Free School Meal Vouchers
During these challenging times, many families have been concerned about how they will receive the financial support they need to feed their children at home without the free school meal entitlement during the partial closure of schools.
To help deliver this support, Edenred UK are working with the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver supermarket vouchers to those families, where schools are not able to make food available directly to families.
Each child eligible for the free school meal vouchers will receive £15 of vouchers each week. Parents will receive an eCode to their email address which they will use to order an eGift card for the supermarket of their choice.
A help guide to redeeming your eGift voucher is available by clicking HERE.
Useful links
Edenred Parent/Carer FAQs:
https://www.edenred.co.uk/Documents/DfE/DfE_FreeSchoolMeals_ParentCarerFAQs.pdf
Free School Meal Redeem Website:
https://www.selectyourcompliment.co.uk/dfe
If you redeem your voucher and do not receive it within 24 hours, please email Edenred who will be able to assist. We recommend including your name, school name, voucher amount and shop chosen with a description of your problem.
Send the email to freeschoolmealsparentscarers@edenred.com.
Frequently asked questions
Below are some of the FAQ’s from the Edenred website
More guidance and a full list of parent and carer FAQ’s is available here https://www.edenred.co.uk/Documents/DfE/DfE_FreeSchoolMeals_ParentCarerFAQs.pdf
What’s the difference between an eCode and an eGiftcard?
eCode – this is the 16-digit code which will be sent to you if you receive an email from your school administrator. You’ll need this code to access www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk and choose your supermarket eGift card. You cannot use the eCode directly with the retailer, it must be exchanged for an eGift card.
eGift card – each supermarket has their own eGift card. To order your eGift, redeem your eCode at www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk. The eGift card will be sent to the email address entered during check-out and can be spent instore at the chosen supermarket. Your school may select your eGift card for you and either print it and post it to you, or arrange for you to collect it.
Which supermarkets are available?
How often will I receive the supermarket voucher?
The school will have flexibility in how often they send you an eCode or an eGift card. The eCode can be redeemed for a supermarket eGift card within 4 months. The eGift cards have different expiry dates – please see the parent and carer FAQs for further details
What is the value of the eCode?
This is stated in the email sent by the school.
What can be purchased in store with the eGift card?
The eGift card is issued to parents in respect of the free school meal benefit and will only be accepted in store for the purchase of food and groceries.
How do I use a supermarket eGift card?
A supermarket eGift card is a digital voucher. The eGift card email contains a link to a barcode which can be presented at the till in-store either on a smartphone screen or printed on a piece of paper, just like a gift card. Some eGift cards can be used to purchase online.
I’m not able to get to the supermarket?
You can forward the supermarket eGift card to someone else to purchase goods on your behalf if you’re not able to get to the supermarket. The eGift card email contains a link to a barcode which can be presented at the till in-store, just like a gift card.
I have more than one child, will I receive multiple eCodes?
This will be at the discretion of your school who may issue an eCode for each of your children or, alternatively, may send one eCode to you, for the total value of your children’s free school meal entitlement.
