School Dinners
Huish are fortunate enough to provide hot meals in house from our own kitchen team. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are provided a free meal under the UIFSM scheme (please see below). KS2 (Year 3 to 6) can purchase a hot meal for £3.10. This consists of a choice of main course, a pudding and a drink. There is also a vegetarian alternative, jacket potato and salad bar. Should your child have an allergy, please complete the Allergy Form available from the school office.
Meals are ordered and paid for (where applicable) via MCAS. Please speak to the school office for details regarding login information, or should you have any problems.
The deadline for the ordering all meals (including allergen meals) is the Monday before the week you require the meals.
Parents who believe they may be entitled to free school lunches for their children should contact the School Office or download the UIFSM form or FSM form available to download below or apply online
Universal Infant Free School Meals
Every infant child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 is entitled to have a free meal at school. The Government has made this decision because a good lunch makes an enormous difference to children’s health, development and ability to learn. It is also important that children develop good healthy eating habits to combat the rising problem of childhood obesity. If you would like your child or children to receive a free meal at school, you must complete the application form available with your new parent pack and return it to the school office.
Applying for Free School Meals
Children who attend a Somerset County Council school, whose parents or carers receive certain benefits may be entitled to free school meals.
It is the responsibility of the parents or carers to register their entitlement and request that free school meals are provided for their children.
Free school meals are available to children whose parents qualify by meeting the criteria below. Children must be in school all day and they will be provided with a meal at lunchtime which is paid for by the school.
Children in pre-school or nursery (known as childcare providers) do not qualify for a free meal until they start school, but applications can be processed so that when your child starts school, you will already be notified whether they qualify for a free school meal or not.
Parents and carers who receive any of the following are entitled to free school meals
- Income Support (IS)
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)
- Universal Credit with an annual household income of less than £7400 after tax
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (IBJSA)Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit, with an annual taxable income (as assessed by HMRC) of less than £16,190
Only the benefits listed above qualify for free school meals. If you have recently become unemployed, but are still receiving Working Tax Credits, you may be entitled to free school meals. Please phone us on 0300 123 2224 for advice.
Other eligibility criteria
Children of families who don’t receive these benefits may also qualify for free school meals if the family’s annual household income is:
- no more than £22,700 for families outside of London with one child
- no more than £26,300 for families outside of London with two or more children.
Also, families must hold no more than £16,000 in capital and savings.
And the parent or carer meets any of these criteria:
- you are a Zambrano or Chen carer
- families who have no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
- families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
- a subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- you hold a British National (Overseas) – BN(O) – passport
- you are a spousal visa, work visa or student visa holder
- you have no immigration status
Only the benefits listed above qualify for free school meals. No other benefit entitles parents or carers to free school meals for their children.
How to apply
- Please fill in the online form, Click here to access the form contact the school for an application form. or contact the FSM team on 0300 123 2224 to ask for an application form.
You do not need to send evidence with this application. If the County Council need evidence at a later date they will contact you.
They will enter your details into a system which will inform them whether you are entitled or not. They will tell you the outcome, usually within 5 to 10 working days of getting the application. If you are eligible, they will tell you how to start receiving free school meals.
If your child is entitled to a free school meal, but requires a special medical diet, the school can arrange for an appropriate meal to be provided. You will need to ask your doctor to write a letter explaining which foods must be avoided.
In June 2025, the government regulations changed, so any child awarded free school meals will have their eligibility protected until the end of the school year 2025/26. The government intend to change the eligibility criteria from 1 September 2026, and every child must meet this new criteria to be eligible. Anyone already awarded free school meals will automatically be rechecked to see if they still qualify
