Local Authorities play a crucial role in increasing free school meals (FSM) registration. You should ensure that your communications explain the link between FSM eligibility and the amount of Pupil Premium1 funding a school can receive. You should also make the process for registering for eligibility for and applying for FSM as easy as possible. Action you could take now includes:

  • Encouraging parents, through council newsletters or magazines, to register their child as eligible for FSM to get additional funding for their child’s school.
  • Making explicit on forms and communications that registering for FSM brings additional funding to schools.
  • Informing parents of any other benefits that registering for FSM provides, i.e. help with the cost of music tuition or school trips.
  • Making clear on forms and communications for parents that registering their child for FSM will also attract Pupil Premium funding, and that while it is recommended their child eat the meal, this is optional – they should register regardless of whether they want a meal.
  • Signposting parents, via your website home page, to further information about Pupil Premium funding for their child’s school and Free School Meals.
  • Reviewing and simplifying application forms and including a phone number so parents know who to contact for help.

You could also consider:

  • Ensuring that eligibility information for FSM pupils leaving primary school is passed on to their new secondary school so that they continue to be registered.
  • Taking up the FSM eligibility checking service online add-on package which helps parents register their child for FSM more easily.
  • Creating a text service for parents to register their child for FSM.

Local authorities should also encourage schools to urge parents to register their child as eligible for FSM and support schools in doing so. In particular, local authorities should remind schools that their Pupil Premium allocation each year is determined by the number of FSM pupils they have on roll on January census day.  You can help this process by reminding schools of the last day by which applications can be submitted to give the local authority time to check eligibility and inform the school before 19 January 2012 – census day.

If you provide information to your schools about pupils registered as eligible for FSM, you should make clear if this is based only on parents who have registered on the basis that they want their child to have a free school meal. Schools need to be aware that this information does not necessarily include all their eligible pupils.  



1Children who have been looked after continuously for six months also attract the Pupil Premium.