Free School Meals (FSM)

Could Your Child Be Eligible for Free School Meals?

Free School Meals can help families save money and may also provide additional funding for the school through the Pupil Premium, helping us support children's learning and wellbeing.

Universal Infant Free School Meals

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to receive a free school meal regardless of family income.

However, if you receive qualifying benefits, we still encourage you to apply for Free School Meals as this may make your child eligible for Pupil Premium funding, which provides additional support for their education.

Who Can Apply?

Free School Meals are available to pupils whose parents or carers receive certain qualifying benefits. Milton Keynes City Council advises that eligibility may include households receiving:

  • Universal Credit
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The Guarantee Element of Pension Credit
  • Other qualifying benefits as determined by government guidance.

Important Change for 2026

The UK Government has announced that from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, Free School Meal eligibility will expand to all children from households receiving Universal Credit, regardless of household earnings.

Why Should I Apply?

Registering for Free School Meals may provide:

  • Free nutritious school meals.
  • Additional funding for the school through Pupil Premium.
  • Access to other support schemes, where applicable.
  • Potential eligibility for Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes for qualifying pupils.

How to Apply

Applications can be made by completing this online form and the school office can process your application-Free School Meals Application-Heronshill School and Nursery – Fill in form

or you can go directly to the following link-Online FSM Application

or

Milton Keynes City Council Citizen Portal.

Apply online: https://emsonline.milton-keynes.gov.uk/CitizenPortal_LIVE

The application process is quick and secure. If your circumstances change, you should apply again as eligibility may have changed.

Need Help?

If you require support with your application, please contact the school office.

Alternatively, you can contact the Milton Keynes Education Access Team:

  • Telephone: 01908 253338
  • Email: freeschoolmeals@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Pupil Premium: Statement of intent

  • To have high aspirations and ambitions for our children and believe that no child should left behind. 
  • To narrow the gaps in phonics, reading, writing and maths. These are the core elements that underpin access and success across the wider curriculum. 
  • To ensure that children have access to broader life experiences where gaps have been identified. 
  • To champion child-specific talents, skills and interests. 
  • Reduce barriers to learning and to support children to make accelerated progress. 
  • Through data analysis school leaders focus on the specific, targeted next steps for individual pupils. 
  • Common barriers for pupils have been identified as having less support at home, weak language and communication skills, lack of confidence, more frequent behavioural difficulties and attendance and punctuality issues. The challenges are varied and we recognise that there is ‘no one size fits all’. 

Below you can access our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement. Our Pupil Premium at Heronshill also explores further the vision and values that underpin what we do at school.

Pupil premium is funding provided by the Government to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in schools in England.

At Heronshill School & Nursery we aim to provide education for all children that is engaging, challenging and relevant to living in Milton Keynes as well as the wider world. An education that takes into consideration challenges faced by our community and to provide Spiritual, Cultural, Social and Moral education, not only through our Vision and Values, but through offering opportunities for all children, regardless of their background.

We strive for all of our children to be able to access the whole of the curriculum, especially the arts and music, and to develop all children as life-long learners, so it is imperative that we offer our most vulnerable pupils the same opportunities as everyone else. We aim to develop readers, writers and mathematicians who can articulate themselves with confidence, understand vocabulary and apply their knowledge and skills across the curriculum, as well as in everyday life and into their lives as they move onto secondary education.

Please see below our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement:

Heronshill pupil premium strategy 2025