Free School Meals

Did you know that just registering your child for Free School Meals (FSM) means that the school gets extra money?

There is 6 years’ worth of funding available for William Ransom for every child who – even for a short period of time – is entitled to Free School Meals. However, we need parents to apply for them online by going to https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals. It will only take you 5 minutes to complete, and you will receive an immediate decision.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are automatically entitled to a free school meal, regardless of income (Universal Infant FSM), but if you are eligible for Free School Meals, we could be missing out on money which your child is entitled to.

The FSM/Pupil Premium allocation allows us to access a sum of money, currently £1,320 per eligible child, to support their learning and achievement. If you register for Free School Meals (even if your child does not want a school meal) it means that school will receive the extra funding which will benefit your child. This will in turn make a huge difference to our school budget.

Do you qualify? You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of the following benefits; even if you currently answer no, you may well be entitled to these benefits so please have a look online.

  • 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 guaranteed 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 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)

No one will know you have registered, and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming.

Further information can be found at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/

If you have any questions or queries, please contact the school office.