Free school meals ‘opt out auto-award’
Free school meals (FSM) help support families by giving children free meals at school, and their child’s school by providing them with additional funding. The council wants to make sure that all eligible children living in Bexley do not miss out on receiving these meals.
Pupils can receive FSM if their family meets certain criteria set by the government.
Currently, families must apply for this support. In Bexley, the application process depends on the school the pupil attends.
Some of the eligible families in Bexley do not apply. This may be because of:
- stigma (feeling embarrassed)
- language barriers
- no internet access
- not knowing they are eligible
This means families miss out on:
- up to £450 in savings per year
- additional funding for the school
- access to funded places on the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme in Bexley
- receiving FSM Vouchers issued during the school holidays as part of the Household Support Fund
What is different?
The council are introducing an ‘opt out’, rather than ‘opt in’, auto-award process that uses existing government and council benefits-related data to identify families who qualify for FSM. The council will then check if they’ve already registered for FSM. If they’re not, the families will be sent a letter informing them of their child’s eligibility, and the council’s offer to register them.
Families can choose for their child not to be registered for FSM by contacting the council by the deadline and ‘opting out’ of the process. If families do not contact the council by the deadline date, then their child will be registered for FSM by their school.
Why are we doing this?
Auto-award processes have already been successfully introduced in several areas across the UK to address the gap between the eligibility and uptake of FSM, and the benefits are wide-reaching. These include:
- children will have better access to nutritious meals, which supports concentration, attendance, and overall academic performance
- families face less financial pressure and food insecurity
- schools receive more funding and less administrative workload
- the council advances its goals to reduce child poverty, promote equality, and improve service access
What’s the process?
There are five main steps in our new auto-award process:
- Collecting the data - we’re bringing together information from government and council-held records (such as the School Census and Benefits data) to help us find pupils who may be entitled to FSM but aren’t yet registered.
- Checking the data - we will carefully review the combined data and look for families with school-aged children who receive certain government-specified benefits, as these pupils may qualify for FSM.
- Confirming eligibility - next, we’ll run the list of potentially eligible pupils through the Department for Education’s eligibility checker. Any pupils who don’t qualify will be removed from the list.
- Giving families the chance to opt out - we will contact families of pupils who are identified as being eligible for FSM by posting a letter to their registered household address. The letter will explain what FSM are, and that we plan to register their child to receive them. The letter also lets the families know that if they prefer that their child isn’t registered for FSM, they can ‘opt out’ by contacting the council. Details on how they can do this will be included in the letter.
- Registering pupils - once the ‘opt out’ period ends, we’ll remove the records of those families who opted out and register the rest for FSM using the current process for each school in Bexley.
What are the timescales?
We’re working closely with schools, our IT teams and national partners to implement this system securely and effectively.
We aim to start contacting families in the Autumn and further updates will be published as the work progresses.
If you have questions about this process, please email RPA@bexley.gov.uk.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
We have put together some helpful questions you may have and answers. If you would like clarification on these responses or have more questions to ask, please email RPA@bexley.gov.uk.
What is ‘opt-out auto-award’?
This process identifies and automatically registers entitled early years (Reception), primary, and secondary students for free school meals (FSM) unless families choose not to participate.
What is Pupil Premium?
If you receive certain benefits, your child’s school or academy might be able to claim extra funding from the government. This is called Pupil Premium. This extra money helps schools to provide extra support to children.
What is the Eligibility Checker?
This is a Department for Education’s tool used to confirm FSM entitlement and is already used in Bexley when a family applies for FSM.
Is my child eligible for free school meals?
If you get certain benefits, your child may be entitled to receive FSM.
I have received a letter, what does this mean?
You have received a letter because you do not currently get FSM for your child, and we think you may be entitled to receive them.
I haven’t received a letter, why not?
If your child already receives FSM, this work won’t affect that, and you will not receive a letter.
If your child isn’t currently receiving FSM and you do not receive a letter, your household and child have not been identified as being eligible for FSM.
Someone told me about a letter they received. I haven’t received a letter and I think my child might be eligible.
This may be because we have incorrect information from you (home address). You must inform the benefits service about any changes to your income or circumstances.
I got a letter, but my child goes to school in another borough. What shall I do?
You can get in touch with your child’s school to make sure that they are registered to receive FSM and pupil premium funding.
FSM funding in England is tied to the location of the school and your child being an enrolled pupil there.
I don’t live in Bexley, but my child goes to school in Bexley. What do I do?
If you receive qualifying benefits, please make an application using the existing process. We do not hold the data for families that are not a resident in Bexley, so are unable to check your child’s eligibility for you.
My child/children already receive(s) FSM. Are you checking their eligibility? Do I need to re-apply?
No, we are only looking to identify entitled children who are not already receiving FSM, so that more families and schools benefit.
You do not need to re-apply and this work will not affect your current FSM registration.
I receive benefits that qualify my child for meals, but my child doesn’t receive FSM. What do I have to do?
Our data process will pick up children who are entitled to FSM through their parents and carers' qualifying benefits. You don’t have to do anything, unless you wish to ‘opt out’.
Are you using my personal data to do this check?
The data matching exercise does involve the processing of your personal data, but we do this because the Council has a duty to provide FSM to entitled children and to help families access the support that they are entitled to.
What are my rights?
You have the right to ‘opt out’, also known as the right to object. In practice, this means that you can tell us that you do not want your child to be registered for FSM.
This check will be repeated annually. If you object to the process this year, you will need to object again in future years, as we won't know if your circumstances have changed.
If you would like to ‘opt out’, please email RPA@bexley.gov.uk with your full name and the reference ID listed on the ‘opt out’ letter.
Will my child get the same meal as everyone else?
Yes, they will receive the same meals as others. The only difference is that they will not be paying for the meals and thus will not be treated any differently at school. We keep these lists confidential, so their privacy is protected.
Can I provide my child with a packed lunch instead of having a free healthy meal?
Yes, you can still provide a packed lunch. We hope all children will benefit from a free, healthy school meal and will join their peers in enjoying lunch together.
Many schools have packed lunch policies to make sure children avoid bringing certain foods into school, and they eat and drink a balanced lunch whilst at school.
Do free healthy school meals cater to special diets?
Yes, free healthy school meals can accommodate special dietary requirements. Please speak to your child's school for more information.