Dear Parents and Carers
I wanted to share some important information about the vouchers you have been receiving for free school meals during the school holiday periods.
The free school meal vouchers for the Easter holiday will be released this week. They are being sent out in advance of the holiday as the funding that provides them comes to an end on 31 March.
Vouchers have been funded by Kent County Council (KCC) using the Household Support Fund. The end of this fund will mean that the Easter holiday vouchers will be the last to be issued.
It is important that you access your Easter voucher and any outstanding from the February half term as soon as possible and before 12 April 2026. You must access any outstanding vouchers by 12 April 2026 as they will not be available to you after that date. Accessing vouchers means clicking on them and selecting the retailer, once you have done this the voucher becomes subject to the retailer’s terms and conditions and are your property. If you have accessed them and chosen the retailer you can then use them beyond the 12 April 2026 deadline.
The Household Support Fund is to be replaced by the Crisis and Resilience Fund providing support to households that have experienced a one-off financial shock and does not permit the provision of vouchers solely on eligibility for free school meals. KCC do not currently have any information to share on how this fund will be administered.
Yours sincerely
Director of Finance & Resources