Free School Meals

1. Overview of Free School Meals.
2. Who is Eligible
3. Applying for Free School Meals
4. Sensible Use of Free School Meals and Catering

Overview

As an Academy, we are aware that many families are experiencing hardship as a direct result of the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and cost of living crisis. In light of this we urge you to check your child’s eligibility for Free School Meals, especially if you have had a recent change in circumstance. If you are now eligible, as well as having the option of receiving free school meals for your child, the Academy will also receive additional funding; this funding is called ‘Pupil Premium’.

For every student registered for Free School Meals at Hamstead Hall Academy, we will receive £1050 in Pupil Premium. 

With this money, we could enhance the facilities available to our students in many ways; this could be by assisting students with the cost of a school trip, revision guides, transport costs, revision sessions and general resources. 

Who is Eligible

Parents/carers can register for Free School Meals if they receive any of the benefits listed below (as per the DfE Guidance for Local Authorities, Maintained Schools, Academies and Free Schools March 2024). 

Registering for free school meals will not affect any other benefits you are claiming. 

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)

• 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

In addition, the following pupils will be protected against losing their free school meals as follows:

• Since 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants have continued to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This applies even if their earnings rise above the threshold during that time.

• In addition, any pupil gaining eligibility for free school meals after 1 April 2018 will be protected against losing free school meals until March 2025.

• After March 2025, any existing claimants that no longer meet the eligibility criteria at that point (because they are earning above the threshold or are no longer a recipient of Universal Credit) will continue to receive free school meals until the end of their current phase of education (i.e. primary or secondary).

A pupil is only eligible to receive a free school meal when a claim for the meal has been made on their behalf and their eligibility, or protected status, has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority.

Applying for Free School Meals

You can check your child’s eligibility and register for Free School Meals by doing any of the following:

1. Do your own check by using the online eligibility checking system at https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/birmingham/apply

To complete this you will need:

•  Your own name and date of birth
•  Contact details
•  National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seekers Number
•  Child's name and date of birth
•  School your child is attending/will attend.

The online system regularly sends us updates, which we will check and update our own systems to reflect eligibility. Alternatively, you can send a copy of your eligibility confirmation screen and application reference to postbox@hamsteadhall.com (please name your email FSM Eligibility in the subject line).

2. Download a copy of our Free School Meals application here or ask for a copy from the Academy office. Return the completed form to the Academy office and we will do the online check for you.

If you require further clarification about any aspect of the above, please do not hesitate to contact the Academy Office on 01213867510.

Sensible Use of Free School Meals and Catering

If your child is confirmed as eligible for Free School Meals, it is important to remember the following:

• They will be entitled to a set daily allowance, which can be spent in the canteen on items up to that value. Unspent allowances are not rolled over.
• If you wish your child to spend over their allowance, you will need to set up a lunch account on Parent Pay (parentpay.com) and ensure that this is topped up accordingly.
• If there are insufficient funds on Parent Pay, Canteen staff may request your child to leave items so that their allowance is not exceeded.
• We strongly recommend that Free School Meals allowances are used for lunches, rather than breaktime snacks. If the daily allowance is used in part or in full at breaktime it will mean less or none is available at lunchtime.
• If your child is likely to get hungry by breaktime and cannot bring a snack from home, they may benefit from attending one of our before-school breakfast clubs:
• Porridge in the canteen 8:00 – 8:20
• Toast & bagels details TBC

Many of the common issues students face with Free School Meals and catering can be avoided by adhering to this guidance.