Free School Meals
Could your child be eligible for Free school meals?
For every pupil registered as Free School Meals using the entitlement criteria below, the school will receive additional funding in the school budget called Pupil Premium.
By ensuring that as many eligible families as possible have applied for free school meals, we will receive our maximum Pupil Premium funding which enables us to provide the best education for our pupils.
Free School Meals (FSM) – Parents must meet the criteria detailed below and complete an application form. If you are eligible to claim, we encourage you to do so as each valid claim attracts additional funding to the school.
Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) – All children in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 are eligible for a Universal Free School Meal. No application is needed, however the school receives no additional funding. We respectfully encourage parents of children who receive UFSM to still apply for FSM (if the below criteria is met) as this will ensure school receives essential funding.
Please use the Online Free school Meal Checker to see if you are eligible. You will get an immediate response as to whether you are eligible or not, and will not be required to fill out any further paperwork.
https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims/apply
This is a completely confidential system and is fully GDPR compliant.
Please note - you can only apply for one child per application once you have successfully submitted the first form you are then able to select the relevant option to complete the application for any further children you may have. It is important to use this link as you will only be required to complete the new child’s information as all parental information will be pre-saved from the previous application.
Please contact the school office if you are unsure your child is already registered as a free school meals student.
Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
Your child may 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
in full-time education