Following a recent consultation by the Department for Education (DfE), there will be a new income threshold for all families receiving or going onto Universal Credit (UC). The new Income Threshold is £7,400 net (take home pay). This change means more low-income working families will be entitled.
From 1st April 2018 a child will be able to receive free school meals if the parent/child are in receipt of any of the following:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
During the roll out period of UC across the Country, (until March 2022), the DfE have implemented a Transitional Protection for children currently receiving free school meals.
The transitional protections will ensure that existing recipients of FSM will NOT lose their entitlement following the introduction of the new eligibility criteria.
- All children receiving Free School Meals under the old criteria will continue to receive Free School Meals until the end of the UC roll out in March 2022, and until the end of their current school phase. i.e. if in March 2022 they are in NCY 4, they will receive FSM until end of NCY 6, (end of Primary Phase). If a child in March 2022 is in NCY 9 they will receive FSM until end of NCY 11, (end of Secondary Phase)
- All children that become entitled under the new criteria from the 1st April 2018 up to the completion of the roll out of UC (March 2022), will also continue to receive Free School Meals until the end of current school phase i.e. if in March 2022 they are in NCY 4, they will receive FSM until end of NCY 6, (end of Primary Phase). If a child in March 2022 is in NCY 9 they will receive FSM until end of NCY 11, (end of Secondary Phase).
The responsibility for checking FSM eligibility status was delegated to schools several years ago. The local authority provides a traded service for checking eligibility status. The cost for providing this service is based on an amount per pupil plus an amount per FSM pupil. The October Census numbers preceding the academic year the contract begins will be used to calculate the costs i.e. academic year 2017/18 will be based on October 2016 census numbers. The rate per pupil and per FSM pupil are detailed below. These rates are for the academic year 2017/18 and will increase each year in line with RPIx.
- £0.105p per pupil; plus
- £2.26p per FSM pupil.
Schools wishing to buy into the traded service should contact the Schools and Settings Finance Team for a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
