free school meals

[Jemstone]

I understand from next year all ks1 children will get free school meals. What will happen in schools which currently do not offer a hot meal and all children have to bring in packed lunch?

[tweetytwat]

How will this affect Pupil Premium? If parents no longer need to apply for FSM, how will that be calculated?

[mrz]

It's a question we asked as a school in the pilot area where all our pupils received free meals ... PP was still based on entitlement to certain benefits

[tweetytwat]

But will people apply, if their children are in KS1 and getting the FSM anyway?

I know how important PP is to our school's budget - the FSM is kind of the 'carrot' for parents to apply. If the carrot is no longer there, will the schools have trouble accessing the full amount of PP they would be getting.

I can't helping thinking that if 'only' the school will gain, and not the parents, will they bother to apply, IYKWIM. I'm not sure whether I would bother applying for something that I didn't directly get any perk from.

[tweetytwat]

Over half our pupils qualify under the 6 year rules. Our budget would crumble, to say the least.

[mrz]

I would have to check but I don't think parents had to apply

[tweetytwat]

We have a meeting coming up so I will see if we/they know more about it yet.

I know they apply at the moment, how else can they know who qualifies regretting this NC for discussing governors stuff

Here is a Christmas gift for you

[mrz]

PP is based on the past 3 years not just current claims

[NynaevesSister]

It is simpler for parents - there's just one form. But there's no incentive and many of these parents needed support to fill out the paperwork before. Some schools in the pilot area have set up inventive schemes. Such as free school uniform items if you fill in the forms. The trade off for them is that £10 to £30 on school uniform is worth it for the £600 in PP or however much it is. Plus these are families that can do with school uniform help.

Other schools have, anectodectly, struggled and have seen a drop in PP.

[tweetytwat]

cynical side wonders if spending x on free lunches will save 3x on pupil premium

[mrz]

It didn't effect ours tweety