You do not have a JavaScript enabled browser, please use the links below.

Free School Meals (FSM)

The Cabinet Office, working in partnership with Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Local Education Authorities (LEAs) are looking at ways to simplify the administration of FSM.

Research pilots were set up to test a system that allowed parents to apply for FSM at the same time that they applied for Income Support (IS) or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) at Jobcentre Plus offices. Furthermore, LEAs could have the facility to check continued entitlement directly with Jobcentre Plus. This involved the LEA printing a list of existing FSM claimants and forwarding it to the benefit office, who then confirmed the entitlement, if appropriate, and returned the list to the LEA.

While the piloted system (an entirely paper-based approach) delivered a net reduction in the administrative burden on schools and LEAs, in order to achieve this there was a transfer of some administrative work to Jobcentre Plus staff.

Following the pilots a further simplification was identified by providing an electronic link (known as Remote Access Terminals) between LEAs and Jobcentre Plus. The link allows LEA staff to periodically confirm that parents are still on IS or JSA without disturbing Jobcentre Plus staff.

Agreement and funding has been made available to implement the technology but its use requires primary legislation to overcome legal barriers to data sharing between Jobcentre Plus and LEAs. The Department for Education and Skills is leading on this but the necessary legislation is unlikely to be in place before Autumn 2005.

Click here (PDF 80.3KB) for the findings of the research pilots project.