Free school meals and clothing grants
Free school meals
Free school meals are available to many children in Midlothian. If you receive qualifying benefits, you may also be able to get help with the cost of school uniform, free school milk, and payments during the school holidays.
Use this page to check what your family can get, and how to apply.
| Your situation | What you can get |
|---|---|
| Any child in P1 to P5 | Free schools meals, automatically. You do not need to apply for the meal itself. |
| P6 or P7, and you get Scottish Child Payment | Free school meals. Apply each year to set this up. This does not include the clothing grant, free milk or holiday payments |
| You get a qualifying benefit (child of any age) | Free school meals, plus the clothing grant, free milk and holiday payments. Apply each year — or wait for our letter in July if we are already in contact with you. |
IMPORTANT - Free school meals do not automatically include free school milk, the clothing grant or holiday payments. If you get a qualifying benefit apply using the application form to ensure you are not charged for school milk and receive a clothing grant.
There is no limit on the number of children in a family that can receive the payment, but we need to verify the paperwork for each named child.
Support with school uniform
If you are on a low income, you can apply for a clothing grant to help with the cost of school uniform.
- £120 a year for each primary pupil
- £150 a year for each secondary pupil
We pay one clothing grant per child each year, between the summer and the last day of March.
Read the school uniform and clothing guidance
Do you need to apply?
Some families do not need to apply. We contact you automatically in July if you get:
- Midlothian Council Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, and
- Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or income-based Employment and Support Allowance
If you do not get a letter from us in July, you will need to apply at the start of the new school year.
You can apply for your child or, if you are aged 16 to 18 and live on your own, you can apply for yourself.
What you will need to apply
Find the benefit you get in the table below, and send us the evidence listed next to it.
| Benefit you receive | Evidence required |
|---|---|
| Universal credit (monthly take home pay up to £995) |
Your online journal - full statement showing your name, address and take home pay, even if it is £0. See our Universal Credit journal guidance. |
| Scottish Child Payment (P6 & P7 only) | Clear photo of your Scottish Child Payment award |
|
Income Support |
Letter from the Job Centre dated within the last 6 months if you have:
|
| Pension credit | Letter from the DWP (Department of Work & Pensions). |
| Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 | Please email asylumsupport@midlothian.gov.uk |
Apply
Once you have your evidence ready, apply online.