Free school meals issue

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I have 2 children in primary school, when the older one went into year 3 I applied for him to get free school meals as I was entitled to. At the same time the youngest started reception and advice I'd seen online was to apply for them to get it anyway as the school would receive extra funding for them. I tried but couldn't as they were already entitled to the universal meals.

I didnt think anything of it and then when covid hit I received the vouchers for both children and assumed the school had applied on the younger ones behalf (we provide NI numbers at the start of each year)
Our school use pupil premium funding to pay for an after school club for the children to do each term so each half term I receive an email for each child saying that "as your child receives pupil premium funding we are happy to fund a club for them" my youngest is now in year 3 and ever since September has been receiving free school meals.

I have just received an email saying its come to their attention that I haven't applied for free school meals for the year 3 child and as of Monday he won't be in receipt anymore and I will have to pay.
I'm not actually entitied to apply anymore but am still on a low income. However all information online suggests that once they are entitled, they are entitled to receive the meals and pupil premium funding until that phase of school is over.

I'm just really confused by this as they are saying he isn't entitled anymore but must have been for them to have been getting the premium funding and free meals so how can they just stop it?
I also feel really stressed about affordability as even though I'm now working, I don't earn a lot. The after school club and help with holiday activities was such a massive help to me too and now I won't be entitled to any of it.

I need to email back but not even sure what to say.
Has anyone had this or anyone work in a school office who could shed some light?

Children qualify for pupil premium at the time they receive free school meals and for 6 years after that - it's called 'Ever 6'. So the school should still receive pp for your child, even if you no longer qualify for free school meals and if they fund after school clubs for pupil premium children, your child should still eligible for this.

That's good to know but I thought this applied to free school meals also.
I've never heard of them cancelling it mid year before? He's been getting it since September until Friday just gone?

What happened exactly when you tried to apply in reception but you weren't successful? That should have been successful because as you said, the school gets funding, it's not solely for the meals.

Hi OP,
I work in a school and oversee FSM applications and implementations on a daily basis. The information I'm giving you is based in England.

The last sentence of your first paragraph really doesn't sound right to me -
I have 2 children in primary school, when the older one went into year 3 I applied for him to get free school meals as I was entitled to. At the same time the youngest started reception and advice I'd seen online was to apply for them to get it anyway as the school would receive extra funding for them. I tried but couldn't as they were already entitled to the universal meals.

Whoever said you couldn't apply for FSM for a FS2 child was wrong.

All FSM applications are dealt with by your local council, they review all the information provided to them on the application form then their decision is notified to the school. At this point the school should update their pupil database accordingly.

Always bear in mind that there are 2 FSM databases, the one held by your local council and the one held by your school.

Schools like to have high numbers of FSM children as it increases their funding through the Pupil Premium and Ever 6 grants but it also gives them "excuses" when they may have to justify or explain low attendance or poor test results based on specific demographics. Rightly or wrongly this is the case and I've worked with it for 20+ years. School Inspectors always look at PP and Ever 6 for indicators of deprivation in the school.

Having read your post I think I have an idea as to what may have happened. It sounds like an application went to your local council for your older child which was accepted - your younger child was not included on the application so did not receive FSM status.

Once the council notification was sent to the school, the school then incorrectly added your youngest child to their own FSM database. This then increased FSM deprivation numbers, increased their PP funding (which is done via the annual school census) and also allowed you to (incorrectly) receive the shopping vouchers.

I suspect your school has recently done an audit and cross referenced their FSM database with the one that the council hold. This is where they will have spotted the error and legally the school must correct it.

As an aside all current FSM children currently have their status legally protected until at least 31.3.23 so no legitimate FSM child can have their status withdrawn until then.

Once again it brings us back to the incorrect information you were given at the start of your application process - do you have any evidence to present to the school to show you were wrongly advised?

Without that evidence I think it will be hard for you to move forward with an application being in mind you no longer fit the FSM eligibility.

I hope this all makes sense to you as I'm typing in 35 degree heat and my thoughts don't appear to be coming across too coherently!!

Good luck as you move forward with this.

This is helpful and I think may have been what has happened.

I dont have any evidence I was wrongly advised however I just went onto the county Council website to apply for a (made up) reception aged child and ticked that I get income support which I did at that time to see what it says and it pops up saying that the child qualifies for universal free school meals and to stop this application and approach the school instead.

This is what happened at the time however I can't be sure it said approach the school but it definitely did not let me continue the application for him as he was in reception.
I do remember providing them my NI number which they say is to check if there's any funding the school may be entitled to. This is what I assumed triggered his entitlement to fsm.

They have obviously been getting pupil premium for him though so how could this have happened, surely it should be more rigorously checked rather than the school just adding him to their fsm database and receving the money?

I'm also worried about having to pay back everything I've received (vouchers, the fsm's up to now and the after school clubs they funded).

As A side question, my oldest is off to secondary in Sept and won't be getting fsm anymore but does the pupil premium go with him to his new school or does that stop?

Thank you

Your oldest child will still receive FSM at secondary school until 31.3.23 - read page 10
HERE but bear in mind the protection date has been extended until March 2023.

Their PP will move with them to secondary school and when their FSM eligibility ends they will be an Ever 6 funded child.

I don't think for a minute you'll be expected to pay any monies back for your youngest child - after all it was the schools fault, not yours.

You acted in good faith thinking your child was entitled to the benefits FSM and PP bought him.

Push the school for an answer as to why they are withdrawing the eligibility of your youngest - I'd be interested to hear what they say.

DC1 will retain eligibility for FSM in secondary because those eligible now retain eligibility until the end of the phase of education they are in on 31st March 2023 even if earnings rise above the threshold.

Also, I forgot to mention that if the school remove your child from their FSM MIS database it will flag up as an error on their next census.

This is due to the fact that the protection status means no child should be removed before the end of March 2023

The census will pick up that the school have not followed this rule so the school will have to explain their error/actions before the census data is accepted.

It’s not until 31st March 2023 it’s until the end of the phase of education pupils are in on 31st March 2023.

Yes, apologies I didn't type that out correctly.

I need to speak with the school but from what I gather, they are removing him because it wasn't applied for in the first place so he's not eligible for it, rather than they're removing him because my circumstances changed. They did say I could apply now but obviously I'm not entitled anymore.