The Department of Education (DE) and Department of Communities (DfC) have announced that families eligible for free school meals will receive payments direct to their back accounts. The payments will start to be made next week on a fortnightly basis and will continue over the Easter holidays. Families do not need to apply.

They will be texting a small percentage of families for whom they don’t hold bank details to direct them to a form on their website. Here, parents will be asked to provide their bank details so payments can be made.

If your child receives free school meals, you applied on the "free meals and uniform grant form".   This may have included your bank details.  If EA require any further information from parents, they will contact you in due course.  

These arrangements are not being put in place through school.  If your child receives free school meals and you have not received money into your bank account or been contacted by EA within the next 3 weeks, please contact EA directly.