Why apply for Free School Meals?

If you think you may be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and you aren’t already registered then you really should be!

Reason 1: You could save on dinner money (£2.40 allowance per day)

Reason 2: FSM students also get Pupil Premium funding for the school. This is paid to schools for students who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years and is used to support their eligible students. We use part of this funding to provide concessionary rates and an annual allowance for extra-curricular activities such as school trips. To see if this applicable to a specific trip you will need to contact the Finance Office.

More details about how we use Pupil Premium funding may be found in the Pupil Premium tab on the website.

Reason 3: FSM eligibility is used to enable access to additional household support with essentials through council-run schemes and holiday activity and food programmes.

 

Who is eligible for Free School Meals?

Students who have a parent/carer in receipt of any of the following benefits are eligible:

• Income Support (IS)
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (IRESA)
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided parents are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross household income, as assessed by HMRC, that does not exceed £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)

Students who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.  If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling they’re in on 31 March 2025.

 

How can I apply for Free School Meals?

Free School Meals are awarded by the local council. It is easy to apply online by following the links below.  You will need your national insurance number.

https://www.stockport.gov.uk/start/free-school-meals-application-form

• if you are a household with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) status additional information is required. To verify your eligibility email benefitsfsm@stockport.gov.ukafter you have submitted your claim

You will be advised if you are eligible or not via a letter from the council. The School is also notified and makes the change to its systems.

 

How does the daily Free School Meal Allowance work in the Cafe?

• The daily Free School Meal allowance of £2.40 is automatically added each morning to the student’s school meal account. It can only be used at lunch time.
• Students queue up and pay for school meals just as they do with funds put into their account by a parent/carer. Other students are not aware that the child benefits from Free School Meals
• Parents can add funds to their child’s school meal account using ParentPay so that their child can buy extra items
• Free School Meal allowances have to be spent within a fixed period of time. Unspent Free School Meal allowances are deducted from the student’s school meal account after a set time
• Students can see the balance on their account at the till. You can also see the balance by logging into ParentPay
• Students can tell their parent/carer if they need to top up their account or you can set up ParentPay so you receive a text if the balance falls below a limit of your choice
• To save money you may wish to provide your child with a drink or re-fillable water bottle.

 

Apply for other support

If you’re a Stockport resident and you are not eligible for free school meals you can apply for support, including:

• help with accessing food
• sourcing items you might need for your home
• help with secondary school uniform
• gas and electricity top up for prepaid meters
• help with your Council Tax
• help with your rent
• help to apply to a charity or trust fund