Free School Meals
If your child is eligible for a free school meal then there are a number of important reasons why you should make the claim to the school.
Providing a daily free meal
If you qualify for a free school meal then the school will provide a free meal up to the value of £2.10 every day. This really is an offer too good to miss! The Aspens Restaurant provides nutritional and healthy food options with a variety of goods available each day.
Cashless Catering
The introduction of a system which allows food to be purchased simply by fingerprint recognition has provided a benefit in two different ways.
a) All pupils are registered on the system and can pay an amount of money into the cash machines at any time. When collecting their meals, they simply have their fingerprint swiped and their account is deducted by the amount of the meal. This has made the queueing system much more effective and reduces time in the queue. No cash changes hands at the kitchen tills.
b) It is suggested that one of the reasons that parents may not receive that which they are entitled to is the perceived stigma attached to obtaining a meal using a free ticket. Using our cashless catering system removes any indication that the meal is provided free as pupils are automatically credited with the cash in their account and they use exactly the same technique as everybody else. There simply is NO reason why free meals shouldn't be claimed if you are eligible (see below).
Pupil Premium
The government have recently changed the way schools are funded and the capitation allowance is heavily influenced by the new Pupil Premium. This is an amount of money (a serious amount!) which is allocated to school based on the financial circumstances of the families which it serves. The indication of whether the pupil premium is to be awarded is based on the number of pupils on free school meals. Therefore, additional funding coming into the school to provide better facilities for teaching and learning is based on how many of our parents who are claiming the free school meal allowance that they are entitled to.
As you can perhaps see, the advantages of claiming free school meals are many and, as well as ensuring that pupils are getting a healthy meal every day, we are also able to provide better facilities, books, computers, classrooms and many other benefits for the pupils. It is to the advantage of every pupil in school that all parents who are eligible to claim for free school meals should do so - even if your child does not take the free meal!
Do you qualify?
It is now possible to find out by completing a simple online form.
This new service provides a confidential online form, accessible through any device, which enables parents and carers to check their eligibility for free school meals. Through this secure portal the data is checked against the Department for Education’s Eligibility Checking Service and the result is returned instantly. There is no longer a need to bring copies of documentation into the school.
In order to complete an online application you need the following information:
- Parental name, address and contact details
- Parental NI number or National Asylum Support Service reference number
- Parental DOB and relationship to the child
- Child’s name and DOB.
How to apply
If you would like to apply for Free School Meals you can:
Apply online at
Please click on "check eligibility" button at the bottom of the page.
On the next page you will have three options.
Someone who has a USO account already, can simply log in.
Someone who does not have an USO account that they know of can create one.
Someone who has forgotten their username or password or both, can take action to retrieve these.
For further information on the above visit the following links.