An important part of academy life is food – good food and nutrition can support learning and lead to healthy bodies and healthy children, leading to better learning.
Payment
All meal payments are made using our cashless system, ParentPay. Further information can be found on the online payments page.
Universal free school meals (UFSM)
UFSM is an ongoing government initiative which provides a free lunch for all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 (key stage 1). There is no need to prove eligibility and all children in these year groups are entitled to this.
This is not the same as the Free School Meals (FSM), which are provided for children whose parents/carers are in receipt of certain benefits, as UFSM does not carry pupil premium funding. It is important that parents who receive one of the qualifying benefits register for benefits related free school meals instead of UFSM as this enables us to claim pupil premium too. You can find out more about free school meals below.
Free school meals (FSM)
From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility has been expanded to include all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of household earnings.
Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:
- universal credit
- income-related employment and support allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of pension credit
- Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
From September 2026, there will be two categories of benefits-based free school meals:
Targeted FSM, which continues to be based on the existing threshold, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less
Expanded FSM, a new category covering pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit
If you think that your child(ren) may be entitled to free school meals then you can either apply online or download a form via the Nottinghamshire County Council website, or phone them on 0300 500 80 80.
Once your application has been approved, the council will inform the academy and we can then start providing free school meals for your child(ren). We treat all recipients with complete discretion.
We are here to help, so contact us if you have any queries or concerns you would like to discuss directly with the academy.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, your local food bank can help. To arrange a food voucher for your family, contact Sherwood Forest Food Bank, or for further support contact the academy(opens in new tab) to talk to someone in confidence.