The end of Transitional Protection Free School Meals 2026

Transitional Protection (TP) Free School Meals (FSM) was introduced from April 2018. This meant that if a family no longer met the income criteria for FSM the pupil could continue to receive them until the rollout of Universal Credit had completed.

The Government previously announced TP was ending on 31 March 2025. You may now be aware from the news that there have been some changes to the previous guidance regarding the future of FSM. The changes will now be as follows:

·         There will be new eligibility criteria from September 2026, which will allow all parents in receipt of Universal Credit to qualify for FSM not just those with earnings below the current earnings threshold.

·         Transitional protection is still due to end, but it will not be until September 2026, this means from September 2026 households must meet the eligibility criteria to be entitled to free school meals, if on review they do not meet the eligibility criteria, entitlement to free school meals will be stopped.

All children currently eligible will remain to be so until these changes come into force.

If you have any queries, about the above communication, please contact the school office. 

Learning Superheroes - Resilient Roo Summer 2

EYFS

Aubrie

Aubrie is a wonderful member of Ducks Class.  Her behaviour is exemplary and she tries her best in all she does.  Aubrie has found PE lessons daunting, particularly in the lead up to Sports Day. She has needed lots of reassurance from home and school. We have been so impressed with how well she has joined in with all the lessons and practise sessions.  Aubrie did so well at Sports Day, joining in with a smile on her face. Well done Aubrie, you have shown a positive attitude to something that you found challenging and we are proud of you.

Zayan

We have been so pleased and proud of Zayan’s developing confidence that has grown steadily throughout the year.  Initially Zayan found it a little tricky and worrying to talk; staying quiet and needing prompting to verbalise his needs. Zayan is now happy to talk and relishes the opportunity to share his daily news with staff.  We love hearing him talk with such enthusiasm and energy.  He also tries hard to regularly offer responses during carpet sessions and class discussions. Well done Zayan for showing great resilience, we are so proud of how far you have come! 

Carter

Carter is such an enthusiastic member of Robins class. He is always incredibly excited to come into school each and he’s incredibly keen to learn. Carter used to find it tricky to navigate the classroom without rushing and bumping into others. Carter had little spatial awareness during outdoor play and PE sessions which would often result in other children getting hurt. Carter would also sometimes get quite frustrated when he had to play a game involving taking-turns or having to share toys with his friends. This term, Carter has matured greatly and he now fully understands our school expectations. Due to this he is an absolute joy to have around. He is popular with all of his friends and adults alike due to showing kindness and thought to others. He is now able to happily share, take-turns and travel around the classroom carefully, calmly and slowly to avoid hurting others. We are ever so proud of how far Carter has come this year. Well done, Carter! 

Freddie

Freddie is now showing fantastic effort during RWI sessions. Freddie is trying incredibly hard to recognise sounds and say them quickly during speed sounds. He is beginning to ‘Fred Talk’ and regularly gains lots of stickers for fantastic reading of CVC words. Freddie hasn’t always found phonics easy and has worried if he cannot remember a special friend but through perseverance in school and at home he has recently made great progress. Freddie has even played extra phonics games at home along with completing fantastic homework! What a super star! Well done to Freddie for showing great resilience. We are all so proud of you. 

Gabriel

Gabriel is such a lovely boy who has been a great member of the Reception class. Occasionally, Gabriel has found it a little tricky to walk into the classroom, however once he is through the door, his cheeky smile shines through and he is ready to begin his day. Gabriel has shown such perseverance in his phonics learning. Initially blending sounds was a little tricky yet now he is confident to use his phonics knowledge to not only read words but write words independently too. Gabriel, we are so proud of all that you have achieved this year as you should be too. Keep up the hard work and your enjoyment of school life!

Kit

Kit finds writing a struggle. Over the year, he has grown in confidence to put pen to paper to make marks and draw pictures. Letter formation is a challenge and where to place each letter on the line. Kit began with overwriting over yellow pen, however Kit now chooses not to have the yellow pen guide but to try independently. We are seeing more and more letters written on the page with words and sentences being formed. This is a huge improvement and we are so proud of you for continually trying. Keep up the hard work and we know that writing will become easier for you. Well done Kit!

KS1

Frankie

Frankie is an outstanding student and a true role model to others.  He consistently demonstrates what it means to be a Resilient Roo. He always tackles his work with incredible effort, eagerly participating by putting his hand up, and fearlessly working through challenges in every subject area. What truly sets Frankie apart is his unwavering determination; he never gives up, always persevering even when faced with difficulties. His consistent hard work and refusal to quit make him an inspiration to all his peers. Well done on such an amazing year Frankie - your hard working nature is something to be truly admired! 

