Dear Colleagues,
To reiterate information emailed to all schools on the 15/03/2017
please see the below regarding free school meals. Further guidance will also be emailed to all schools before the 14/07/2017 covering some frequently asked questions.
As the new academic year approaches, we thought this would be good timing to remind schools of the changes to the free school meals application process. Last year we launched an online portal for parents to apply for their free school meals and to date we have received over 10,000 applications. We have recently conducted a survey with parents that used the portal and the feedback was very encouraging and they were happy that there was this on-line facility. We therefore want to continue to work with schools to encourage parents to self service using our on-line system.
96% of applications for primary school places this year have been made via the online admissions portal and parents received an on-line offer on allocation day and this detailed the link to allow them to apply online for free school meals via the same portal. The Free school meals team have received a vast quantity of applications from new reception families. This system gives parents an instant response and cuts down the large delays faced when dealing with paper forms in previous years (particularly around census days).
In order to help schools monitor and identify applications made we have amended the admissions link to show the free school meal entitlement of September starters. You will notice the addition of an “FSM eligibility” column which indicates children who are receiving free school meals and whether these are Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) or the standard benefit related free school meals (FSM). Parents who haven’t applied will show as blank –
Gloucestershire County Council is committed to improving our digital engagement with our customers and with such a demand for online services from families we have to develop systems that match parent’s expectations.
With this in mind the free school meals team will no longer accept bulk paper applications from schools that, in the majority of cases, will be duplicates as the parents will already have applied via the online customer portal. Please can we therefore request that paper forms are not given out and can you please signpost parents to the portal to make their applications for free school meals.
If you need any help regarding your link or you want to know more information about the free school meals portal please contact the team who will be happy to discuss this with you.
Kind regards,
Travel Assistance and Free School Meals Team