St Mary's CofE Foundation Primary School

In England a Free School Meal (FSM) is a statutory benefit available to school aged children from families who receive other qualifying benefits and who have been through the relevant registration process.

Pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who attend a government-funded school are offered universal free school meals without the need to make an application. However, if you do receive a qualifying benefit, it is important that you prove your eligibility for Free School Meals to get additional funding for your child’s school through the Pupil Premium benefit. 

Pupil Premium benefits can enhance your school’s provision in a variety of different ways; some examples of this can include additional teaching support and the provision of additional curriculum activities.

What is the eligibility criteria? 

Children are entitled to receive free school meals if they or their parents or carers receive any of the benefits below. 

• Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400.
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190

If your child in Years Reception-2, an eligibility check for Free School Meals can be submitted online at the below website address:

https://pps.lgfl.org.uk/

To complete an eligibility check you will need the following information:

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

If your child is Years 3-6, an application for Essex Free School Meals is submitted online at the below website address:

https://www.essex.gov.uk/free-school-meals

To complete an application you will need the following information:

• 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.

If you do feel that you are eligible, we would kindly encourage you to submit an application/eligibility check as soon as possible. Please note that applications through the Essex system for Years 3-6 can take a number of weeks to be approved by Essex County Council, so please complete the online form as soon as you can. 

If any parents/carers require access to the internet, please contact the school office who can make you an appointment to use a school computer.

Please be aware that parents will need to notify the school of their application/eligibility check outcome, as the school is not informed in any other way.

If you have further questions regarding the Essex Free School Meals service, more details can be found on their website https://www.essex.gov.uk/free-school-meals  Alternatively you can contact the school office.