Coronavirus support - School Holiday Meal Scheme

Coronavirus – February 2022 half-term School Holiday Meal Scheme

The government launched the Household Support Fund to assist households to meet daily needs such as food, clothing and utilities.

This has allowed us to continue our support to eligible families with funds to ensure that they can purchase food over the holidays to replace the meals a child would have received during a school day.

Helping us ensure no child goes hungry during the upcoming school holiday period.

The School Holiday Meal Scheme will provide £15 per child to support eligible families during the February half-term school holiday.

It is part of Havering Helps, a package of measures that was introduced during the pandemic to provide extra help to local residents, businesses and care providers.

Please note that we issue this amount via a bank transfer and do not issue meal vouchers as part of the scheme.

If you have received money via the scheme previously, you do not need to reapply.

The money will be paid into your nominated bank account automatically during week commencing Monday 14 February 2022.

New claims

You can make a new claim if:

• you did not apply during any previous application periods
• you were not previously eligible however your circumstances have changed and now are eligible
• you would like to claim for additional children who you have claimed for previously but were not eligible at the time
• you would like to claim for additional children who you’ve not applied for in the past

Please check that you meet the eligibility criteria below before submitting your application.

The scheme will open from 9am Monday 31 January 2022 and will close at 5pm on Friday 4 February 2022.

Eligible families who apply for the School Holiday Meal Scheme and have not received payment via the scheme in the past are expected to receive payments during week commencing Monday 14 February 2022.

If further eligibility checks are required, this may delay payment. 

Eligibility check

The scheme is for children of statutory school age and eligible under the benefit criteria listed below for free school meals during term time.

The scheme is administered by each local authority to its eligible residents regardless of the borough of the school they attend, so if you live in Havering but your child goes to a school outside of Havering, you apply here with us.

If you live outside of Havering, but your child goes to a Havering school, you need to apply for the scheme with the borough you live in.

All infant age children receive free school meals, but only children in receipt of benefit related free school meals are eligible for this extra support.

If you do not have bank account details, please provide the bank details of a trusted family member or friend.

You can also make arrangements with your child/children’s school to access the funds. Please contact them to discuss.

If you or your child receives any of the following benefits, you may be eligible for this support.

• Income support
• Income based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income of less than £16,190
• Support under part 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 (your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax and not including any benefits you receive)

If you have any queries about the scheme or issues around non-payment, please email schoolmealholidayscheme@havering.gov.uk.

If you are not eligible for support from this scheme, the Havering Emergency Assistance Scheme that is run with our partners, DABD, supports the most financially vulnerable people in the borough, including those who are not in receipt of qualifying benefits but are in financial difficulties.

Apply

Apply for the February half-term School Holiday Meal Scheme (Coming soon - Apply from 9am, Monday 31 January 2022)

Applications close at 5pm on Friday 4 February 2022.

Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme Easter 2022

If you are eligible for free school meals and your child is aged 4 to 16 you can also make an application for the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

This programme aims to support families by offering a range of activities and healthy meals.

Find out more about the Holiday Activities and Food programme