Free School Meals Voucher - Christmas Holiday 2024
Important - Please read the following before submitting a free school meals application.
This is for pupils attending a Sandwell school and in receipt of benefit related free school meals only. For those that attend a school outside the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough, parents are advised to speak to their child’s school to see if they are supporting eligible children with a food voucher. For pupils that are not in attendance at a Sandwell school and who are home schooled, you need to email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Deadline - Free school meal applications must be received by 19th December for those pupils attending a Sandwell school. If your claim is then successful and you are entitled to benefit related free school meals, this will ensure a food voucher can be issued by your child's school before the last day of term. Any applications received after this date will be assessed for benefit related free school meals only for when your child returns to school after the holiday, but you will not receive a food voucher if your claim is successful.
The authority is now pleased to confirm that funding will be available to support free school meals pupils with a food voucher over the Christmas holiday.
This will include pupils with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) that schools have identified as having eligibility. The government only announced an extension of the Household Support Grant a few weeks before October half-term, which, unfortunately didn’t leave enough time to make the necessary arrangements for a food voucher to be issued to those eligible for free school meals. In recognising how difficult the Christmas period can be for families the Council will instead be providing a £60 voucher (per child) in early December (£75 for Q3 Academies) which is equivalent in value to £15 per week separate vouchers for October, Christmas, & February half-term.