Cost of Childcare Support

The Government offers parents/carers support with the cost of childcare. Details can be found on their 'Best Start in Life' webpage. Use their 'Childcare Support Checker' to find out if you are eligible. Best Start in Life - Best Start in Life 

Available support includes

• 15 funded nursery hours for all children aged 3 & 4 years-old.
• 30 funded nursery hours for eligible working parents
• Tax Free Childcare - for every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year.
• Support with childcare for those families on Universal Credit - if you are eligible to claim UC, you can claim back up to 85% of your childcare costs.
• Study Support - for parents who are currently in education.

Free School Meals

‘The Farm Kitchen’ at Sleaford is our school meal provider.  Meat, vegetarian and vegan options are available every day, they offer hot meals and a packed lunch option daily, if children prefer. Meals can be ordered online via their website www.thefarmkitchen.com/

Universal Infant Free School Meals

All pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible to receive a school meal at no cost to the parent/carer. Choosing a school lunch for your child/children helps to save you up to £450 per year.  A school lunch will also provide a varied and balanced diet and provide the right amount of energy to ensure that your child can work well in the afternoons. 

• We will set up an account for your child with the Farm Kitchen.
• Log in details will be sent to you before your child’s start date.
• You will need to access your account regularly to view the weekly menu and place orders.
• Please ensure you log your email address on your Farm Kitchen account. They will send you reminders when it is time to place your order and let you know when they are having a special event such as Christmas dinner.
• The ordering deadline is 3pm on Tuesday of the preceding week.
• If you do not wish to take up the UIFSM entitlement for the foreseeable future, please let the School Office know at the earliest opportunity and we can arrange for your child’s account to be deactivated. Please note that the account can be reactivated should you wish the meals to resume.

Free School Meals (means tested)

All school-aged children are entitled to receive benefit-related FSMs if they or their parents or guardians receive any of the benefits below:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross  income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

During your school application, Lincs County Council ask permission to check if your child is FSM eligible. Shortly after your child starts school, LCC will notify us if he/she is eligible.

If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 your child will automatically be eligible for a free school meal (Universal Free School Meal), however we would encourage you to still apply for benefit-related FSMs as your child will be entitled to additional funding to support them during their time at school (Pupil Premium). If you did not do this during your child’s school application, you can apply at any time using the LCC parent portal:

https://lcc.cloud.servelec-synergy.com/parentportal

School Uniform Bank

We are aware that school uniform can be costly, and with this in mind, we would like to support our school community by making good-quality second-hand uniform easily available to everyone.

Many items of uniform have a longer life beyond when our children have outgrown them and could be re-used by other pupils. As well as saving families money, re-using uniform also reduces our impact on the environment.

Mr Peacock, our School Caretaker, manages the Second Hand Uniform bank and kindly washes and organises our stock. If you would like any items, please visit the school office and leave a message for him with your child's size and the items you are looking for. There will be no charge for anyone wishing to collect items from our uniform bank. 

With the continued rise in household costs, we hope this initiative can make a small difference by helping some of our families to access uniform for their children. 

Woodhall Spa & Kirkby on Bain Food Bank

Woodhall Spa & Kirkby on Bain Foodbank supplies food parcels of essential items for people living in our area. 

You can find more details on their Facebook Page Woodhall Spa & Kirby on Bain Food Bank | Woodhall Spa | Facebook 

Contact details

Tel: 07375 761039 (contactable via Whatsapp)

Email: woodhallfoodbank@icloud.com 

Energy Support

Unity in Community

A charity based in Hull who have been successful in a funding application for supporting people struggling to top up their pre-payment meters across the country. As the cost of living continues to rise, we are aware that many people will be struggling to make ends meet. Unity in Community are able to support households with fuel vouchers; these vouchers are sent via text message. They would like to offer this support to the parents, carers and guardians of students who attend St. Andrew's. 

Help Available - Gas & Electric: Unity in Community will be providing vouchers to help towards paying for gas and electricity. To qualify you must pay for your energy through a prepayment meter and have not received energy vouchers from Unity in Community within the past 12 months. This is in response to the ongoing cost of living crisis and beneficiaries can be working, unemployed, self-employed or retired. For more information and to register, call 01482 420836, Monday to Friday, 9am – 3pm – if busy, please keep trying. 

Support through East Lindsey District Council

Managing household finances can be challenging, especially when costs rise or circumstances change. These pages bring together the financial support, advice and practical help available locally and nationally, including crisis assistance. The page is updated as new schemes and guidance are introduced.

Crisis Support and Financial Wellbeing - East Lindsey District Council