In order for secondary school pupils to receive free school meals you will need to apply on the Islington council website.
Free School Meals from September 2026
As you begin to prepare for your child’s move to secondary school in September, we would like to remind you about the benefit of Free School Meals. If you are eligible to claim for Free School Meals, we would encourage you to apply. If your child previously received Free School Meals at primary school, you will need to re-apply in order for them to receive Free School Meals at the Academy.
Applying for Free School Meals means that you save on lunch costs and at the same time, raise additional funding for the Academy and its students. There is no commitment for children to eat a school meal every day, but for every eligible child the Academy will receive extra funding. This helps the Academy to provide valuable support such as extra tuition, learning assistants and after school clubs for all of our students.
Your child may be eligible if you receive any of the following benefits:
- Income support
- Income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance
- Income related Employment and Support allowance
- Child Tax credit, if your taxable income is less than £16,190 and you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit.
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit.
- Support under Section VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
- Universal Credit
Children who get paid these benefits directly and not through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals. Your child might also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:
- Younger than the compulsory age for starting school, and;
- In full-time education.
School Uniform Grants
The Academy does not directly offer uniform grants. However, the London Borough of Islington offers £150.00 to eligible families, resident in Islington, to help meet the cost of school uniforms at secondary transfer.
The grant is available to Islington residents whose children are eligible for free school meals, under the national criteria.
For more information on free school meals and uniform grants:
Website : www.islington.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals
Email : FreeSchoolMeal@islington.gov.uk
Hackney residents are also eligible for a school uniform grant of £100 from the London Borough of Hackney to assist with the transition from Primary to Secondary School.
The grant is available to Hackney residents whose children are eligible for free school meals, under the national criteria. More information can be found here: https://education.hackney.gov.uk/content/school-uniform-grant-age-11
Shoe Hardship Fund
We are grateful for the generosity of the Worshipful Guild of Pattenmakers, who make an annual donation to the Academy, enabling us to part-fund or fully-fund the purchase of school shoes for students from families who need financial assistance. We prioritise funding for students who are eligible for free school meals. For further information, please contact the Academy.