Free school meals are available to any full-time student (aged 5-18) who is still at school and eligible, even if your child chooses not to take a meal.  By receiving your correct entitlement for free school meals, Rooks Heath will also receive increased funding and ultimately improve the level of resources we can provide for your child’s education. A substantial amount of this funding does not reach schools because not all parents who are eligible apply for free school meals for their child.

We are committed to ensuring that the personal and sensitive information that we hold about you is protected and kept safe and secure, and we have measures in place to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.  We will only use the information you provide to assess entitlement to free school meals.

How to apply for Free School Meal

• Please complete the application form or visit https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims  your details must match exactly word by word to details on your benefits’ paperwork.
• You will receive an email confirming the status of your application.
• Once your FSM application has been confirmed as ‘eligible’ you will need to allow 48 hours (1-2 school days) for your child’s Rookery account to be updated. 
• Please ensure your child has a packed lunch or sufficient funds on their ParentPay account until your FSM eligibility has been confirmed and updated.
• Eligibility for FSM cannot be backdated.

How does my child receive their Free School Meal subsidy?

• The FSM allowance is added to their account each day and will show as a credit.
• The FSM allowance will remain active until the end of lunch-time. 
• Any under spend or missed lunch will be identified by the system and will not be added to the next day’s balance.
• Once your child has reached the allowance limit for the day, any additional expense will be taken from credit topped up via ParentPay.
• As all students at the School now use the biometric system in the Rookery, we can assure you that the whole process operates discreetly.

How long will my child receive Free School Meals?

Whilst Universal Credit is being rolled out and the phasing out of other income-bases benefits, your child will continue to be entitled until the end of their current phase of education, therefore you only need to complete this form once and it will last for the duration of your child’s time at Rooks Heath until the end of Year 11.  These protections are only in place on an individual child basis, not family basis.  This means that children will not become automatically entitled to free school meals simply because their sibling receives transitions protections.  A new application will be necessary for all students joining our Sixth Form.