Free School Meals
Who can I contact about Free School Meals at Ely College?
The primary contact at Ely College for questions about Free School Meals is KJ Norton-Berry, Assistant Principal, at PupilPremium@elycollege.co.uk
What are Free School Meals?
Free School Meals (FSM) provide eligible children in state-funded schools with a free lunch during term time. They help families with the cost of school meals and can also open access to additional school funding (Pupil Premium) that supports your child's education.
At Ely the daily value of this is £2.80 per day. This funding is per day and does not roll over into the next day. If it is not used on a day it is lost.
The ‘meal deal’ pictured below is priced at £2.80 so can be bought with the allowance but other items, up to £2.80, can also be bought.
The ‘green sticker’ for the meal deal looks as below:
You can check if your child is spending their allowance by logging into MCAS and clicking on ‘Dinners’. You can see what your child has bought within a date range and anything bought with the allowance will show as ‘FSM allowance’ daily.
Alongside the daily allowance Cambridgeshire County Council runs a holiday voucher scheme where they issue a supermarket voucher. They do this by sending a text message from ‘SchoolMeals’ or an email from ‘vouchers@wonde.com’ with instructions on how to claim.
What additional support can Ely College offer me?
All students in receipt of Free School Meals are eligible for Pupil Premium and Ely College has committed to:
- Helping with half the cost of purchasing a blazer
- Contributing half the cost of school trips
- In Years 7 and 8, paying 100% of the cost of the whole year group trip that happens in activities week
- In Years 9,10 and 11, paying for100% of the cost of one of the following:
- Peripatetic instrumental tuition for 1 instrument through the College
- Subscription fees for membership of a Football, Rugby, Hockey etc club
- Swimming lessons
- Access to the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award
- Subscription fees for Cadets or Scouts
- In Years 10 and 11, contributing half of the cost of attending the Dorset walk
- In Year 10, providing revision guides for English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Eligibility (who qualifies)
A child may qualify for Free School Meals if the parent or guardian receive any of the following benefits:
- Income Support;
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance;
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance;
- The Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit;
- Child Tax Credit, as long as you do not get Working Tax Credit and whose annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) does not exceed £16,190
- Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit);
- Universal Credit (currently with an earned income threshold - see below).
For households on Universal Credit, the Department for Education and local authorities currently use an earned income threshold when checking eligibility. Historically this has been an annual earned income of no more than £7,400 (equivalent to £616.67 per monthly assessment period), with detailed guidance on how to assess multiple assessment periods where relevant. This will change when the government expands eligibility to all Universal Credit households from September 2026—check the DfE and local authority pages for the exact timetable and local implementation details.
How to apply if you live in Cambridgeshire
1) Check eligibility: use the Cambridgeshire County Council pages to check whether you get qualifying benefits.
2) Apply online: Cambridgeshire provides an online application via the Education Welfare Benefits portal. You can apply for multiple children on one form. Cambridgeshire aims to assess valid new claims within three working days. To apply online click here.
3) Paper application: If you prefer, Cambridgeshire also accepts a paper form and this can be downloaded here or a copy can be found at the bottom of the page: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/Free-school-meals-application-form-2024-2025.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: I cannot see the £2.80 balance on MCAS for my child, are they receiving it?
Yes. The balance does not show on an account but is allocated at the till. Any spend above £2.80 in a day would need to come from a credit placed by parent or guardian on their account.
Q: What is Pupil Premium and does applying for FSM affect it?
If your child is eligible for FSM the school may also receive Pupil Premium funding to support their education. This can provide extra support in school; it is based on eligibility, not whether the child takes the meal.
Q: Can FSM be backdated?
Local authorities have their own rules about backdating; contact the Education Welfare Benefits team in Cambridgeshire as soon as possible if you think you should have been eligible earlier.
Q: Will applying for FSM affect other benefits?
Applying for FSM is an administrative check of existing benefits. It should not reduce your other benefits—still, if you have concerns, contact your local authority or the Department for Work and Pensions for personalised advice.
Q: My application was refused — what can I do?
You can ask the local authority for the reason for refusal and check whether any additional evidence is required. If necessary, speak to the school’s welfare officer or contacts in the Education Welfare Benefits team.
Q: I get Universal Credit — will I definitely be eligible after September 2026?
The UK government announced an expansion to make all children in households on Universal Credit eligible from September 2026. Local implementation arrangements and any transitional protections may apply—always check the DfE and Cambridgeshire pages for the latest details.
Q: Is the information confidential?
Yes. Local authorities handle FSM applications and personal data in line with data protection rules; Cambridgeshire states contact details for their Education Welfare Benefits team for confidential queries.