Copies of the menu are sent out to parents at regular intervals. The whole school has lunch together, like a large family, including those children who bring a packed lunch. The older children serve the school lunches to the younger ones, encouraging them to try new things and ensure that they are happy in the dinner hall. We have an experienced team of Midday Supervisors who look after the children in the lunch hall and then outside in the playground, making sure that lunchtime is a positive experience for everyone.
Is your child entitled to Free School Meals?
If you receive one of the following benefits, your child will be entitled to Free School Meals:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – with a net household income below £7,400
If you are in receipt of any Working Tax Credit you will NOT be eligible to apply for Free School Meals
How to apply for Free School Meals
If you think you might be entitled to Free School Meals, please make sure you apply via Brighton & Hove City Council - https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/children-and-education/schools/free-school-meals or contact the school office who can apply for you. The application process is completely confidential and all you will need to provide is your date of birth, home address and National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seeker Number.
How Free School Meals can help your child’s school
It is really important that you apply for Free School Meals if you think you might be entitled to receive them. It also helps the school – the more children who are registered to receive Free School Meals, the more funding the school gets. This is currently about £1320 per child. Under increasing financial pressure and government cuts, any extra funding can make a real difference and means we have more money to spend on your child’s education.
Universal Free School Meals for Infants
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible for the Universal Infant Free School Meal Scheme. This means that Ann-Marie’s lovely dinners are free for all infant children!
Free School Milk
In conjunction with the Department of Education’s new School Food Plan, our school is providing a free 189ml portion of low-fat milk to children entitled to statutory free school meals from January 2015. Please note: this does not apply to children in receipt of Universal Infant Free School Meals, only those who receive Income Assessed free school meals. If your child receives free school meals and you would like them to receive free school milk, please let a member of the office team know.
All children under 5 years of age will still receive free milk. If your child is older than 5 years and is not entitled to free school meals, you can still order milk for them by registering at www.coolmilk.com and paying online