Free School Meal Vouchers
Essex County Council are providing meal vouchers funded by the Department for Work and Pensions Household Support Fund.
The following vouchers will be sent to parents or guardians:
- £75 in July 2023
- £60 in December 2023
The vouchers can be used at a number of supermarkets and local shops, details of which you’ll see when the voucher is accessed. They can only be used to purchase non age-restricted items and will carry an alert to warn of this. Further details of the scheme are set out below.
If your child hasn’t previously received free school meals but your circumstances have recently changed, please speak to your school in the first instance.
Who is eligible to receive food vouchers?
Children and young people in education up to the age of 19 who are in receipt of Free School Meals are eligible to receive vouchers for the holiday period. Those in Key Stage 1 and Reception who currently receive Universal Infant Free School Meals but would be eligible for need-assessed Free School Meals if they were older are also eligible to receive holiday meal vouchers.
What will I receive if my child has been identified as eligible?
Parents and guardians of children and young people identified as eligible for the scheme will receive a text message or an email from ECC’s voucher provider Wonde. This message will contain a link to ‘redeem a voucher’. You will be taken to Wonde’s ‘school vouchers’ page where you will need to enter your details and confirm your email address before being asked to select the retailer you wish to receive a voucher for. You will then be given a PIN and the option to view the voucher. Having confirmed the PIN, you will be issued your voucher. The voucher barcode can be printed off or scanned on a smartphone for use in-store.
Details of the process and more questions about Wonde can be found on their website here https://help.evouchers.com/hc/en-gb
Processing Vouchers
The following link will give you advice on how to set up your account.