MIS: How do I record or change a pupil's Free School Meal allocation?

MIS

Overview

This article explains how to add a new Free School Meal instance for a pupil, and how to update a pupil's Free School Meal entitlement category when it changes. 

Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility in the Juniper MIS is now recorded against one of three categories following DfE changes to FSM eligibility taking effect from the 2026 / 2027 academic year:

  1. Targeted FSM. This is the existing (old) income-based entitlement. This covers pupils in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less. Targeted FSM counts towards Pupil Premium and Ever 6 funding.
  2. Expanded FSM. This is a new DfE category. This covers pupils who do not meet the Targeted threshold but whose households still receive Universal Credit. Expanded FSM is a meals-only entitlement and does not count towards Pupil Premium or Ever 6.
  3. Other FSM. This is used to record locally funded free meal provision that falls outside the Targeted and Expanded criteria, for example a scheme funded by your local authority. Other FSM does not count towards Pupil Premium or Ever 6.

If a school has not verified a pupil’s FSM eligibility by 1 October 2026 (Census Day), verification may still be completed on or before the 2 November 2026. This provision applies to FSM rechecks and new FSM claims. Select the guidance below to find out more.

  • When recording eligibility outcomes:

    1. If the verification confirms that a pupil is FSM eligible, and eligibility check was made the after 1 October 2026, the school should record 2026-10-01 as the FSM eligibility verification date.
    2. If the latest verification indicates that the pupil remains as ‘targeted’ FSM, the original FSM start date should be returned.
    3. If the latest verification indicates that the pupil is no longer eligible for FSM, then the FSM period should be returned, with the FSM category of ‘targeted’ and an FSM end date of 2026-07-31. In these cases the verification date is not needed.
    4. If verification was made the after 1st October 2026 and confirms that a pupil is newly FSM eligible under the FSM category of ‘targeted’, the school should record 2026-10-01 as the FSM start date.
    5. If the latest verification indicates that eligibility status has moved from targeted to the expanded category, schools must return the closed targeted FSM period with an FSM end date of 2026-07-31 and a new expanded FSM period must be recorded, with the earliest start date of 1 August 2026.

    Any FSM periods with a verification and start date after 1 October 2026 will not get picked up for funding allocations and will trigger errors in the Census return.

Prerequisites

  • Your must subscribe to the full version of Juniper MIS to use this functionality. It is not available in MIS Lite.
  • You must have Full Edit or above permissions.
  • You must have checked pupil eligibility for Free School Meals using the DfE's Free School Meals eligibility checking service. Eligibility should be checked as soon as possible from 1 June each year, ahead of the new academic year. 

Record a new Free School Meal instance

Follow these steps to add Free School Meal eligibility to a pupil's record from Juniper MIS:

  1. Select Pupils.
  2. Select All Pupils.
  3. Select the name of the pupil whose Free School Meal entitlement category you want to record.

  4. Select Identity, then select Funding/Census:

  5. Select Edit:

  6. Scroll to FSMs and select Add: 

  7. Complete the FSM details:

    1. Select the pupil's FSM Category from Targeted FSM, Expanded FSM, or Other FSM.
    2. Select / enter the FSM Eligibility Start Date.
    3. Select / enter the FSM Last Verified Date. This is the date you checked the pupil's eligibility using the DfE's Free School Meals eligibility checking service.
    4. Select / enter the FSM Next Check Date. This should be one year after the FSM Last Verified Date.
  8. Select Save.

Update a pupil's category when it changes

If a pupil's Free School Meal category changes, do not edit the existing instance. Instead, add in a FSM Eligibility End Date and then add a new one as appropriate. 

Follow these steps to update a pupil's Free School Meal eligibility:

  1. Select Pupils.
  2. Select All Pupils.
  3. Select the name of the pupil whose Free School Meal entitlement category you want to record.

  4. Select Identity, then select Funding/Census:

  5. Select Edit:

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  6. Under FSMs, find the pupil's current instance.
  7. Set the FSM Eligibility End Date to 31 May (the day before the new verification year begins).
  8. Select Save.

  9. Under FSMs, select Add to add a new instance:

  10. Select the pupil's new FSM Category, and enter an FSM Eligibility Start Date of 1 June.
  11. Select / enter the FSM Last Verified Date.
  12. Select / enter the FSM Next Check Date
  13. Select Save.

Tips and best practices

  1. The DfE requires schools to verify Free School Meal eligibility from 1 June each year, and to review it annually after that.
  2. A pupil with an active Free School Meal instance shows an FSM tag next to their name at the top of their profile.

Related information

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