Aspens Services are the new catering provider delivering our school meals service from the Autumn term 2026. This provider was selected due to their strong reputation, experience in school catering, and the quality and value of their offer.

School meal arrangements from the autumn term will be as follows:

• Meals will be free of charge for children in Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 2 as part of the Universal Infant Free School Meals programme.
• KS2 children's cost per meal is £2.80 per day.
• All meals will need to be ordered in advance using the online system, Swift Kitchen.

Please note: parents must order school meals through Swift Kitchen & you will need to register for this in advance.

If you do not order a meal, you will need to provide a packed lunch for your child.

 

We recognise how important it is to support children with dietary needs and allergies. Aspens Services have experience in catering for a wide range of dietary requirements and work closely with schools to ensure that appropriate and safe meal options are available. Please contact the school office if your child has an allergy or special dietary need, and we will provide you with the correct forms to complete.

Free School meals 

 

From September 2026, children from households receiving Universal Credit may be entitled to free school meals. This is an expansion of the current eligibility rules.

 

What is changing?

Currently, many families receive Free School Meals under “transitional protection” arrangements introduced in 2018. These protections allowed children to continue receiving FSM even if household circumstances changed.

However, these transitional protections will end at the end of the 2025–2026 academic year. From September 2026, eligibility will be reassessed under the new national criteria.

 

What this means for families

From September 2026:

• Families receiving Universal Credit may qualify for Free School Meals.
• Eligibility checks must be completed annually.
• Some families who currently receive FSM may no longer qualify if they do not meet the updated eligibility criteria.
• More families may become eligible under the expanded scheme.

 

What you need to do

We want to ensure that we have checked eligibility for every child in school, even if you don’t think you will be eligible. Therefore, we ask you:

• Complete a new FSM application for each of your children ASAP by completing the Microsoft form on the link below.

Fleckney C of E Primary School Free School Meals Eligibility Check – Fill in form

• Provide any information required to verify eligibility, if required.
• Inform the school promptly if your circumstances change throughout the year.

We will then begin checking eligibility for all children during the Summer Term and notify parents if there are changes for your child/children.

Important information

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will still continue to receive Universal Infant Free School Meals regardless of benefit status but are also eligible for additional funding if they are eligible for FSM.

If your child qualifies under the “targeted FSM” criteria (households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less), schools may also receive additional funding to support learning and wellbeing.