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Free School Meals Bristol Families Being Contacted During Coronavirus

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Free School Meals Bristol Families Will Be Hearing From Schools About A New Voucher Scheme

Bristol families entitled to Free School Meals (FSM) may now benefit from a voucher scheme set up to help thousands of pupils in the city.
Families will be receiving vouchers worth £15 per week for each entitled child which can be used at retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrison’s, Waitrose and Marks & Spencers.
So far, more than half of Bristol schools have joined up to the initiative, which will provide vouchers to more than 7,000 pupils.

All schools in the city were invited by the council to join the scheme, though some have chosen to make their own arrangements. Bristol City Council says it has also contacted schools which did not respond to their invitation to make sure there is FSM provision in place.
Parents and carers are already receiving emails from schools informing them of the arrangement and how to download their voucher.

These can be used without the need for an email address or smartphone and schools can redeem the vouchers on behalf of families and sent directly to them.

The first voucher is for £45 to account for the three weeks of term up to the end of the Easter holiday. The scheme will also accept new pupils who may qualify for FSM due to the ‘changing financial situation’.

Bristol City Council will review the scheme’s progress during the first three weeks with a view to adapting it to accept new pupils who may qualify for free school meals given their household’s changing financial situation.

Councillor Anna Keen, the Cabinet member for Education and Skills, said: “We understand the current situation with coronavirus means it can be an uncertain and unsettling time for many families and young people across the city and the needs of pupils needing free school meals are a priority.

“More than 4,000 free school meal food parcels were delivered to schools last week and we salute the huge effort put in by schools, during what are unprecedented and challenging times, to ensure they were distributed to families in need.

“This new voucher service is a safer and more convenient way of meeting the needs of the families of pupils that are entitled to free school meals to access the food they need.’’

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