Universal Infants Free School Meals (UIFSM)

1. Universal Infants Free School Meals (UIFSM)

2. Legislation • Children & Families Bill places a legal duty on all state funded schools to offer a free school meal to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 • This duty comes into force from September 2014

3. Revenue Funding • Will be at a level of £2.30 for each newly eligible pupil under the UIFSM policy • Funding for existing FSM pupils will continue as before • New indicator on the school census to be introduced in Oct 14 to enable schools to state how many newly eligible infants are taking a meal

4. Revenue Funding • Initial Allocation will be notified end of June and will provide funding for the first two terms of the academic year • At this stage we believe it will be issued as formula funding via the funding statement either in July or August

5. Revenue Funding • Initial Funding based on assumptions: • 87% of newly eligible pupils will take 190 meals each in the course of a full academic year • Will be revised based on the actual take-up data derived from the average of the Oct 14 & Jan 15 Censuses

6. Revenue Funding • Funding for third term will be adjusted according to the revised data • Schools with take up above 87% will see funding adjusted upwards and those below will see it adjusted down • Third terms funding to be received in April 15

7. Revenue Funding • DfE guidance still awaited on • Detailed terms & conditions • Year-end accounting treatment • Allocation methods for 2015 and beyond • Funding for this policy beyond 2015-16 will form part of the next government spending review

8. Small Schools Transitional Funding • For schools with a total roll up to 150 pupils on Jan 14 census • Will be funded as a lump sum via the funding statement in July • One off funding to support implementation of the UIFSM policy

9. UIFSM Capital Funding • Initial £1,048,300 allocated to schools with £240,992 earmarked for additional bids • Individual schools to choose to manage the funds themselves or agree with CCS to manage on their behalf • Individual schools who have been successful in bidding for additional capital have been advised separately

10. Pupil Premium • Basis on which Pupil Premium is calculated will not be effected by UIFSM • Criteria for FSM remains the same and will be collected via the census • Schools need to distinguish between FSM pupils and UIFSM pupils on future censuses to safeguard pupil premium funding

11. Useful Link • http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/toolkit/