September 2011. Resources and support from the Trust to help schools increase the take up of free school meals.
Free school meals really do matter, yet too many children from low income families in the UK are not registered for them or choose not to eat them. Many parents do not even realise that their child is entitled to a free school meal.
Our new Free School Meals Matter Toolkit contains everything schools need to know about the pupil premium, tackling stigma, eligibility criteria, and a host of practical tips and resources including posters, parent letters and leaflets to help schools to do everything they can to ensure that;
a) All children that qualify for free school meals are registered to claim one
b) All registered children go on to actually claim their free meal
 |
Free School Meals Matter Toolkit To order copies of this resource please click the link below to download an order form. Prices and instructions can be found on the form. We are rebuilding this part of our website and downloads will be available again shortly Click here to download the order form |
Here’s what you will find in your toolkit
 |
Free School Meals – Why are they important? Facts and figures to demonstrate the benefits of school meals and why it’s important that every child entitled to free school meals should register for and eat them. |
 |
Who Qualifies? A clear guide to the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals and other possible related benefits. |
 |
Your Guide to the Pupil Premium Everything you need to know about the Pupil Premium and how it will benefit children, parents and schools. |
 |
The Free School Meal Application Journey A best practice guide to the free school meal application journey, this interactive wallchart is designed to help you get the best results from your school’s free school meal application process. |
 |
Removing the stigma of free school meals Stigma associated with free school meals is a major barrier to take up. These real life examples and practical solutions will help you to protect those children entitled to free school meals from feeling divided from their peers. |
 |
Free School Meal Top Tips Tried and tested techniques that work in schools, these tips will help you to raise awareness of free school meals and increase registration and take up. |
    |
Free School Meal Surveys Understanding what everyone involved with your school really thinks about the school meal service, before you make changes, is really important. These surveys are a quick and easy way to collect feedback from pupils, parents and staff on your school’s food and dining environment, and on free school meals. We know every school is different and that you are best placed to decide if any questions are inappropriate for your pupils, parents and staff so we have also included editable versions of each survey on our CD. Here are some suggestions for how to use these surveys: Primary pupils could complete their surveys after lunch back in the classroom and you could hand out secondary pupil surveys at registration. It should be made clear that all surveys are anonymous but as an added incentive maybe you could offer a prize for a randomly selected completed survey. Pupils could drop their completed surveys into a box in the dining hall or at reception. Parent surveys could be sent out with the school newsletter or handed out at parents evening. Editable versions of the surveys are all available on the toolkit CD |
   |
Free School Meal Parent Letters Three letters to give to parents, providing them with everything they need to know about free school meals. |
| Letter 1 – for parents of Yr 6 children leaving primary school. | |
| Letter 2 – for all parents at the start of the new school year. | |
| Letter 3 – a reminder letter for parents at half term. Each template letter is also available to edit on the toolkit CD. | |
 |
Free School Meal Leaflet A simple leaflet explaining the free school meal qualification criteria and application process, to hand out to parents and carers at parents’ evenings, transition days and other school events. An editable version of the leaflet is included on the toolkit CD. |
   |
Free School Meal Posters Three colourful posters to display in reception areas and on notice boards, classroom doors and school gates. |
| A2 ‘Piggy bank’ – highlights monthly savings incurred by choosing free school meals – designed for you to add a named contact and telephone number. | |
| A2 ‘Everyone’s a winner’ – demonstrates the benefits of free school meals to pupils, parents and schools. | |
| A2 ‘Improved concentration’ – shows parents the benefits of pupils eating free school meals. | |
| A1 ‘Why Fork Out’ – pupil poster designed to encourage registered pupils to eat their free school meal. | |
| A2 ‘Parent Savings’ – highlights yearly savings parents can make if they register for free school meals. | |
 |
Free School Meal Planner Once you have read the information in the toolkit, and have considered the issues that are relevant to your school, this planner will help you to design a free school meal strategy. From small, simple steps to long term solutions, use the planner to monitor the changes you make and record how effective they have been at increasing registration and take up. For more detailed ways to track your paid and free school meal take up, see our Take Up Tracker Tool www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/resources/trackertool |
 |
Free School Meals Matter CD A set of easy to edit and print resources, as described above: |
| Free School Meal Leaflet | |
| Free School Meal Parent Letters | |
| Free School Meal Surveys |
