Universal Infant Free School Meals

All children attending school in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2, will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of income or eligibility for benefits.  By receiving free school meals you can save up to £400 a year and ensure your child is eating a healthy, balanced meal every day.

How Universal Infant Free School Meals will affect Pupil Premium
When a student is on our Free School Meals register, the school receives extra money for that student which has to be spent only on the education of free school meals students. This extra money is called the Pupil Premium and its purpose is to ensure that children from low income families are not at a financial disadvantage during their education as a result of home circumstances.

For the academic year 2022-2023, each meal taken by an eligible pupil attracts £2.41. An allocation assumes that pupils will take 190 school meals over an academic year, providing £457.90 per eligible pupil.

Is my child eligible for Pupil Premium?

A child of any school age, including post-16, may be eligible for free school meals (FSM) if their parents receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided the parents are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
• Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax credit
• Universal Credit – for those applying on or after 1 April 2018, their household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits they get). See the section below for protections in place for those affected by the introduction of this income threshold.

Children may also get FSM if they receive any of these benefits directly, instead of through a parent.

Universal Infant Free School Meals does not apply to Nursery aged children.  They will continue to receive free school meals only if they meet the eligibility criteria above.

If you have any questions please contact the school office.