Lunch & Food

Free School Meals

If you are the parent, foster parent, network family carer or guardian of children at school and you are on a low income, you could get Free School Meals. Young people who are still at school but receive Income Support in their own right can also receive Free School Meals.

You are entitled to free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:

Income Support
Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
Child Tax Credit with an annual income of less than £16,190, provided they are not receiving Working Tax Credit
The ‘Guaranteed’ element of the State Pension Credit
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Please note: People receiving Working Tax Credit, regardless of their income level, do not qualify unless you are receiving Working Tax Credit Run-on. This is paid for 4 weeks after your employment ends or your hours reduce to under 16 hours per week.

To find out if you are eligible, call Leeds Revenues and Benefits Service on 0113 222 4404 (option 1)

To claim Free School Meals

If you live in Leeds and you already receive Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support:
Contact Leeds City Council on 0113 222 4404 (option 1) if you want to claim a free school meal for your child and they will notify us if you are entitled.

If you live in Leeds and you do not already receive Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support:
You will need to complete a Benefits Claim Form: Benefits Claim Form Please also refer to the information booklet below: information booklet

If you live with relatives or friends in Leeds and so do not have any direct housing costs:
You will need to complete a Benefits Claim Form: Benefits Claim Form

If you live outside Leeds (if you pay your council tax to a different local authority other than Leeds City Council, but one or more of your children attend a school in Leeds
You need to use the Free School Meals Only claim form for Non-Leeds residents: Free School Meals Only claim form for Non-Leeds residents. When completing the form only list those children who attend schools within Leeds.

If you live in Leeds but your child attends a school outside Leeds
You must apply to the local authority where their school is located.

Foster Parents and Family Network Carers
You will need to complete the Foster Parents claim form.

Where do I send my form?
You should send your signed and completed form to Welfare and Benefits, PO Box 60, 2 Great George Street, Leeds LS2 8JR, or you can hand it in at any One Stop Centre or local housing office.

Sample menus can be found on our Catering page.

At lunchtime, students may have a school dinner or bring a packed lunch. School meals are prepared in-house and the meals are nutritionally balanced to provide your child with the right amounts of nutrients and energy. If your child brings a packed lunch, please ensure it contains the right amount of nutritious food.

As the market leader, Chartwells provides catering and support services to over 360 secondary schools throughout the UK.

Chartwells is committed to ensuring our meals assist the outcomes of the government's Every Child Matters initiative. This aims to give all children the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and continue developing throughout their school years.

Committed to helping to develop great eating habits in young people, Chartwells provides nutritious, tasty and tantalising dishes of current food favourites all devised by a team of chefs and freshly prepared by the onsite catering teams. Supported by a dedicated team of nutritionists, Chartwells also teach students why a healthy lifestyle is so important, and put the Fun back into Food with Darren Tinkler’s interactive cooking road show, delivered to all Allerton Grange students in Year 7.

With so much good, healthy hot food on offer, the menu has a healthy option to suit all tastes and budgets. In total, Chartwells delivers 57 million quality meals a year to pupils throughout the country.