Free School Meal Arrangements
Please respond to the email you will receive from school about this if we know you are eligible.
Current guidance from the Government around benefit related Free School Meals is:
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Free school meal provision Schools should also continue to provide free school meals or food parcels for pupils who are eligible for benefits related free school meals who are not attending school.
Guidance on free school meals has been produced by the Lead Association for Catering in Education, Public Health England and the Department for Education. It sets out some general principles for putting together a food parcel which will allow parents and carers to prepare simple and healthy lunches for their children at home across the week. Food parcels must be distributed in line with guidance on social distancing at all times. During the national lockdown, families can continue collecting parcels where appropriate social distancing measures are in place. |
Will I receive a voucher?
At this time there are no government plans to restart the voucher scheme. The voucher you received before Christmas was funded by North Tyneside Council. If this changes, we will be in touch with you directly.
What does that mean for my child?
We will receive an allocated bag of shopping for every child we have on our free school meals list (everyone who was entitled to the Winter Shopping Voucher we set up before Christmas).
This bag will include pasta, tuna, cheese, milk, eggs, bread and a range of fruit and vegetables. The reason behind this is that a weekly food bag was more useful for families than a daily limited choice sandwich. The bags are similar to the ones some families may have received last term if their year group or class were isolating.
When will we get this bag of food?
We hope to find out today which will be the day for our delivery of food bags from Catering Services. We have asked that there is a delivery this week so that families are not left to struggle.
How will I receive my bag/s of food?
We will try our best to deliver all bags on the day they arrive in school (once we have a regular set day) but we ask that you understand we will have 102 bags to deliver whilst continuing to have over 100 children in school. If you are able to come and collect, we would be incredibly grateful.
What if I do not need the bag of shopping?
Please let us know and we will ask Catering Services to reduce their delivery numbers to us. The last thing we want is to waste food that could go to another family.
What if I have more than 1 child entitled to free school meals?
You are entitled to a bag per child who is eligible e.g. 3 children in a family who are registered for benefits related free school meals would equal 3 bags per week.
What do I do if I think I might be eligible for free school meals but I haven’t applied?
Follow this link to apply online: https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/238/free-school-meals
Or ring (0191) 643 2288 to apply over the phone.
If you have any urgent questions around this, please ring school and we will help you.
Kind regards
Mrs C.L. Withers
Headteacher