Initiative aims to increase take-up of free school meals
Thursday, 25th April 2013.
Town councillors and local charity workers from poverty action group REACH spent the day at Castle Manor Academy last week to encourage eligible parents to take up the offer of free school meals.
It is estimated that there are approximately £5million of unclaimed free school meals each year in Suffolk alone. The benefits of free school meals are wider than just the student.
Families would initially save £400 per year in the cost of meals and each eligible student is worth an extra £600 in government pupil premium funding to their academy.
Alison Hunt, student support manager at Castle Manor, said: “We have lots of young people that claim free school meals and the extra income from the Pupil Premium Funding allows us to do some fantastic initiatives.
"We have always allocated money to support families, but this means we can broaden our provision."
Ms Hunt spends her time supporting the various needs of students both educational and pastoral. “We have such a variety of activities ranging from breakfast clubs to one-to-one tuition," ashe said.
"There is no longer a stigma associated with free school meals and it’s important that we all work to support families.”
Town councillor Roger André has been keen to encourage the increased take-up of free school meals and initiated a working group to achieve this aim.
He said: “The impact of free school meals is dramatic offering £400 a year to parents and the pupil premium, which is worth considerably more, to support school strategies.
"The working group has considered universal free school meals, but the huge cost is prohibitive. For too many the application process is unfamiliar, and we want to help remove this barrier.”
Eligibility for free school meals is varied and relies on families receiving just one associated benefit. Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, or Child Tax Credits are examples of eligible benefits.
Castle Manor Academy publishes a summary of how it spends its pupil premium on its website, as does its partner school Place Farm Primary Academy.
You can find details on their websites via http://www.castlepartnership.org.uk. Any families that wish to get support or advice in completing an application or to check eligibility can contact their school.
It is estimated that there are approximately £5million of unclaimed free school meals each year in Suffolk alone. The benefits of free school meals are wider than just the student.
Families would initially save £400 per year in the cost of meals and each eligible student is worth an extra £600 in government pupil premium funding to their academy.
Alison Hunt, student support manager at Castle Manor, said: “We have lots of young people that claim free school meals and the extra income from the Pupil Premium Funding allows us to do some fantastic initiatives.
"We have always allocated money to support families, but this means we can broaden our provision."
Ms Hunt spends her time supporting the various needs of students both educational and pastoral. “We have such a variety of activities ranging from breakfast clubs to one-to-one tuition," ashe said.
"There is no longer a stigma associated with free school meals and it’s important that we all work to support families.”
Town councillor Roger André has been keen to encourage the increased take-up of free school meals and initiated a working group to achieve this aim.
He said: “The impact of free school meals is dramatic offering £400 a year to parents and the pupil premium, which is worth considerably more, to support school strategies.
"The working group has considered universal free school meals, but the huge cost is prohibitive. For too many the application process is unfamiliar, and we want to help remove this barrier.”
Eligibility for free school meals is varied and relies on families receiving just one associated benefit. Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, or Child Tax Credits are examples of eligible benefits.
Castle Manor Academy publishes a summary of how it spends its pupil premium on its website, as does its partner school Place Farm Primary Academy.
You can find details on their websites via http://www.castlepartnership.org.uk. Any families that wish to get support or advice in completing an application or to check eligibility can contact their school.
Comment on this story
[board listing] [login] [register]
You must be logged in to post messages. (login now)