Doncaster Families Information Service

10/08/2026

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10/07/2026

08/07/2026

📢More families can get Free School Meals from September 2026!

New changes to the Free School Meal eligibility means that more families in Doncaster can now access free meals for their children at school.
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From 1 September 2026, ALL families receiving Universal Credit regardless of their household income will be eligible for some form of Free School Meals.

Find out more about these changes below..

What support is available?

All children from households receiving Universal Credit will now receive a free school meal from September 2026.

Families receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less will also continue to qualify for additional support including:

• Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme
• ‘Extended rights’ element for school travel assistance
• Additional funding for schools through pupil premium
Receiving Universal Credit but not currently getting Free School Meals?

You may now be eligible under the new rules. Apply now to make sure your child can access Free School Meals from September 2026.
Already getting Free School Meals?

If your child already receives Free School Meals and your circumstances have not changed, you do not need to do anything.

We will automatically check eligibility over the summer and let your school know if your child remains eligible from September.
Universal Infant Free School Meals

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to receive universal free school meals. However, you should still apply for means-tested free school meals if you are eligible because the school may then get important funding.
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Find out more and apply!

https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/free-school-meals

06/07/2026

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Free Online workshop hosted by Brighter Beginnings: Toilet training children with SEND (age 0-5)

Thursday 9 July • 7 PM - 9 PM

Overview
Advice and strategies for parent carers on how to toilet train a child (aged 0-5) with additional needs or disabilities.

All children learn to use the toilet at a different stage in their life. Children with additional needs may take longer to be ready to start toilet training and to learn the process.

This online workshop will cover:

How the body works
The importance of healthy routines
What may impact toilet training
Practical strategies to help children build essential skills
Guidance to help you feel confident in recognising when a child may be ready to begin
The responsibilities of early years settings and schools
How to work with professionals
Advice and strategies to support with bedwetting
There will also be time for questions, discussion, and signposting to further sources of advice and support.

Further information
This workshop will be held on Zoom, it will not be recorded. You are welcome to keep your camera/audio off during the workshop if you would feel more comfortable to do so.

A PDF copy of the workshop slides and useful resources will be emailed to all attendees after the workshop.

Advice and strategies for parent carers on how to toilet train a child (aged 0-5) with additional needs or disabilities.

06/07/2026

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Free online workshp hosted by Bright Beginnings: Supporting your child’s social communication skills (age 0-5)

Thursday 9 July • 10 AM - 12 PM

Overview
For parents of children (aged 0-5) in England with a disability or additional needs including social communication challenges.

If your child has additional needs, it may not be easy learning how to understand and manage their speech, language and communication challenges. Getting the right information and support can be hard work.

This session will help you to think about how best to understand and support your child, and how you can share this knowledge with others who are involved with your child's development.

You will learn about…

Social communication skills in young children and how they develop
How to help your child if they are at very early (or preverbal) stage of development
Strategies that work well to support social communication skills at home
Resources you can access for further support

Further information

This workshop will be held online on Zoom. It will not be recorded. You are welcome to keep your camera/audio off during the workshop if you would feel more comfortable doing so.

follow the link below to reserve a free spot!

For parents of children (aged 0-5) in England with a disability or additional needs including social communication challenges.

06/07/2026

📢Free workshop hosted by Brighter Beginnings: Supporting your child’s sleep [age 0-5] England

Online event
Tuesday 7 July • 10 AM - 12 PM

Overview
Advice about sleep-related issues and strategies to support your child (age 0-5) with additional needs or disabilities.

This online workshop will cover:

Sleep processes
Common sleep issues and possible causes
The importance of sleep and its effect on the family
Strategies to help your child
Sleep techniques
There will be time for questions, as well as signposting to further sources of support.

Follow the link to reserve a free spot:

Advice about sleep-related issues and strategies to support your child (age 0-5) with additional needs or disabilities.

03/07/2026

Understanding autistic young people's experiences of mainstream primary schools

📌Do you work with families of autistic people who want to learn about autistic people’s experiences of mainstream primary schools?

Autism Central is holding the webinar ‘Understanding autistic young people's experiences of mainstream primary schools’, where an autistic researcher will share what needs to be done to create supportive and inclusive school environments

It will be held on Friday 17 July from 12-1pm.

Encourage families to book their place on the Autism Central website:

In this webinar, Jo Billington will introduce her research with autistic young people about their experiences of mainstream primary school.

03/07/2026

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