Free School Meals

Were you entitled to Free School Meals (FSMs) at school? If so, you may be entitled to Free Meals whilst studying at college. Who is eligible? Students aged 16-18 at the start of their course (or aged 19-25 with an EHCP) and live in a household in receipt of the benefits listed below. Eligible students will be allocated £3.50 to your cashless account each college day. The £3.50 can be spent in either the Rotherfield or the Deanfield canteen. If you are going on a college day trip or will be attending a work experience placement students can contact the Chartwells manager in advance to organise alternatives.

Please ensure you have downloaded, saved and understood the 2023-24 Declaration for Financial Assistance before applying.

2023-24 Declaration

Financial Assistance Declaration 2023-24.pdf 120.2 KB

ELIGIBILITY  & EVIDENCE

Proof of benefits cannot be demonstrated by bank statements and we cannot recognise any other benefit other than those mentioned below. Evidence must be submitted in the form of scanned PDF documents, all pages of the letter/statement must be included. We cannot accept photographs or screenshots. For assistance with scanning please visit our the Bursary Fund page.

Benefit	Evidence
Universal Credit	Assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent downloaded Universal Credit statements. Monthly statements must not exceed earnings of £616.67 and an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400
Income Support	Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)/Jobcentre Plus dated within one month of application showing breakdown of income support payment
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance	Letter from DWP/Jobcentre Plus dated within one month of application
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance	Letter from DWP/Jobcentre Plus dated within one month of application
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999	Asylum seekers will need to provide a National Asylum and Support Service (NASS) support notice or IS96 document including details of authority providing support under part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. You will be required to supply: NASS reference number Port reference number Name of authority
The guarantee element of Pension Credit	Pension Credit M1000 Award Notice
Child Tax Credit, provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190	All pages of the TC602 Inland Revenue tax credit award notice for the current tax year
Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit	Letter from HMRC detailing the leave/gap in employment