UFISM and ParentPay - Leicestershire schools

[sjb]

This a query for primary schools in Leicestershire. We have been advised by the Children's Food Trust that the universal infant free school meals scheme started on the first day of term, which for us was 27th August, and not 1st September (spoke to their helpline this morning to double check). However, ParentPay are refusing to accept this and are insisting that all the scheme started on 1st September for all schools, so they won't update their system to handle free meals taken last week.

 

Just wondered if anyone had come across this issue and what you are doing about it.

 

Thanks,

 

Sue

[localzuk]

I think ParentPay are correct here - Children's Food Trust is not a government agency, and all government agencies state the same thing "From September 2014". In fact, the DoE site says from today - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deputy-prime-minister-launches-free-school-meals

[sjb]

Actually it turned out that we were both correct. We have been advised by the DfE that although the UIFSM scheme legally came into force on 1 September, all schools will receive funding for 190 days. This means that in practise Leicestershire pupils were funded from the start of term and parents should not be charged for these meals.

 

My issue with ParentPay was that they were unwilling to help us to set up their system to record the meals as free for FS and KS1 children from the start of term, as advised by the DfE. In the end I had to refund all of the meals individually on the system.