Universal Infant Free School Meals

1. Universal Infant Free School Meals Deb Tyler Primary Heads 12 March 2014

2. School Food Plan – UIFSM • School Food Plan published in summer 2013 • Large document and useful summary, including headteacher checklist • Extension of free meals to all infant age – reception, year one and year 2 - children (regardless of family income) from September 2014 • One-off capital funding to improve kitchen/ cooking facilities - £657k across Newcastle inc VA schools • Revenue funding of £2.30 per additional meal

3. Additional guidance from DfE (6 March) • Revenue funding - flat rate of £2.30 per additional meal, take-up measured through new school census indicator in October 2014. Schools notified of provisional allocations for 2014-15 in June 2014; and funding for the first two terms made to local authorities based on data from January 2014 Schools Census and planning assumption that 87% of newly eligible pupils will take 190 school meals in the course of the academic year. Subsequent adjustment based on actual data from October 2014 and January 2015 Censuses. • Transitional funding for schools with less than 150 pupils (January Census)

4. Transitional funding – small schools • Additional one-off sum of transitional funding for small primary schools with less than 150 pupils of between £3,000 and £15,000. Allocations based on following units of funding:

5. Pupil Premium • The basis on which pupil premium funding is calculated will not be affected by the introduction of UIFSM. • The funding for the financial year 2014-15 will be informed by data collected in the January 2014 School Census. • For the financial year 2015-16, the same criteria currently used to assess FSM eligibility (i.e. receipt of qualifying benefits) will continue to be used to assess whether a pupil qualifies for the pupil premium (£1300 per child at present). Data on FSM-eligible pupils will continue to be collected by the department annually, through the School Census (for mainstream settings) and the Alternative Provision census (for non-mainstream settings). • For more advice on how schools can safeguard pupil premium funding from September 2014, see the UIFSM Toolkit.

6. UIFSM Toolkit and other support • Link to UIFSM in letter from Martin Surtees sent to schools on Monday 10 March • Other very targeted direct support for specific categories of schools: • currently have low levels of school meal take-up • provide only packed lunches • have in-house catering and are therefore unlikely to receive support from a ‘parent’ organisation such as a local authority or catering organisation • are small and therefore struggle to make the school meal service break even; • are very large, and known to have capacity issues; and / or • prepare and transport school meals to other schools (known as ‘production kitchens’). Some of these will be secondary schools • To access this support schools should first check the online resources on the Children’s Food Trust website ( www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/schoolfoodplan/uifsm )

7. From UIFSM Toolkit: Getting started With your caterer or school cook: • Set up a school food working group: www.schoolfoodplan.com/sfwg • Talk to parents and look at your roll numbers to find out likely take-up of schools meals from September 2014 • Identify any improvements needed to kitchens and/or the need for additional dining facilities. • Find out who in your local authority is managing capital funding (or consider future bids to the ACMF if you are an academy) • Consider whether you could simplify lunch menu to cope with extra demand • Determine need for new staff and staff training (including induction training) • Review your lunchtime arrangements to cope with the extra demand • Continue registering pupils eligible for free school meals under the existing criteria to safeguard the pupil premium • Develop a communications plan Additional advice for schools with regen kitchens or no school meals service

8. UIFSM in Newcastle - capital • Initial assessment of kitchens and facilities by School Meals Service provider(s) working with schools – identify all issues • Prioritise criteria for funding (essential/desirable?) • Will work with schools on implementation plans This assessment is identifying for each school whether: 1. Substantial kitchen and/or dining refurbishment/extensions are needed 2. Large kitchen equipment (e.g. ovens, fridge/freezers) inadequate and/or insufficient 3. Serving facilities or equipment is inadequate and/or insufficient 4. Smaller kitchen or dining items (e.g. light equipment, cutlery and crockery, trays) are inadequate and/or insufficient • Some initial assessments conducted for all schools where the City Council provides service and priority work is taking place to assess options and costs for those in category 1 (initial estimate 13). • Initial discussion with diocesan directors (and capital leads) • Initial discussions with other school meal providers and will contact schools that provide their own school meals. • An estimation of costs has also started for categories 2 and 3.

9. UIFSM – next steps • UIFSM workshop for all schools – 1 April 2014 (12.30-16.00) venue tbc (booking via SLA Online) • Requested input from national support team • Using the UIFSM toolkit • Capital funding – initial assessment and targeting spend • Joint planning with schools • Input from school(s) that have been through this in pilot LA • Capital funding plan and options • Revenue funding • Financial modelling – existing issues with historic pricing model for free/paid meals; modelling increased volume and implications for unit cost • Identifying available support and learning from elsewhere • Lobbying? • LA and school implementation plan and delivery