The Education Catering Service provides a quality, value for money nutritionally balanced mid-day meal. The menus are constantly reviewed and refreshed. The aim is to maximise school meal uptake, promote healthy eating and provide a pleasant dining experience.

The menus are rotated on a three weekly basis;

School Meal Menus - Autumn Term 2025

• Menu Autumn Term 2025 Week 1.pdf
• Menu Autumn Term 2025 Week 2.pdf
• Menu Autumn Term 2025 Week 3.pdf

The Government decided that from September 2014, all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 should be able to have a free school meal at lunchtime. This offer does not depend on your household income or whether you receive any benefits – every child in these year groups is eligible to take up the offer.

The Government decided to fund free school lunches for all pupils in this age group, following the Department for Education’s recent review of school food.

In a trial, it was found that pupils who ate a high quality school lunch achieved better academically than those who did not. They were also more likely to eat healthier foods such as vegetables at lunchtime instead of less healthy foods such as crisps.

Parents in the trial appreciated saving the cost of school lunches (currently £2.40 per child per day) and not having to spend time preparing packed lunches.

Free School Meals from September 2026

From September 2026, free school meal eligibility is expanding. All children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals.

We strongly encourage all families in receipt of Universal Credit to apply – even if your income has increased, your child may now qualify.

Applying is quick and easy via the Online FSM Application (OFSM).

End of Transitional Protection

Temporary protections, which allowed children to continue receiving free school meals without rechecking eligibility, will end at the close of the 2025–2026 academic year.

From September 2026, all families will need to meet the current eligibility criteria to continue receiving free school meals.

Families who are currently receiving free school meals do not need to take any action at this stage. Eligibility will be automatically rechecked, and schools will confirm eligibility from September 2026.

New FSM Categories from September 2026

Two types of benefit-based free school meals will be introduced:

• Targeted Free School Meals
  Your child may qualify if your household receives Universal Credit and has an annual earned income of £7,400 or less (after tax, excluding benefits).
• Expanded Free School Meals
  Your child may qualify if your household receives Universal Credit.

Please note that no-one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming.

Who can apply ?

Your child may be eligible if you receive:

• Universal Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Or meet criteria for families with no recourse to public funds

Why this matters 

Applying for free school meals not only provides your child with a healthy daily meal, but it can also help the school receive additional funding to support pupils.

How to apply

You can apply online at:

• Applying is quick and easy via the Online FSM Application (OFSM).

Please contact the school office if you need any help with your application.