Services
Free School Meals
The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 as amended gives the education authority:
- Powers to provide milk, meals or other refreshment for pupils at its schools;
- A duty to provide them free of charge to pupils whose parents are in receipt of a qualifying benefit;
- a duty to accommodate the consumption of packed lunches.
It is Council policy to provide meals (and milk in the case of nursery & primary pupils) for all who wish to take them.
Free School Meals - Academic Year 2013/2014
Application forms for the forthcoming 2013/2014 academic year can be accepted from 01 May 2013 onwards, an application form can be downloaded using the "online tools" menu to the right of this text. If you are applying using Tax Credits are your qualifying benefit, then you must be able to provide a Tax Credit Award Notice detailing payment starting on 06 April 2013.
Pupils with parents in receipt of either:
- Income Support
- Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Any Income Related element of Employment & Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit (with no working tax credit) and whose annual income is £15,910 or less
- Working Tax Credit and whose annual income is £6,420 or less
are entitled to a free mid-day meal
Free mid-day meals are also provided, regardless of the above entitlement, to all pupils at Beatlie, Burnhouse, Cedarbank, Ogilvie School Campus and Pinewood Schools. No application from a parent is necessary.
Free school milk: All pupils of nursery schools and classes, P1-7 pupils whose parents are in receipt of a qualifying benefit and all pupils at Beatlie, Burnhouse, Cedarbank, Ogilvie School Campus and Pinewood Schools where consumption of the milk is part of the educational programme as agreed with Psychological Services, are entitled to 200ml of milk daily free of charge.
Changes to free school milk from April 2011: Not all P1 - P3 pupils will receive free milk from 1 April. However, the council has prioritised its resources to deliver free breakfast clubs to 24 schools in the most deprived areas of West Lothian. We feel this approach will deliver greater benefits to the children who need most support. Parents at all other primary schools can choose to purchase milk for their children at a cost of 17p per carton. The council believes this approach is consistent with the majority of other councils in Scotland. Schools will be notifying parents of the changes. This change was discussed at West Lothian Council's Tough Choices Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on 24 August 2010.
Updated: 30/04/13
