Mercia School offers a high-quality, good value dining experience. You may be eligible for free school meals.

Who is eligible?

You may be eligible for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods) 
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit as long as you have a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

How do you apply?

You apply for free school meals directly with Sheffield City Council. You can apply by:

• completing an online application
• contacting Sheffield City Council directly

The online application can be used by parents, carers, schools or professionals. You can apply online for up to 5 children. You can start your application here. 

Why are Free School Meals important?

Applying for free school meals is very important because the funding that Mercia School receives from central government depends in part on the number of children registered as being entitled to free school meals. For every registered child, the school receives additional money to spend on extra resources such as extracurricular activities and support for its pupils. This is called the ‘Pupil Premium’.

The government has also stated that it is keen for universities to actively recruit pupils that have previously received free school meals so it is important that those eligible for free school meals do register for them.

Further information

For further information, please visit the Sheffield City Council’s website here or contact the Free School Meals Team on 0114 2734567.