Dinners, Free School Meals and Milk

Dinners

Children can choose to have a school lunch or bring their own packed lunch to school. We appreciate that some children wish to have a packed lunch on some days and a hot meal on others and so our current policy is:

• they have a school lunch every day or

• they can opt to have a school lunch on just a Tuesday and Thursday or

• Tuesday only or Thursday only (refer to payment table below)

To support our Catering staff and allow the mealtimes to run smoothly it is essential to follow the above options.

Packed lunches should be healthy with no chocolate, sweets or fizzy drinks included and should not include nut products

Please take a look at the NHS packed lunch guide for lunchbox ideas.

Our Cypad menu selector system displays the menu on offer that day on the classroom whiteboard in the morning.  Each pupil selects either 'packed lunch from home' or chooses a meal from the menu which is then charged to the pupil's ParentPay account.  Pupils are then allocated a coloured wristband depending on what meal they have chosen so the kitchen staff know what to serve them.  This system aims to reduce waste and minimise the risk of dinners being unavailable to children who are later on that day's rota over the lunch period.

Nearly all of the meals provided by our school are made here on site every day by our skilled Kirklees Catering kitchen team.  School meals will cost £2.75 per day from September 2024, and must be paid for in advance by the Monday morning or half termly at the beginning of each half term via ParentPay, our secure online payment system. No cash is accepted in school. Please see below for the current school meal costs payment guide.

Our current school dinner menu can be found below.

The following link is to the Kirklees menu site but is not always updated when changes have been made: https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/schools/pdf/menus/Primary-and-Middle-schools/Primary-catering-menu-B

Allergy/Intolerance

If your child has an allergy or intolerance to any foods, they may only select a school meal option after we have received one of the following:

• A medical care plan signed by a doctor

• A signed statement from a medical professional about your child’s allergy/intolerance

• A signed letter from a parent/legal guardian confirming that your child no longer has a food allergy/intolerance

In some cases, a meeting with our head chef is required to agree a personal menu and risk assessment.

Universal Free School Meals Programme (UIFSM)

This is a Government initiative which provides a free school meal for all pupils up to and including Year 2.

Please do not top up your child's ParentPay dinner money account if they are in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 as they will not be charged for school meals until they move into Year 3 or the UIFSM scheme ends.

Free School Meals

Free school meals (means tested) are available to pupils who meet the following criteria: -

Children and young people who live in Kirklees who:

• attend full-time at a local authority school or sixth form

• are under 19 years of age

and whose parents or carers receive one or more of the following:

• Universal Credit.

• Income Support.

• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.

Please click here to find out how to apply for Free School Meals.

If you are eligible for Free School Meals your child can receive milk without a charge. Once you have successfully applied for Free School Meals we can arrange for your child to receive milk in school. Please speak to the office for further information or if you need any support making an application.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Even if you do not want your child to receive a free school meal (or they qualify for a free meal anyway by their age under the above UIFSM scheme) it is important that the free school meals application is still made as school receives additional valuable funding to support the learning and development of pupils who qualify for free school meals.

If you require any further information or guidance please do not hesitate to contact us in confidence.

Milk

Our milk supplier is Cool Milk.  Each child that registers with Cool Milk will receive a 189ml portion of semi-skimmed milk every day, delivered fresh and chilled to the classroom. Their school milk will not only provide them with essential nutrients, but as it is rehydrating and energy boosting it also bridges the gap between breakfast and lunch to help children stay focused. For more information on how milk can benefit children visit www.coolmilk.com/why-milk-is-great.

If your child is under five: · Register online at www.coolmilk.com

·Register by a Tuesday at 5pm for your child’s free milk to start the following week 

Free milk will continue until the Friday before your child’s fifth birthday. You will receive a payment request four weeks before their birthday - if you wish for your child to continue to receive school milk, simply make a payment.

If your child is five or older: · Register and pay online at www.coolmilk.com

·You can pay Cool Milk either online, or at a local PayPoint in half-termly, termly or annual instalments.

·Please pay by a Tuesday at 5pm for your child’s milk to start the following week.

If you have any questions regarding school milk, please visit www.coolmilk.com or contact Cool Milk directly on 0800 321 3248.