Ollie

Ollie has just joined us and it has been amazing to have him as a member of the class. Joining a new school at any stage is tricky but joining during the last half term of the year can be especially challenging. Saying that, you would never have known that Ollie has just joined Parrots class and it has been a delight to have him as a member of a class even for a short while. His eagerness to learn and enthusiasm to jump into all lessons head on is amazing to watch. Ollie approaches all learning with a smile and never gives up. Each day, Ollie comes into school and powers through. It has been wonderful to have you, Ollie and to see your resilient side shine through. I know you are going to continue your positive journey in Lower Key Stage 2 next year - well done! 

Imogen

Imogen it has been such a privilege to teach you this last year! You absolutely radiate resilience and face every challenge you come across with grace and patience. Seeing your confidence grow this last year has been incredible and you are truly an embodiment of happiness and trying your very best at all that you put your mind to. You never give up and make sure to take all those around you along with you on your learning journey, offering a helping hand or a kind word. You draw upon your inner strength and have developed some wonderful thinking strategies to cope with adversity, rather than being defeated by it. I cannot wait to see you blossom into the resilient role model I know you will continue to be, we are so proud of you! Well done! 

Archie

Archie joined us this last half term and he is the missing puzzle piece that we didn’t realise we needed! He has seamlessly managed to become an essential part of the classroom and wider school beyond. It is not easy joining the school in the middle of the year - especially in the last term, but Archie has faced this challenge with a positive mindset that has allowed him to persevere in the face of nerves! He has such a fantastic attitude and love of his learning and it has been such a pleasure to see how he already embodies some of our values in school, like kindness and working cooperatively with others. Although it is a shame that we couldn’t have you for the whole year Archie, it has been an absolute treat getting to know you these last few weeks! Your smile lights up the room and we cannot wait to see how much you continue to face challenges with such an infectious positivity and resolve moving into Key Stage 2! Thank you for being you! 

Maddison

Maddison, you have shown amazing resilience through the year both academically and personally. I have been amazed by your ability to correct mistakes, try your best and persevere with challenging learning throughout the year. As such, you have made great progress which is fantastic. However, I have also loved seeing you build up the skills needed to overcome changes in your little world this year and I am so proud of you for speaking out if something is worrying you and solving any difficulties that come your way with a real resilience that you should also be proud of. I just know you're bound for success Maddison with such a great attitude.Well done! 

Ianis

Ianis, it is never easy being the new child school but I have watched you with quiet admiration as you have navigated this situation so well. Over the last few weeks I have seen you settle into two new classes, take a coach trip to the seaside with a group of people you have only just met, audition for L-Factor, perform on the stage for L-Factor and always try your best with a real ‘I can’ attitude. Ianis you’re amazing and I wish we could keep you in Key Stage One but I can see that you are more than ready for the next steps at Lark Rise and do you know what… I’m not in the least bit worried because you will always land on your feet when you show such heart and resilience in all that you do. Well done on a fantastic start to your time at Lark Rise Academy! 

LKS2

Hadassa

Hadassa has had such an incredible year in Year 3. We are so proud of how hard she has worked and her incredibly positive attitude towards all aspects of her learning. She has worked particularly hard to develop her reading and writing skills and this has then had a huge impact on all of her other subject areas.  Hadassa has shown such resilience as she worked in her Read Write Inc group to develop these skills and it was such a wonderful moment when she graduated from Read Write Inc.  We are so proud of Hadassa and know that she is going to continue to shine as she gets ready to move into Year 4.  Very well done! 

Daniel

Daniel has brought so much energy and enthusiasm to our classroom this year.  He has so many wonderful facts and many valuable inputs that he makes to our learning that supports the rest of the class with our learning. I am particularly proud of how hard Daniel work on building his times table knowledge in preparation for the MTC check.  He worked with such resilience and determination as he strived to get 25 out of 25. He did not allow himself to become disheartened if he did not score full marks but simply tried and tried again.  Daniel we are so proud of you and are really hoping that all your hard work pays off when you receive your MTC results.  Well done Danny! 

Dhyanesh

Dhyanesh joined us this term and joining a new school can be quite daunting. I have been so very proud of the way that he has integrated into Peacocks Class! I am greeted each day with a smiling face and Dhyanesh asks me every day how I am; such a polite and friendly boy! Even if tasks are sometimes tricky, Dhyanesh’s bright and positive outlook has continued. He is a real ray of sunshine and he should be very proud of the way he has become such a lovely and valued part of the school community in such a short space of time. Well done, Dhyanesh! 

