Bulk update students' Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility

Applies to: England schools 

From Autumn 2026, the DfE is changing how Free School Meal eligibility is recorded. A single FSM status is being replaced with three categories — Targeted FSM, Expanded FSM and Other FSM — and every student's eligibility must now be verified once a year within set dates to keep funding.

To help you manage these changes at scale, Arbor has added a Bulk Update FSM page. Use it to record annual verification dates for your existing FSM students, add new students as they become eligible, and check that every claim is ready for the 2026 census.

Tip: If you need to add or edit FSM eligibility for a single student from their profile, see Adding Free School Meal (FSM) Eligibility.

Permissions

To use this page, you'll need one of the following permissions:

• Student Profile: Background: Administer All Students – to update any student
• Student Profile: Background: Administer My Students – to update only the students assigned to you

Access to the Data Quality area is managed in the same way as other Data Quality tools. If you can't see the page, ask your School Business Manager or System Administrator to update your business role. You can read more in our guide to assigning permissions to a role.

Understanding the FSM categories

The Bulk Update FSM page is built around the three DfE categories. Only one applies to each student at any one time.

Targeted FSM 

For students eligible under the existing income-based criteria. 

• This category counts towards Pupil Premium / Ever 6 
• This category goes into the Census.

Expanded FSM 

For students eligible under the new expanded entitlement (meals only), which can only start on or after 1 August 2026. 

• This category does not count towards Pupil Premium / Ever 
• This catagory goes into the Census.

Other FSM 

Refers to locally funded initiatives, such as the London Mayor's FSM scheme. 

• This category No does not count towards Pupil Premium / Ever 6 
• This does not go into the Census.

Important information on FSM categories

• Do not use this page for Universal Infant FSM – that's a separate entitlement and is handled elsewhere in Arbor.
• From September 2026, eligibility must be re-verified for every student at least once a year. For the 2026-27 academic year, all students need to have been re-verified on or after 1 June 2026.

Bulk Update FSM page

Go to School > Data > Data Quality > Students > Demographics > Bulk Update FSM.
 

You'll see a table listing every on-roll student with an active FSM claim in the selected date range. You can change the default date range at the top of the page if you need to look further ahead or back.

Each row shows one student and one active claim. The Status column tells you, at a glance, whether the record is ready for the census.

What the statuses mean

• Re-verification required – the category is set, but the Last Verified Date is missing.
• Active and verified – the category is set, the verification date is on or after 1 June 2026, and (for Expanded FSM) the start date is on or after 1 August 2026. This record is census-ready.

Tip: Filter the table by Status Description to work through every student that still needs attention.

Add a student with FSM

Click Add Students with FSM in the top right to open the Add Free School Meal eligibility slide-over. Use this when you need to record a new claim for a student who isn't already on the table — for example, a student who has just become eligible for Expanded FSM.

1. FSM Category (required) – pick Targeted, Expanded or Other.
2. Student (required) – type the student's name.
3. Start date – when their eligibility begins. For Expanded FSM, the earliest date you can pick is 1 August 2026.
4. End date – leave blank for an ongoing claim. If the student already has an active record, Arbor will automatically end the previous record on the day before the new start date so the periods don't overlap.
5. Last verified date – the date you last confirmed eligibility. For Targeted or Expanded FSM, this must be on or after 1 June 2026.
6. Next check date – defaults to one year after the Last Verified Date. 
7. UK Country – defaults to England. Periods of FSM issued in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland must be recorded as Targeted FSM and must have an end date — they don't attract Pupil Premium.

Click Save Changes. The new record appears in the table.

Edit existing students in bulk

For students already in the table, for example, refreshing the Last Verified Date for every Targeted student at the start of the year you can use the Bulk Action menu.

1. Filter the table by a single FSM Category first. You can only bulk edit students who share the same category.
2. Tick the student you want to update.
3. Click Bulk Action and choose one of:
   • Bulk Edit FSM Category
   • Bulk Edit FSM Start Date
   • Bulk Edit FSM End Date
   • Bulk Edit Last Verified Date
   • Bulk Edit Next Check Date
4. A slide-over opens showing each selected pupil and their current value for the field you're changing, so you can sense-check before saving.
5. Enter the new value at the top and it will be applied to everyone on the list.
6. Click Save Changes.

A few things Arbor will check for you:

• Setting the category to Expanded FSM with a start date before 1 August 2026 will be blocked.
• Setting a Last Verified Date earlier than 1 June 2026 for Targeted or Expanded FSM will be blocked.
• Updating the Last Verified Date will roll the Next Check Date forward by one year automatically.

Frequently asked questions

What's happened to my existing FSM students?

To preserve the student's FSM Ever 6 history, Arbor has migrated them to Targeted FSM. This keeps the original start date for any student moving from the legacy record to Targeted FSM. This protects their Pupil Premium funding. This won't affect the May 2026 Summer census return as FSM Category is not collected until Autumn 2026.

Related articles

• Managing Free School Meal (FSM) Eligibility
• Setting up business roles and permissions