School Meals

There are important changes to the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals (FSM) and Pupil Premium, taking effect from 1 September 2026. 

Who is eligible?

From September 2026 FSM will continue to be available for households with annual earnings of £7,400 or less. In addition, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will become eligible, regardless of earnings. Free School Meals will be categorised as either: 

• Targeted FSM - existing benefit-related FSM will continue to operate in same way under targeted FSM. This will also register your child for Pupil Premium. 
• Expanded FSM - this is a new entitlement to free meals only, applying to households receiving Universal Credit 
  with annual earnings of more than £7,400. 

What is changing?

The Government have announced that all existing FSM protections will end on 31 August 2026. This means that Free School Meal eligibility must be rechecked annually. 

The change means that all households receiving Universal Credit, above the current £7,400 income cap, will qualify for this support. 

What if I no longer receive Universal Credit? Will my child no longer be entitled to Free School Meals? 

If you no longer meet the eligibility criteria, your child's entitlement may end and you will need to pay for school meals which can be done via iPay. More information on school meal prices can be found here. 

What other benefits are there if my child is FSM eligible?

Children eligible for targeted Free School Meals automatically registers them for Pupil Premium. This brings the school extra funding every year to support your child’s education, used to subsidise the cost of uniform, pay for enrichment experiences and trips, and spent on a variety of learning resources and classroom support. 

If your child was registered as eligible for benefit-related Free School Meals, you will have also been receiving payments over the holiday periods in the form of supermarket vouchers. Please note that we are still awaiting a decision from Lambeth on whether this additional support will continue. We will communicate the decision made by Lambeth once we know more.

Pupils aged 11-16 who are eligible for targeted FSM are entitled to a place on the Holiday and Activities Food programme (HAF).Click here for more information .

How does my child collect their free meal at school?

If your child is in Year 7-11 and entitled to free school meals, their iPay account will be automatically credited with £2.64 each day which they can spend on lunch. 

My child is new to the school. How will their Free School Meal eligibility be checked? 

As part of your child's enrolment to Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, we will automatically check your child's eligibility, provided you have supplied all the necessary information to us. 

I have parental responsibility but my child does not live with me. Can I still apply? 

Yes, we encourage all contacts with parental responsibility to make an application. 

What details do I need to check my eligibility? 

To complete an application you will need to provide:

• Your own name and date of birth
• Contact details
• National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seekers Number
• Child's name and date of birth

How can I check my eligibility now?

We encourage all parents to apply at any time. In order to determine if you are eligible for either Targeted or Expanded free school meals, please submit a new application via the link below. You will usually get an immediate response regarding eligibility after you have completed your application.

APPLY NOW: https://apply.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/arkschools 

When will my child's Free School Meal eligibility be rechecked? 

Upon admission, your child’s eligibility would have been checked. We will use this information to recheck your child’s FSM status annually and will inform you of any changes. Please inform us if any of your details have changed as this may affect your eligibility. 

How can I get support with my application?

If you have any questions, speak to a member of the admin team who would be happy to help. We also run Parent Support Surgeries on  Academic Review Day (ARD). 

You can also email us at info@evelyngraceacademy.org 

Please note that these changes are set by the Government and are not decisions made by Ark Evelyn Grace Academy  or Ark Schools.

Breakfast is available for all students, free of charge from 7:45am-8:20am each day. 

From September 2026, the price for a meal deal which includes either a hot meal or baguette and a dessert will be £2.64.  All school meals can be paid for via iPayimpact. 

Cost of School Meals 2026-27

Total required for the academic year: £488.40

Our menus are served on a three week rotation which are then changed each term. 

A vegetarian option is always available and the kitchen is usually able to cater for special dietary/medical needs if given advance notice – please contact the school office so we can help you organise this if necessary.