Nieve

Nieve always works hard, with determination and focus. She relishes a challenge and has produced some amazing work across the curriculum as a result. What she should be most proud of is how her confidence in her own abilities has grown this year. Nieve is always striving to improve her work; she loves to hear about her next steps from adults and she always puts adult advice into practice! She also leads book chats for our class and her confidence in sharing her latest novel is something that has made my year! Well done, Nieve! 

Haajer

Haajer has demonstrated positive behaviours in class and has been recognised for her outstanding resilience. Haajer always ensures that she is focused, determined and has a readiness to learn at all times. It has been lovely to watch her flourish in the short period of time that she has been here at Lark Rise, from approaching her work with a “can do” attitude to always making sure her friends are happy. Haajer ensures that she demonstrates impressive perseverance at all times and always remembers to brighten up macaws class with her smile! This is something I know Haajer will take with her to UKS2. Well done, Haajer! 

Reggie

Reggie has been an absolute joy to teach in Macaws class. The amount of admiration, effort and enthusiasm he shows towards his learning is truly lovely to watch. Reggie always approaches his new learning with a smile, however, what I love about Reggie is that he isn’t afraid to ask for help when he needs it! It is clear that Reggie has a love for learning and will always engage in class discussions whenever he has an opportunity. He had worked exceptionally hard creating his double page spread in History and was very keen to tell me all about the Ancient Egyptian Civilisation! I am so proud of how much Reggie has achieved in the short time in which I have taught him and have no doubt that he will continue to flourish. Well done, Reggie! 

UKS2

Cailen

Cailen tries hard in all of his learning but with reading in particular, he has shown such resilience in his quest to improve his Accelerated Reader score. Being the sporting superstar that he is, he knew that the only way to improve a score is by practise, practise and more practise. Cailen has worked incredibly hard on reading more at home and during morning registration too. This is already having a good impact on Cailen’s writing too, with his latest piece of writing showing incredible vocabulary and character descriptions. I am so proud of you Cailen and look forward to hearing all about your book recommendations next year. 

Joseph

Joseph has always shown how amazing his brain is by sharing his wonderful thoughts around whatever topic we’re learning about. Sometimes though, writing his ideas down can be a struggle. This term I have been so impressed with how resilient Joseph has been in improving this. He conducted fantastic research into the Galapagos Island and already, he is writing an absolute masterpiece about how Charles Darwin might have felt onboard HMS Beagle. I hope this award fills you with confidence for the year ahead Joseph because you are such a wonderful boy to have in the classroom. 

Finley

Finley has worked extremely hard all year in maths. He has been continually and consistently focused, taking on new information to develop his skills and knowledge and always wanting to quietly work through new challenges. This half term, Finley has been working on some maths that will help him transition into secondary school, with new topics and new challenges that will stretch and deepen the learning he has built up to this point. Throughout these challenges, Finley has been determined, in each and every lesson, to build his skills and ‘get ahead’ for his next stage of maths learning. It has been lovely to watch Finley as he has, through concentration, deep thinking and quiet resilience, shown mastery in some of these new concepts. Finley - keep believing in yourself - your abilities and potential are endless! 

Dani

Speaking to adults and in front of whole classes is not something that is within Dani’s comfort zone. He often prefers to keep to himself in lessons. This half term, I have seen Dani push himself out of this comfort zone in lots of ways: he has put his hand up to answer questions in front of the class, has asked questions about his learning to make sure he understands clearly what he needs to do and has worked on his communication of his emotions to adults. Dani - I know this is something you don’t like to do and I am so proud that I have seen this change in you. It is a skill you will continue to need in secondary school so keep pushing yourself and, eventually, you’ll see your comfort zone grow! 

Beau

It has been such a joy to see you flourish and grow through your time in Year 6. You work consistently hard and always want to present your work to the best of your ability. I love to see your enthusiasm for new topics and your resilience when you meet areas of your learning that are trickier for you. When this happens, I can see that look of determination in your face and I know that you are going to try your very best to master whatever you are finding difficult. You will ask questions, seek guidance and take on board advice and encouragement from both adults and your peers. This is such a lovely learning attitude and I know it will take you far as you move on to secondary school! 

Leo

From the quieter, slightly shy and nervous boy that first entered the classroom last September to the confident and resilient young man I see now before me, I am so impressed with your growth over the year, Leo. When once you may have shied away from something that was quite difficult, you now tackle this head-on willingly accepting help from adults and peers alike in order to understand and make progress. When you set your mind to something, I feel that you will take all the steps necessary to reach your target - think of the hard work and effort that went into getting your pen licence! A fantastic year of learning, Leo, and one that will stand you in good stead as you move into Year 6 and onto bigger changes next year. 

Writing to be proud of  (Year 3)