School meals

Students may purchase food from the canteen at both break and lunchtime so long as they have funds available. The free school meals allowance for those eligible will cover the cost of either breaktime food or lunchtime food, but not both. If your child is in receipt of free school meals and you want them to be able to have school food at both break and lunch you will need to purchase one meal a day on iPayimpact.

The offer at breaktime is ‘grab and go’ style food. Students can select – a hot item or baguette, plus a potato option or crisps. 

The offer at lunchtime is either a hot meal or baguette, plus vegetables or salad, plus a cold dessert.

Menus, and their associated lists of allergens are on the link below.

A vegetarian option is always available, and much of the meat we serve is halal. The kitchen is usually able to cater for special dietary/medical needs if given advance notice – please contact the school office so we can help you organise this if necessary.

If you pay for school meals, please ensure you have sufficient funds for the week on iPayimpact. The cost of a school meal is £2.75 each day.

There are important changes to the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals (FSM) and Pupil Premium, taking effect from 1 September 2026.  

Who is eligible? 

From September 2026 FSM will continue to be available for households with annual earnings of £7,400 or less. In addition, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will become eligible, regardless of earnings. Free School Meals will be categorised as either:  

• Targeted free school meals – continue for households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less. Children who receive targeted free school meals are eligible for the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF Fun Pompey). 
• Expanded free school meals – new category for households receiving Universal Credit who have a household income of more than £7,400, but do not qualify for targeted free school meals. Children receiving free school meals under the expanded category are not eligible for the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF Fun Pompey). 

What is staying the same?  

All children in Year R, 1 and 2 can get a free lunch, regardless of the parents’ or carers’ income. All parents or carers must still apply for free school meals, so that schools receive the correct funding. 

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you can get help to buy healthy food and milk and receive free vitamins with the NHS Healthy Start scheme. 

What is changing? 

The Government have announced that all existing FSM protections will end on 31 August 2026. This means that Free School Meal eligibility must be rechecked annually.  

All secondary pupils eligible for Free School meals will be rechecked and if you were previously not eligible but were able to access other support offered by Portsmouth City Council such as the £50 Household Support Fund then the expansion of Free School Meals may mean that your child is now entitled to 'Expanded FSM', if you are still in receipt of Universal Credit.  

The change means that all households receiving Universal Credit, above the current £7,400 income cap, will qualify for this support.  

What if I no longer receive Universal Credit? Will my child no longer be entitled to Free School Meals?  

If you no longer meet the eligibility criteria, your child's entitlement may end. For secondary pupils, you will need to pay for school meals which can be done via iPay. More information on school meal prices can be found here. 

What other benefits are there if my child is FSM eligible? 

Children eligible for targeted Free School Meals automatically registers them for Pupil Premium. This brings the school extra funding every year to support your child’s education, used to subsidise the cost of uniform, pay for enrichment experiences and trips, and spent on a variety of learning resources and classroom support.  

If your child was registered as eligible for benefit-related Free School Meals, you will have also been receiving payments over the holiday periods in the form of supermarket vouchers. Please note that we are still awaiting a decision from Portsmouth City  Council on whether this additional support will continue. We will communicate the decision made by the council once we know more. 

How does my child collect their free meal at school? 

If your child is in Year 7-11 and entitled to free school meals, their iPay account will be automatically credited each day to allow for a meal at either break or lunch time. Please note that only free meal is allocated per day. If it is not used that day then the credit is removed -it can not be carried over to other days. If your child takes extra meals then you will be charged £2.75 and would need to ‘top up’ their lunch account accordingly. 

My child is new to the school. How will their Free School Meal eligibility be checked?  

As part of your child's enrolment to Ark Charter Academy, we will automatically check your child's eligibility, provided you have supplied all the necessary information to us.  

I am a foster carer – will the child I am caring for automatically be eligible? Can I still apply?  

Children in foster care generally do not receive free school meals. This is because local authorities provide foster carers with a fostering allowance specifically intended to cover living costs, including school lunches. Eligibility is based on the child's living situation and care status. If you want to check, you can still apply.  

What details do I need to check my eligibility?  

To complete an application you will need to provide: 

• Your own name and date of birth 
• Contact details 
• National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seekers Number 
• Child's name and date of birth 

How can I check my eligibility now? 

We encourage all parents/carers to apply at any time. In order to determine if you are eligible for either Targeted or Expanded free school meals, please submit a new application via the link below. You will usually get an immediate response regarding eligibility after you have completed your application. 

APPLY NOW: https://apply.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/arkschools  

When will my child's Free School Meal eligibility be rechecked?  

Upon admission, your child’s eligibility would have been checked. We will use this information to recheck your child’s FSM status annually and will inform you of any changes. Please inform us if any of your details have changed as this may affect your eligibility.  

How can I get support with my application? 

If you have any questions, speak to a member of the admin team who would be happy to help.  

You can also email us at info@charteracademy.org.uk  

Please note that these changes are set by the Government and are not decisions made by Ark Charter Academy or Ark Schools. 

Bagels and fruit are provided free of charge to students wanting something to eat before school. A member of the catering team serves students from a trolley in the quad between 8.15 and 8.30am.

Some parents may be entitled to receive free school meals for their children.

In order to determine if you are eligible and to apply please click here.