Over half a million additional pupils will become eligible for Free School Meals under the new eligibility criteria from September 2026. If your child is eligible for FSM, we want to encourage you to register them. Free school meals provide vital nutrition for children during the school day and provide the school with additional funds to reinvest in your child’s education.

 Why register for free school meals?

 Children who are registered for free school meals have the option to have a free hot meal every school day through our catering provider Accent.  If you prefer them to have packed lunches, we would still strongly encourage you to register your child for FSM.

 The school receives an extra £1,550 through ‘pupil premium’ funding for every child registered for free school meals.  This makes a big difference to our pupils as the money is used to provide academic and non-academic opportunities for all pupils throughout the year.

 You can find more information about pupil premium on our website. Here you can see what we spent it on in the last academic year and how it will be spent this year. 

 Is my child eligible for free school meals?

If you receive these benefits, your child may be eligible:

• Universal Credit  

• 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 guarantee 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 four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

How do I apply for Free School Meals?

The school is able to apply for Free School Meals on your behalf.  Simply complete the registration form below and we will make the necessary eligibility checks to apply for Free School Meals on your behalf.

If you would like to apply for Free School Meals yourself, then follow this link to the Government eligibility webpage.