Financial/Family Support

This winter, Hertfordshire County Council wants to make sure that advice and support is available to help every resident deal with the rising cost of living and to stay safe and well as temperatures drop.

To make sure everyone knows what help is available, we are highlighting the support and services Hertfordshire residents can access to help them manage.

All information can be accessed via Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘Cost of Living’ webpage. Head to www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/winterhelp, and please share this link with anyone who may find it useful.

Please note: this information is also available in alternative formats, including easy read and translated to Albanian, Arabic, Kurdish, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Urdu. Visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/coltoolkit to download alternative versions.

Support for Families

Financial help may be available to support your child’s education. This may be in the form of Free School Meals, or support to meet the costs of educational school trips, uniforms or essential equipment.

Free School Meals

Your child could get Free School Meals if you receive any of the following:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don’t get more than £16,190 a year)
Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).

Apply today if you receive any of these benefits. It takes 5 minutes and in most cases you will be told straightaway if your child can get free meals at school.

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/at-school/free-school-meals/free-school-meals.aspx

Alternatively call 0300 123 4048 if you live in Hertfordshire.

When you call to apply for Free School Meals, please have the following information ready:

National Insurance numbers and dates of birth of you and your partner
Dates of birth of your children
If you receive support from the National Asylum Support Service, your NASS number

Please be assured that the process of purchasing a Free School Meal is completely confidential. The Government has recently extended Free School Meal eligibility to children in all households, with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to maximum income thresholds. Further information can be obtained from the following website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities/providing-free-school-meals-to-families-with-no-recourse-to-public-funds-nrpf

Uniform

School uniform can be purchased from Beat Uniform Store in Hitchin and Tylers Sportswear Welwyn. All non branded uniform can be purchased in any major supermarket chain. Please be reminded there is no expectation from the School for any branded uniform to be worn. Our PTA HSA also have regular Pre Loved uniform sales at school. The HSA can be contacted by email at highoverhsa@yahoo.co.uk

Parents requiring financial assistance towards the costs can apply for support from the Hertfordshire Educational Foundation.

Hertfordshire Educational Foundation

Hertfordshire Educational Foundation is a small registered charity supporting young people who live in Hertfordshire. We have grants, scholarships and funds to help young people with their education including help with school visits and travel scholarships. Funds are available for young people with disabilities or who are disadvantaged.

Email: hertfordshireeducationalfoundation@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Tel: 01438 843319

Website:https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/at-school/financial-help/hertfordshire-educational-foundation.aspx

School Journeys

If you have exceptional financial difficulties you may be entitled to apply for a grant to cover part of the cost from Hitchin Youth Trust. You must however meet certain conditions in order to be considered for a grant. If you have lived in Hitchin for at least 12 months, your child is eligible for free school meals and your child has not previously had any help from the Hitchin Youth Trust, the Trust may consider an application for financial help. The Trust will pay a maximum of 50% of the total cost for any application and, when considering applications, they will take into account the effort made by parents to contribute towards the total cost. Please call into the office for more details or look at the information on their website at www.hitchinyouthtrust.co.uk. If you live in Letchworth you can apply to The Letchworth Civic Trust for support grants for school trips.

Please be assured that no child will miss out on the opportunity to attend the trip due to financial constraints and the School will ensure you are able to access available support. You can contact Marie Michaelides (Deputy Head and Pastoral Lead) at

marie.michaelides@highover.herts.sch.uk or by calling the school office on 01462 622333 if you require more details. Please be reassured that any discussion you have regarding financial support is strictly confidential.

Hitchin Partnership

Click here to access a wealth of parental support materials including financial support.