Supermarket vouchers will be sent to eligible families in Peterborough to help them support their children during the Easter school holiday.
The £15 vouchers will be sent automatically to eligible families using school data and information held by the council. Vouchers will be sent out by text and email on Saturday 28 March and all vouchers must be activated by 9pm on Thursday 23 April or they will become invalid.
Any children who become eligible up to and including Sunday 12 April 2026 will also receive vouchers if an application has been made.
Vouchers will be distributed to families with children and young people who receive:
- Income based free school meals (pupils in Reception to Year 11)
- Early Years Pupil Premium - EYPP (with date of birth between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2025)
- Funded childcare and education for 2-year-olds under the income-based criteria (with date of birth between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023)
- Some post 16 young people may be eligible under certain specific criteria which can be found on our website.
Councillor Katy Cole, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: "The supermarket vouchers scheme has helped many families in Peterborough, which is why I’m delighted that once again we will be providing this worthwhile service over the Easter school break.
“As always, I would strongly urge anyone who is eligible for the scheme but has not already signed up to please consider doing so as soon as possible. The free school meals scheme not only helps families saving around £450 a year per child but also helps their child's primary school receive much-needed additional funding."
It may take up to 9pm on the day the voucher is sent for it to arrive. If you have more than one eligible child, the voucher links will probably come separately. Please wait until Sunday 29 March to contact us about any missing vouchers.
Vouchers must be activated by Thursday 23 April or they will become invalid. The voucher is activated by selecting the supermarket you want to use.
Information about the scheme and how to apply can be found on our website.
The Government is rolling out a new three-year Crisis Resilience Fund (CRF) from the end of March 2026.
It will replace the Household Support Fund which was launched in 2021 to support households on low income by providing emergency food, furniture, white goods, and vouchers to eligible pupils during school holidays.
The council is also rolling out a new three-year Crisis Resilience Fund (CRF), which will aim to support for families and individuals to become financially stable in the longer-term. The fund, which will go live in April, will also provide emergency assistance for people who are in short-term financial crisis. Details will be announced in due course.