To use school holiday food vouchers?

[buttergloss]

I get the food vouchers for my eldest daughter (teen) in the holidays due to Ever 6 Free school meals entitlement (they continue to claim pupil premium and give free school meals for 6 years after you last claimed benefits).

So we are entitled to the food vouchers but obviously our circumstances have changed in that I no longer claim any benefits , I do feel some guilt in 'cashing in' these vouchers? What would others do? Happily spend them? Not use them? (What happens with the money if not claimed ) Donate food with them?

Just spend and dontate the items to a food bank if you don't need the voucher.

I presume you're still using the free school meals, no? Then what's special about the holiday vouchers? Just use them and don't think about it anymore.

I agree, the council won’t increase funding to food banks or any other worth while cause I suspect if you don’t cash them.

I’d either use and donate the food bought with them to a food bank or offer them to a friend I know struggles more than I do.

@SparklyLeprechaun Actually no she doesn't , the school contacted me to fill in the pupil premium forms so they can get the extra funding and obviously we get sent the vouchers so I know they have it registered somewhere but her lunch account has never been topped up by the school and even though I know we are genuinely entitled to it though that scheme I feel a bit cheeky to chase it up

I think you've misunderstood the scheme slightly. She's eligible for PP because she was eligible for FSM in the last 6 years, but she doesn't continue to be eligible for FSM, which will be why she isn't getting any money on her lunch account. They'll be sending the vouchers to PP children.

Ah, I see. I stand by my comment, just use the vouchers. If you can afford to and want to donate to a food bank, that's great.

@namechange30455 yes this is what I thought may be the case but when she was in her final year of primary she continued to get free school meals ? In secondary she hasn't but then why do we still receive the food vouchers in the holidays?

Just use them.

If you're genuinely comfortable and don't need them donate all (or half) of the shop to a food bank

FSM and Ever 6 aren’t the same thing. Pupils remain eligible for pupil premium as an Ever 6 pupil for 6 years after no longer being eligible for free school meals.

However, at the moment, any pupil who was eligible for FSM on the 1st April 2018 or who became eligible since then will remain eligible for FSM until the end of the phase of education they will be in on the 31st March 2023 even if the household income rises above the threshold. So, if DD has received FSM since 1st April 2018 she should still be receiving them now.

If they're not spent the supermarket of voucher company (depending on what method your school uses) will get the cash so don't do that.

Either spend them and use the saved money to do something developmental for DC (Ever6 exists because it's been shown that any period of deprivation in childhood affects outcomes, although that's obviously a generalisation) or spend them and donate to the food bank.

That happened to my friend

she struggled in covid and went on uc

ahe isn’t on it now and told school but they said her child gets till leaves primary

which seems insane as she was in r so has another 5yrs of free vouchers

she can’t cancel it. School get money as well so they said leave it

and she donated food to food banks /larders etx from the food tokens she gets

It is whilst the UC roll out is completed.

But so much money covid be saved /used to help others

The same could be said for every other aspect of transitional protection. It is only short term whilst the UC rollout is complete.

So once rollout is complete. Whatever that means

her child won’t get the meals /vouchers till year 6

just seems madness she can’t stop /cancel

even the school secretary said once s child is on it they are on for whole of primary school even if comes off uc

Once the UC rollout is complete (i.e. everyone claiming legacy benefits has been moved to UC), which is expected to be by 31st March 2023 (apparently, we shall see), pupils will retain FSM eligibility until the end of the phase of education they are in on the 31st March 2023.

So, your friend’s DD will continue to remain eligible for FSM until Y6, but only because of the current transitional protection. It isn’t what normally happens (as in what happened in the past or what will happen once the UC rollout is complete). Anyone who becomes eligible for FSM after the rollout is complete won’t receive the same protection, if they start to earn above the threshold they won’t continue to receive FSM to the end of the phase of education.

Similar but different, I can get discount at various companies because of working for the NHS. I am lucky that I do not desperately need this at present so keep a note and make donations to good causes, foodbanks, etc to that value
Maybe you could do the same

Just buy long life goods with them @buttergloss and donate in food banks like my friend does