About the Free School Meal Auto-Enrolment process
As part of our commitment to reducing inequalities and supporting children’s health and wellbeing, Torbay Public Health funded the successful implementation of a Free School Meal (FSM) Auto-Enrolment process. This initiative, ensures that eligible children are automatically registered for FSM support, helping families access nutritional and financial assistance without the need to check their eligibility and complete an application process.
The Public Health and Children’s Services teams collaborated on the programme, with support from the consultancy firm, Basis. This work has unlocked significant Pupil Premium funding for schools – additional government support aimed at improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils that is associated with FSM eligibility. This is calculated based on the number of pupils eligible for FSM, with current rates set at £1,515 per primary pupil and £1,075 per secondary pupil.
Why it Matters
Access to Free School Meals plays a key role in reducing child poverty by easing financial pressure on families and ensuring children receive at least one nutritious meal a day. It also supports better learning outcomes and long-term health by improving concentration in class and encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age. The Public Health and Children’s Service partnership has enabled this process to remove barriers to accessing FSM, helping ensure every eligible child receives the support they deserve to thrive. It has also enabled families and schools to more easily access the resources needed to give every child the best possible start in life.
Who is Benefitting?
The auto-enrolment process is reaching children across all age groups and school stages:
– Nursery and Early Years: 23 children
– Primary School (Reception to Year 6): 132 children
– Secondary School (Years 7 to 13): 79 children
This broad reach ensures that children and young people of all ages are supported, from early years through to further education. The associated Pupil Premium funding for schools will help schools to provide extra support, such as one-to-one or small group teaching, access to enrichment activities, mental health and wellbeing support and resources to help close the attainment gap.
What’s Been Achieved so Far?
Since the launch of the auto-enrolment process, an additional 234 pupils have been identified and eligible and successfully enrolled in FSM through this process.
As of the latest school census, 5,362 pupils in Torbay are receiving Free School Meals. This accounts for 27% of all pupils on roll (20,119 in total), highlighting the importance of this provision in our community.
The implementation of the FSM auto-enrolment has brought in a total of £300,214 in new Pupil Premium funding for schools across Torbay. This has been allocated across various settings:
– Nursery settings have gained an additional £13,110
– Primary schools have received £202,210
– Secondary schools have gained £84,925
If you are a local authority area and want to talk to us about implementing the FSM Auto-Enrolment process or for further information on healthy living programmes for schools, please contact [email protected]
