Transition 2026

We want to make families aware of some upcoming changes to Free School Meals (FSM), which may affect pupils from 1 September 2026.

In May 2026, the Department for Education announced changes to how Free School Meals eligibility will work in future, linked to Universal Credit.

From September 2026, if you receive Universal Credit, your child can get a free school meal. This a legal requirement through the Government Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 passed into law in April 2026. This means that the number of people who can get a free school meal is being extended.

Going forward, there will be 2 categories of benefits-based free school meals:

• Targeted FSM, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less
• Expanded FSM, a new category covering pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households whose income is more than £7,400 and are receiving Universal Credit.

Applying for free school meals

All applications should be made through KCC. They check eligibility and process your application. If the application is successful, KCC notify the school. Apply for free school meals - Kent County Council

Protected entitlements are ending - do you need to reapply?

Children who were previously assessed as eligible for FSM had their eligibility protected. This meant they could not lose their FSM, even if the household was no longer eligible. These protections are ending in September, meaning some children may lose their existing eligibility. KCC will notify these families via email.

If you have been previously in receipt of free school meals and the application was made through KCC you do not need to reapply. If your child came from a primary feeder that used a different FSM checking service (in Folkestone this effects Turner Schools), then you will need to reapply with KCC.

Annual eligibility rechecks

KCC will recheck the eligibility of all pupils on an annual basis to confirm continued eligibility.

Sent via email to parents/carers 12th May 2026

We go to great lengths to keep our uniform and kit-list costs competitive whilst balancing the need to ensure the girls have the equipment they need to access a broad curriculum – full of rich opportunities and memorable experiences! Most items are generic and therefore can be sourced from many suppliers.

We do all we can to keep uniform costs down to make our school an inclusive school.

An up to date list of our uniform and equipment is on our website here: https://www.folkestonegirls.kent.sch.uk/parents-and-students/school-uniform-and-sixth-form-dress-code/ It can be purchased from Price and Buckland.  The link to Price and Buckland’s Folkestone School for Girls shop is here: https://price-buckland.co.uk/the-folkestone-school-for-girls

Price and Buckland recommend that all orders should be placed by the 1st August. That way if there are any returns to be made it can be done in good time before September. We would echo their recommendation – please do not leave buying uniform to the last minute! Sadly, Channel Uniforms have decided they will no longer stock our uniform.

In addition to this, we ask parents to supply girls with a scientific calculator (specific Casio models - please see website for list) and geometry set (in a tin for safety) for Mathematics, and all students are expected to have the following for every lesson: Pens, pencils, a ruler and an eraser.

If you are having financial difficulties, we would urge you to contact the Director of Pastoral Care, Mrs Parsons, as soon as possible.  Information on second hand uniform availability will be sent nearer to transition day.

Sent via email to parents/carers 1st April 2026

Dear Parents/Carers

Can you please share the message below with your daughters.

Welcome to our FSG community! We are thrilled to have you join us and start this exciting new chapter. Starting secondary school is a big moment, full of new opportunities, new friendships and new experiences and our Pastoral Team is here to support you every step of the way.

We wanted to get in touch to let you know what is going on behind the scenes of your transition and give you some upcoming key dates.

Mrs Parsons and Mrs Dahroug, our Director of Pastoral Care and SENCo are already in touch with your Primary School, and they are sharing information to inform our transition planning. During the next two terms, they will be visiting and meeting with you in your school. If you are coming from a school alone, or with just one peer, they may not come out and see you, but you will be invited to a smaller transition event in school when you will meet other students in the same situation - this will hopefully make our transition day seem less daunting.

Transition Day is on Thursday 2nd July 2026. You will spend the whole day with us in school, attending some taster lessons and also settling in events. It will be on this date that you will find out your form group. You will join us from 9am, and then we will ask your parents/carers to join at 16.00 that evening for further information and transition events. Your school is already aware of this date.

Your wellbeing is incredibly important to us. Secondary school can be exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming at times and that is okay. At the moment, you are probably worrying about a lot of unknowns: 

Will I be in the same group as my friends from primary school?

What will I do if I get lost?

Will the canteen have nice food?

Will the older students be kind?

How will I understand my timetable?

Will I get behaviour points?

We will answer lots of these questions on transition day but also wanted to let you know that everyone will be feeling similar. For now, we want you to enjoy your final terms at primary school. We are sure you will be doing lovely activities which may include school trips, school plays, and even possibly discos.

Please let us worry about settling you in and these common areas of concern. We do transition every single year and will be with you to support your journey.

Have a lovely Easter Break and we will be in contact soon.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Parsons & Mrs Dahroug