Free Schools Meals

FSM e-voucher scheme during Covid-19 lockdown

At The King John School we have opted into the National FSM e-voucher scheme which is run by Edenred. Parents and caters of students in Years 7-11 who are in receipt of Free School Meals support will receive weekly email communication from Edenred which enables them to access a £15 e-voucher for a supermarket of their choice. As a school we have opted into the additional provision to support our families over the Easter break. A letter outlining this has been sent to our parents and carers.

This system has worked brilliantly for many of our parents, however due to the infancy of this system and high, national demand we are aware that some parents are having to wait a few days to receive their first vouchers.

Please be assured that we are pursuing any issues regarding this scheme on behalf of our parents and are hopeful that these glitches in the new system are resolved quickly.

A Frequently Asked Questions help sheet can be found at the side of this page which parents have found useful when redeeming their vouchers.

Applying for FSM

Due to the challenging circumstances at this time we are aware that some families may now be in a position to apply for FSM. Please follow the link on this page to check your eligibility and apply for your child to receive Free School Meals support.

Is your child eligible for Free School Meals?

To find out if your child is entitled please follow the Free School Meals link.

You will usually qualify if you are in receipt of any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit with no Working Tax Credit and have an income, as assessed by the Inland · Revenue, that does not exceed £16,190
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
• Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) (ESA-IR)

Once free school meal entitlement has been established, a daily allowance of £2.35 is automatically added to your child’s catering account. This can be spent biometrically up until the close of the lunchtime break. Any unspent balance will then be cleared and the next day’s allowance added. (Please note that any spend after 2.30pm will automatically reduce the allocation for the following day.)Even if you child does not actually take the free lunch, we will receive a “Pupil Premium” which can be spent on a range of services – please click here to access our Pupil Premium 3 Year Strategy and Impact Report.