At Sir William Stanier School we are always looking for ways to improve the well-being of your child as well as offering value for money and convenience each and every day. 
You can apply for FSM funding whatever year your child is in.

Is your child eligible for free school meals?


Free school meals are offered to students of families who are in receipt of any of the following benefits:
•    Universal Credit with no earning income or with net monthly earnings less than £616.67
•    Income Support
•    Income-based Job Seekers’ Allowance
•    Income-related Employment Support Allowance
•    Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
•    The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
•    Child Tax Credit provided – as long as you have a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit. Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Have your circumstances changed?

Do you think your child might be entitled to a Free School Meal?
If so, you can discuss it in confidence by telephoning the Free School Meals Team or apply online via our local Education Authority website. All information regarding eligibility is available on the Cheshire East website below.
Successful claims to Cheshire East can begin the same day if no further information is required and confirmation has been received by school from Cheshire East.
Free School Meals claims cannot be backdated so make sure you apply as soon as you can.
If your child attends a school in Cheshire East then parents/carers need to make an application to Cheshire East:
Telephone: 0300 123 5012
Website: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/schools/school-meals/free_school_meals.aspx
Email: freeschoolmeals@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Important things to know about the Free School Meal allowance

  •  The free school meal allowance to £2.75 (correct July 2024)
  •  FSM is added as a daily allowance and cannot be rolled into the next day. If it is not spent that day, it will be lost. Currently the school meal deal is the same price as the FSM allowance. 
  • Your child will still be served in the canteen / at their usual till point as normal.
  • There is no indication at the till that your child is entitled to FSM, the items will go through the till against their finger and then the FSM allowance is credited back to your child’s account on a daily basis.
  • Items can only be purchased at lunch or breaktime service but students need to be mindful that if it is spent at break time it will reduce for their lunchtime spending So, if your child is likely to have these please make sure you top up their finger / account to cover any additional spend.  
  • If your child spends over the FSM allowance in 1 day, then you will need to top up their ParentPay account to cover the additional spend.  
  • However, if your child overspends then your ParentPay account will go overdrawn unless you have topped up your account. Please make sure there are sufficient funds on your account to cover any shortfall.