Free School Meals admission priority

Frequently asked questions about the new Free School Meals admissions priority

Will my child automatically be considered under this priority?

No. You must indicate on your Brighton & Hove application or contact the admissions team to request this priority if you live outside Brighton & Hove. 

How are the number of places under priority 4 and 5 decided?

There's a school census every October. This gives the average number of pupils eligible for free school meals for any given year group across the city.

This city average for the year 6 cohort calculates the number of places available for free school meals for pupils applying for year 7. 

If more pupils are applying under the free school meals priority than places available, how is it decided who gets a place?

All pupils living within the catchment area should be offered a place or a higher preference school. 

For pupils living outside the catchment area, random allocation is used to decide which children get a place. 

How do reallocation pools work for free school meals children?

Places that become available are allocated from the reallocation pool to pupils in the higher criteria using random allocation as the tiebreak unless there are more pupils who get free school meals waiting than available spaces under criteria 4 and 5 as determined by the city average. If this is the case free school meals pupils living outside the catchment area may not be offered a place until the number of free school meals pupils already allocated to the school drops below the city average. These pupils will also be considered in the priority for other children. 

How will you check if children are eligible for free school meals?

For pupils attending a school in Brighton & Hove, the council maintains a record of eligible pupils.  For pupils attending a school in a different area, this can be checked against information held by the Department for Education (DfE).

If my child gets free school meals can I choose for them to go to any secondary school?

You cannot choose a school but you can express a preference for any secondary school you would like your child to attend.  If the school you want has enough places for everyone who applies, your child will be offered a place.

If you apply for community schools in the city (Blatchington Mill, Hove Park, Dorothy Stringer, Varndean, Patcham or Longhill) and the school is oversubscribed, priority will be given to pupils living in the school’s catchment area who get free school meals.

Some other children who get free school meals and live outside the catchment area may also be offered places, but only up to a certain number.  The number of places available at each school under the free school meals criteria will depend on the average number of children getting free school meals in the city.

Will my child get free transport if they are allocated a school place under the free school meals criteria?

Children who get free school meals will also get a bus pass to secondary school if they attend one of their 3 closest secondary schools. The school must be over 2 miles but less than 6 miles from your home address to qualify. This is measured by a walking route.  

You can use our interactive map to find your 3 closest secondary schools and their distance from your address.

I live in the catchment area for my preferred school. Will I be guaranteed a place at this school if my child gets free school meals?

It is not possible to give any guarantees. Children that meet criteria 1, 2 and 3 get the highest priority.

Children who get free school meals and live in a school’s catchment area get priority for places above all other remaining children.

I don’t live in the catchment area of my favourite school. What happens if there are more free school meals pupils applying than the city average?

A random allocation tiebreak is used to decide which pupils with the same criteria are offered the available places. Free school meals pupils living in the catchment area are allocated first. 

Pupils who are eligible for free school meals and live outside the catchment area are allocated any remaining places available for free school meals pupils (up to the city average).

If your child is not offered a place under the free school meals criteria you could still gain a place through the 'other children' criterion.

Your child would also have a chance of being allocated a place under the priority for other children. 

My child isn’t in school, but I am on a low income. Can I apply under the free school meals criteria?

Children are only eligible for free school meals if:

• they are on roll at a maintained school. 
• they were eligible for free school meals when they were last on roll at a maintained school