{"id":5860,"date":"2020-12-14T10:12:34","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T10:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/?page_id=5860"},"modified":"2026-07-02T11:58:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T11:58:20","slug":"free-school-meals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/?page_id=5860","title":{"rendered":"Free School Meals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h1 id=\"page_heading\">FREE SCHOOL MEALS<\/h1>\n<div id=\"main_body\">\n<h3>DEAR PARENTS\/CARERS,<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Changes to free school meals from the 2026 to 2027 academic year&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Expanded entitlement for families on Universal Credit<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the start of academic year 2026 to 2027,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of earnings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going forward, there will be two types of eligibility:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Targeted FSM<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: for households in receipt of universal credit earning \u00a37,400 or less (includes free meals and additional support such as pupil premium). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other educational entitlements such as the Holiday Activities and Food program (HAF) and the \u2018extended rights\u2019 element of school travel assistance, will also continue to be based on targeted FSM.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expanded FSM<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: for households in receipt of universal credit earning above \u00a37,400 (free meals only)&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families with no recourse to public funds may also be eligible for Targeted FSM subject to meeting separate criteria. <\/span><b>Please contact us directly if this applies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 will also continue to be entitled to free school meals under the universal infant free school meals policy regardless of family circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>End of transitional protections<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 2018, some children have continued to receive free school meals, even if their family circumstances changed during the rollout of Universal Credit. This is referred to as transitional protections.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that entitlement is being expanded to all families on Universal Credit, these protections will end at the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some children may <\/span><b>no longer be eligible<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year if their family does not receive Universal Credit or another qualifying benefit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eligibility will now be based on current benefit status<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What you need to do<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your child <\/span><b>currently<\/b><b> receives free school meals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In most cases, you do not need to reapply please see the information on the Coventry City Council Website:&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coventry City Council will check your eligibility automatically using the details already held and inform you of any changes to your FSM eligibility<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><b>we are advising as a precautionary message that all families reapply using this link:<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\/3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\/3<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your child <\/span><b>does not currently<\/b><b> receive free school meals:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may now be eligible under the expanded criteria<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will <\/span><b>need to apply through Coventry City Council using this website:<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\/3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\/3<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Not sure?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are unsure whether you need to apply or if your circumstances have changed, please contact:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coventry City Council &#8211; all information can be found on this website <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> , or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"mailto:FSM@sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FSM@sidneystringeracademy.org.uk<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They will be able to advise and support you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>NRPF- Free School Meals<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Government has now extended Free school meal to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), As Coventry Council has confirmed that your child is not eligible for free school<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meals but you believe they are, please apply by completing a form available from the Coventry Local Authority Website: https:\/\/www.coventry.gov.uk\/benefits-1\/free-school-meals\/3. You can also request one from the school office at reception.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Required Documentation:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Income Verification: Please provide evidence of your household income, such as payslips,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">employment contracts, or at least six months of bank statements for both parents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;This will help us confirm that your annual household income does not exceed:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">o \u00a322,700 for families outside of London with 1 child<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">o \u00a326,300 for families outside of London with 2 or more children<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Savings Verification: Ensure your household capital savings do not exceed \u00a316,000. Include<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bank statements for everyone in your household to verify this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eligibility Criteria:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your child may be eligible for Free School Meals if any of the following criteria apply:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zambrano carers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ECHR<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1999<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chen carers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families holding a BN(O) passport<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spousal, work, or student visa holders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those with no immigration status<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do not have proof of immigration status, you can still access Free School Meals for your child through self-declaration to the school. Self-declaration could simply include written confirmation from you of your immigration status. An example of this is: \u2018I (name), confirm that I have the following immigration status: (immigration status, e.g., undocumented or spousal visa)\u2019. Families who do not have the legal right to work in the UK are not required to provide evidence of income.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Return all completed forms and supporting evidence to the school office or the relevant year lead.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;] FREE SCHOOL MEALS DEAR PARENTS\/CARERS, &nbsp; Changes to free school meals from the 2026 to 2027 academic year&nbsp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":5614,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5860","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5860"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7999,"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5860\/revisions\/7999"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sidneystringeracademy.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}