Free School Meals (FSM)

The Government has expanded Free School Meal eligibility in England. From 1 September 2026, all children in households receiving Universal Credit may be eligible for free school meals, regardless of household earnings. This change is expected to help over 500,000 additional children access free school meals and could save families around £500 per child each year.

You may be eligible to apply if your household receives Universal Credit. 

Being eligible for FSM should save you hundreds of pounds a year. It is intended to give children a balanced meal to prevent them from feeling hungry, thus aiding their concentration in lessons during the afternoon.

Important: Eligibility Must Now Be Checked Regularly

Under the updated arrangements, Free School Meal eligibility is no longer automatically protected or rolled over indefinitely. From September 2026, eligibility will be reviewed based on your current circumstances, and families should ensure their details are kept up to date and reapply when requested by the local authority or school.

If you think your family may be eligible, please complete the application form linked below. Applying is quick, confidential, and helps ensure your child receives any support they are entitled to.
 

Apply for Free School Meals

 

Further information:

Free School Meals Guidance (Department for Education)

 

How it works in school if your child is in receipt of free school meals

The lunchtime 'hot meals' served from the Canteen are healthy and nutritious and meet strict government standards.

It is our recommendation that children take advantage of the hot meal and dessert that is on offer every day. This is covered by the £3.05 provided by the Government. This does not cover drinks, and we suggest that children bring in a water bottle that they can refill during the day.

If your child chooses not to have the hot meal/dessert combo, the following can also be purchased and will be covered by the FSM entitlement.

In the main canteen, they can choose from one of the following each day:

  • The hot main meal of the day plus dessert (our recommendation)
  • Sandwich/panini plus small cake or piece of fruit
  • Jacket potato plus small cake or piece of fruit
  • Pasta plus small cake or piece of fruit
  • Stir fry plus small cake or piece of fruit
  • Wedges plus small cake or piece of fruit
  • Salad Pot plus small cake or piece of fruit
  • Takeaway meal pot plus small cake or piece of fruit.

If you wish to top up your child's account on ScoPay with money, this is fine. However, please note, if your child buys snacks before school or at break, this will be deducted from their FSM allowance first. If they then purchase a meal at lunchtime, any short fall will be taken from their private money to make up the difference. If there are not enough funds in their private account at that point, lunch will not be able to be provided.

Our Canteen Manager is very good at speaking kindly and discreetly to students if they are choosing to spend FSM money on snacks before lunchtime but I would strongly advise that you monitor your child's spending on ScoPay and ask them to use the canteen rather than the snack shack (so that our Canteen Manager can help advise and monitor). Furthermore, if you wish them to buy snacks, please keep their account topped up.

Please be advised that this year any unspent FSM money will roll over into the following day (for example, if your child was absent). This can accumulate from Monday to Friday but will be cleared of government FSM money the following Monday morning.

In addition, porridge is provided in the canteen every morning free of charge to students for breakfast.