Free School Meals update - Summer 2025

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you are all keeping safe and well. We wanted to share with you the support available to families over the Summer holiday period who would be entitled to Free School Meals.

Sandwell Council are pleased to confirm that school holiday vouchers for children in receipt of benefit-related Free School Meals will resume following the allocation of the council’s Household Support Fund funding for 2025/26.

Under the new arrangements, families will receive two vouchers – one in July 2025 to cover Easter and Whitsun holidays (backdated) and the six-week summer holiday (nine weeks at £10 per week = £90). A second voucher will be issued in December 2025 to cover the October halfterm (backdated) and the Christmas and February half-term holidays (four weeks at £10 per week = £40).

This is a reduction in the amount previously offered – from £15 per week to £10 per week – because this round of HSF funding is lower and is aimed at tackling different priorities. However, Sandwell Council remains one of the few local authorities to still offer these vouchers to support families during the school holidays.

These vouchers will be sent in July 2025 via TEXT or EMAIL to your mobile phone. If you do not have internet access on your mobile and are therefore unable to view the voucher, you can forward the message to someone who has and they can help you redeem the voucher.

If you are unable to do this, please contact us as soon as possible.

You will receive a link via TEXT or email to obtain an e-voucher:

  • Click the link within the message, choose which supermarket you would like an e-voucher for and press submit. The supermarkets available for selection are: Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s Groceries, Aldi, Iceland, B&M and Farmfoods.
  • You will then be sent an e-voucher for your chosen supermarket. Please be aware that the timescale for this to be sent will vary by supermarket. The expected turnaround is approximately 24 hours.

If you have any questions about the message that you receive from Wonde, or if you believe you should have received a message from Wonde and haven’t, please contact [email protected]

For those families who are struggling or in need of extra support during the school holidays, Sandwell continue to offer Holiday Activities and Food during the Christmas break. Eligible children can enjoy fun activities and a meal, free of charge. Families have been contacted directly about this offer and more details are here: https://holidayactivities.sandwell.gov.uk/

There is also support available on the Supporting Sandwell website at www.sandwell.gov.uk/supportingsandwell including financial advice.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

DR L MASON