School Meals
Universal Primary Free School Meals and Free School Meals
A free school meal (FSM) does depend on your household income and if you receive certain benefits. If you meet the eligibility criteria it is extremely important that you claim for this. The meal your child receives will be no different and it will mean you are eligible to receive any support available during school holidays or in the event of school closures.
Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM)
Since September 2022 all full time Nursery and Reception children have been offered a Universal Primary Free School Meal (UPFSM). In January 2023, all Year 1 pupils were also offered a Universal Primary Free School Meal and from 17th April 2023 all Year 2 pupils will be offered a Universal Primary Free School Meal. We are working hard to determine the earliest we will be able to roll out the offer to additional year groups.
Free breakfast initiative
Currently there are 96 primary schools across the County operating a free breakfast club; we are proud to maintain one of the highest uptakes of breakfast clubs in Wales.
Breakfast is recognised as the most important meal of the day and evidence shows that a healthy breakfast is linked to better health, concentration and behaviour in our schools.
It is vital that we eat breakfast as without it we do not perform to the best of our ability. Breakfast helps to kick start the body and fuel the brain after hours of sleep. During the night we use energy which we need to restore as soon as possible after waking in the morning to ensure the best start to the day.
The majority of breakfast clubs opens at 8:15am. Pupils can choose from a range of options for breakfast for example:
- A choice of non-sugar coated cereals
- Toast
- Fruit juice or milk to drink
(Please note, at times there may be a slight variance in our breakfast menu)
Not only do we offer a healthy breakfast but we also organise competitions, themed breakfasts throughout the year and encourage pupils to socialise together during the session. As a Council we are offering a free service giving children the opportunity to have a great start to the school day!
Free School Milk
School milk subsidy schemes encourage children to develop a lifelong habit of consuming milk and milk products. We assist schools across the County to claim free milk for the following age categories:
- Nursery classes (children under the age of 5) who attend school for more than two hours per day;
- Additionally in Wales, children in Key Stage 1 education are eligible for free milk which is funded by the Welsh Government.