Applications for holiday FSM vouchers for the February half-term 2026 will be open from midday 19 January until midday on 26 January. Voucher emails will be sent from week commencing 9 February.

Families should check their junk/spam folders during this period.  If parents have not received their vouchers by 16 February, please encourage them to submit a query via the Microsoft Form HERE                                                  

This February half-term, Gloucestershire County Council will provide families in receipt of Free School Meals, who sign up to this offer, with vouchers to assist with food costs during the school holidays. The vouchers are funded through grant funding we have received, and they are separate to that of term time free school meals.       

The scheme is for children in reception to year 11 who receive Pupil Premium (benefits-related) free school meals and attend a school in Gloucestershire. We are unable to consider college and sixth form students, nor children who receive infant free school meals (available to all children from reception to year 2) - they are not eligible for this scheme.

Families who have signed up to the scheme or who are already registered will receive a total of £15 per child for one week.

To find out more about the scheme and to apply, visit our holiday free school meal voucher webpage here: Holiday free school meal vouchers | Gloucestershire County Council

Families who have signed up previously do not need to re-register for the February half-term vouchers - they will already have been included. Families that have previously signed up will need to contact us with any changes to their circumstances (e.g. if the number of children eligible increases or decreases). To ensure we reach all those who are eligible, we are encouraging parents that have not previously signed up, to sign up as soon as they can.

Please note we check eligibility for the scheme by cross-referencing with the term-time free school meal register, so please make sure parents are registered beforehand. They can register by visiting the apply for free school meals page. If your school does not currently use this method, we will require confirmation from the relevant school for the child’s eligibility for Free School Meals. You can find more information on what schools these are on the link above.

Using vouchers – vouchers will only be awarded once the parent has registered for the scheme and cannot be backdated. Vouchers should be used in the holiday period in which they are awarded. If vouchers are not claimed and have expired, they cannot be re-issued. Vouchers not received should be queried via the Microsoft Form HERE by the end of the holiday period. 

For any parents wishing to update details of an existing application, please submit an update existing details request via the Microsoft Form HERE so we can update details.