to wonder if there's some conspiracy surrounding 'free' school meals?

[sevenkeystomysoul]

DD is going into reception in September and I have been sent a free school meals application form. On the front of the form it says your child is entitled to free school meals if you receive 'Child Tax Credit and an annual income less than £16,190'. OK, that's me. But on the reverse of the form, you need to tick a box, and suddenly there is a codicil, 'provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit'. Well, I work, so I receive CTC and WTC, but my annual income is still less than £16,190.

I have called the school, the local council and a national number so far, and NOBODY has been able to help me . It's like a big black information hole surrounding this issue. AIBU to suspect it's a government conspiracy to ensure all low-income children exist on Fruit Shoots and Greggs sausage rolls?

I thought that too BeerTrickPotter. Its not the government's responsibility to dictate what parents feed their kids. Some people think it is but it absolutely is not.

Well, yes, I do know that, I was being facetious. But, I find it frustrating that my child is entitled to free meals on one side of governmental A4 paper, and, apparently, not on the other - a bit ridiculous, no?

it sucks but rule is if you get wtc it means you are working so not entitled to free scholl meals

beer my kids old school use to ask if you got free meals even if you didnt use them to still sign up as the school still got the money for that child and they use to put the money they got into the school funds

how come school gave you a form??

I don't see how many working people would fit that criteria. It would mean someone is working under 16 hours so not getting WTC, but still getting CTC.

FSM are mainly available for people on IS/JSA.

Ah, thanks ddubsgirl. It's the fact that the form is so misleading that's annoying, and that nobody seems geared up to help with enquiries about it. That, and the fact that a child of low-income parents who don't work is entitled to free meals and mine isn't because I do work.

they have to have a cut off point somewhere though

I googled it and it is clear on this local authority website -
www3.hants.gov.uk/education/admissions/ad-information/ad-school-meals.htm
Sorry its not the answer you wanted.

The government do seem to make every single form as complicated as possible.

I had this too - its frustrating (as although I don't want the meals) the school can loose out on extra finance( why they keep bombarding me with forms) as FSM are one of the measures of being "poor". I pay full price for my son's music lessons and hire but would have free hire and 2/3 reduction in lesson cost if eligible for FSM's - his lessons are a considerable drain and need much penny pinching to afford. I would actually be better off on JSA but am self employed so incredibly difficult to become unemployed. - I also don't want to be classed as "unemployed".Also looks like the government will use FSM eligibility in coming years for Uni programmes with lower grades and more finance for the "poor".

My friend in Scotland is in the financial boat but gets FSM eligibility as they have sensibly taken out the WTC rule.

If you are on 'same' money working as someone on benefits and person on benefits would get free school meals and you wouldn't - seems thoroughly unfair.

This has been my argument for a long long time. Our family income is £13000 - a mix of wages and working family tax credit, but we don't qualify, yet a family with no wage but up to £16000 in benefit can.

And it's not just about the free school meals, it's the eligibility that opens doors for - especially now the EMA thing. It really isn't fair.

surely tho,anyone working is in a position to work extra hours,overtime etc....not saying everyone has that option,but working opens doors too

benefit claimants cant claim extra. there are no options,and things like bank loans,overdrafts etc arent opent o them either

I'm in the same position as the OP and have been confused by that form before now! I earn a good few thousand under the £16k limit for FSM but can't claim them because I get WTC (which I get to top up my shittily low income). I can't work extra hours as my hours are set and if we work any overtime it's unpaid (I'm salaried, rather than paid per hour). I wish they would just say that FSM are for people on IS/JSA only.

It's irritating not just because of the FSM aspect, but also the reduction in music/sports club fees, help with the cost of uniform and other help that people entitled to FSM get. Don't get me wrong - I don't begrudge people on benefits these things, but wish they would work them out based on total household income rather than whether or not you get WTC. As a 'working poor' lone parent I may well bring in less money than a family where both parents are on JSA or IS. That surely can't be right, can it?

that really is confusing. if you are getting tax credits on an income of 15k then you are obviously working to get that 15k and would therefore be getting WTC. Most confusing.

Out of interest, if the WTC was only a bit, could you not claim it, and get the FSM and additional help that confers?

Or is it to do with eligibility?

For some reason if you get WTC you are not entiltled to FSM. I think the whole system is flawed anyway as there are quite a few categories of money you can receive without it affecting your TC, so you could therefore have a much higher household income than the £16+ and still be entiltled to FSM

Maighdlin Not always. There are some instances where you could be getting household income that is NOT wages from working

I think you have to learn how to play the game, do the laths it might not actually be worth you working after all.

OP-Here's what is it is:
You can get CTC and not WTC if you are on Income Support, so essentially FSM are for parents on Income Support only.
I am poor, but work, so won't get 'em either.
I will pay for school dins though, as I am too lazy busy to make pack-ups

How can you not work at all? Don't you have to be actively seeking work and go to interviews to be eligible for JSA /IS these days, and isnt it being made compulsory

How would you afford your mortgage? Is there housing benefit for your own mortgage?

Part timers cant always get the overtime as a lot of employers now only give it to the full timers at extra rate. Ie, you have to do a standard 40 hours to qualify for time and a half overtime rate. Child care costs are also negated by time incurred travelling and earning nothing. It's very hard for the working poor to rise above the situation.

I think it's terrible that family's working and struggling on less than £16K dont qualify for all the benefits that FSM brings and yet others are who dont work. It's an odd system. My son's school can't understand it either when we say we're too poor to afford school trips and expenses, yet cant qualify for free school meals. I worry about the money afforded to colleges to supposedly compensate for the scrapping of EMA. Somehow I doubt if we'll get that either on an income of £13K when up to now it's been £20K the eligibility bracket and again families on £16K with FSM willl get it.

Not impressed