Free School Meals – Changes for Autumn 26

• There are now two types of FSM – Targeted and Expanded.
• FSM transitional protections have ended. All pupils’ FSM eligibility have been re-checked by Devon LA.
• School FSM lists are available to download via the provider portal.
• Free School Meal last verified date now required, without a valid date, pupils will not be counted as eligible which will result in a loss of funding for schools. Applies to both Targeted (TFSM) & Expanded (EFSM).
• for those re-checked by DCC admissions the last verified date is 01/08/26.
• DfE recently announced they’ve extended FSM eligibility deadline from 1^st Oct to 2^nd Nov 26. All Devon LA re-checks have been completed.

Devon County Council FSM auto enrolment process

• Devon County Council Admissions are conducting a FSM auto enrolment exercise to identify new pupils eligible for FSM and to also re-check eligibility of those who are FSM eligible from a previous auto-enrolment process.
• For newly identified FSM eligible children schools will need to send opt out letter to schools, however schools do not need to send opt out letters for those who are re-checks.
• Pupil lists should be available by close of 2nd October, with the ‘opted out’ list available week commencing Mon 19th October. For school census purposes, any pupils found eligible after census day will need to record a FSM start date of 01/10/26 and a verification date of 01/10/26.
• Schools should upload their return as normal by Tue 6th October and include FSM records for children identified as eligible. This will allow us to carry out our checks while we wait for the auto-award opt-out period. 
• If any amendments are required following the opt-out period, these can either be included in an amended file (if we’ve identified other queries in your return), or updated directly in COLLECT and we can guide you through this process.

Free School Meals & Pupil Premium

• Introduction of two FSM categories impacts on schools funding and pupil premium.
• Following the expansion of FSM, for newly FSM eligible pupils, only those eligible for Targeted FSM will be part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort.
• Pupils who become eligible for FSM for the first time through Expanded FSM will not attract pupil premium funding.
• Pupils who were FSM eligible before the FSM expansion will continue to be part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort after the expansion. This includes pupils who lose their FSM eligibility altogether or become eligible for Expanded FSM instead. These pupils will remain eligible for pupil premium under the Ever 6 FSM measure.
• Pupils who are, or have been, eligible for FSM over the last 6 years are part of the ‘Ever 6’ FSM cohort.
• Pupils who stop being eligible for FSM when transitional protections end will still receive disadvantage funding through the pupil premium and National Funding Formula (NFF), since they will still form part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort.
• Source: DfE’s pupil premium webpage and DfE’s Free school meals: guidance webpage

Recording in Bromcom;

• pupil qualified for FSM before autumn 26 and at the re-check was reconfirmed as eligible under the ‘target’ category – keep the original FSM start date, add the FSM category and date verified

for the original re-check this is 01/08/26, for the auto-enrolment re-check this is 01/10/26

• pupil moves from the targeted to the expanded category – close their targeted FSM period and record a new expanded FSM period

for the original re-check targeted end date is 31/07/26, expanded start date and verified date is 01/08/26, for the auto-enrolment re-check targeted end date is 30/09/26, expanded start date and verified date is 01/10/26.

• pupil qualified for FSM before the autumn 26 but is no longer eligible for either category – the FSM period should be returned, with an FSM category of ‘targeted’ and an FSM end date of the date eligibility was checked

for the original re-check the end date is 01/08/26 and for the auto-enrolment re-check its 01/10/26.

• For new FSM claims under the expanded criteria, the earliest start date is 1 August 2026.