mobile)
PDF file, 910.2 KB
- Downloads
-
Tax Credits Award Example 1 (Letter)
PDF file, 812 KB
- Downloads
-
Tax Credits Award Example 2 (Online)
PDF file, 636 KB