Management Information Sheet
Food vouchers for Free School Meal eligible pupils September and October 2022
Following the release of MI Sheet 116/22, the following information is to provide a reminder to order your September vouchers.
If you have not already ordered your July/August vouchers, then please could you action this immediately. We still have a number of schools who have not submitted their July/August order.
NCC is not linking the food vouchers to the school holidays but is issuing them monthly to help families with the cost of living. Parents/carers may choose to save vouchers rather than spend at the time of issue, so they have more funds available during the school holidays if they wish to, within the constraints of the three-month expiry date of the vouchers. Note: If vouchers expire, they cannot be reissued.
The schedule for the placing of the HSF2 FSM voucher orders is as follows:
| Month | Value £ | Go live date | Expiry date | Monthly Order Ref | Consolidated Order Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 15 | 16-Sep | 16-Dec | 5 HSF2 S | 2 HSF2 SO |
| October | 15 | 14-Oct | 14-Jan-23 | 6 HSF2 O | 2 HSF2 SO |
Schools may place their orders monthly, or consolidate them into two orders, September and October which will take into account pupil movements in the new academic year. Depending upon which option you choose, please use the correct order reference as shown in the columns above.
It is important that if you choose the consolidated order option you enter the correct 'go live' dates on your CSV file before uploading it into the EdenRed portal so that the vouchers do not become available to parents/carers too early.
Please refer to your Edenred user guide for instructions.
Any pupils newly eligible to FSM may join the schedule at the point they become entitled. If pupils have joined your school and you need to check if claims have already been made for that pupil, then please contact Free School Meals (FSM) Finance Team mailbox fsmf@norfolk.gov.uk
Newly appointed staff
If you are a newly appointed Headteacher or have new admin staff and are unsure about using the EdenRed portal, please e-mail fsmf@norfolk.gov.uk as soon as possible to arrange for your log-in to be set up.
Queries
All other queries in relation to voucher orders must also be directed to the Free School Meals (FSM) Finance Team at fsmf@norfolk.gov.uk. NB: please do not contact EdenRed directly.
Please continue to encourage eligible families to register for free school meals as this will enable them to qualify for these vouchers as well as the other support available.
You may wish to share this link on your own Facebook pages to promote the scheme to your parents and carers: www.norfolk.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools/school-meals-and-milk
Please note that the free school meal vouchers will only be available to those who are eligible and have registered.
Families in hardship and needing wider support
In addition to the offer of FSM vouchers for eligible families, there is support available for families who are facing hardship and need support.
Anyone experiencing hardship may be able to receive support through the Norfolk Assistance Scheme (NAS), which may be able to provide support for food, fuel, clothes, and other essential household items to families experiencing hardship. Wider support from a range of partners can then also be made available with NAS working alongside the Children's Services Community and Partnerships service.
Families may get in touch with NAS via their dedicated website which includes an online application form, or if they cannot access the internet, they can call 0344 800 8020.