School Dinners and Food in School
Universal Infant Free School Meals
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a school dinner every day. This is FREE and you don’t need to order it with Chartwells as we have to order these meals.
Although many of the children enjoy having a school dinner, there are others who may not. While we fully support this Government initiative, as a school working towards Eco School status we don’t like to see so much food going to waste and we don’t want hungry children going home!
To solve this problem we are asking that you (in discussion with your child) make a decision and choose one of the following options:
- Commit to having your universal free school meal five days a week
OR
- Choose not to have your universal free school meal at all and bring in sandwiches every day
You will be asked to make this choice every half term through the year to minimise wastage but the system gives some option for change if required.
*Please note: If you choose to have a school meal five days a week, we are currently on a 90% meat menu on Wednesday (roast) and Friday (fish and chips) at the request of parents in the previous year.
Free School Meals
We want to make sure that we are providing your child with the best education and support we can. Healthy and nutritious school food has positive health benefits and can help pupils establish healthy habits for life. Healthy school food can also help to improve pupils’ readiness to learn.
Families who receive certain benefits may be eligible for free school meals. Your child is eligible for free school meals if you’re in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
- Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190
Registering for free meals could also raise an extra £1,320 for our school, to fund valuable support like extra tuition, additional teaching staff or after school activities.
This additional money is available from central government for every child whose parent is receiving one of the benefits listed above.
To check if your child is eligible, please apply online.
Key Stage 2
Chartwells Schools
If a KS2 child is not eligible for a Free School Meal, a hot meal can still be ordered for them by parents / guardians through Chartwells. We are proud to work with Chartwells for your children’s school lunches. Chartwells believe that the key to fueling young minds comes from understanding both what they need and what they enjoy, which is why they develop nutritious and delicious food that pupils love, alongside helping to ensure a healthy body and mind. Their passionate culinary experts work closely with us to ensure every child receives healthy food, perfectly suited to meet their needs and dietary requirements.
The current meal price is £3.09 (May 2025)
How to order: Log on at www.parentpay.com to choose and book your meals. Orders need to be placed by midnight Thursday, ten days ahead of the week required. For example, meals for the week starting Monday 12th would have an order deadline of Thursday 1st.
You will have received an activation letter and temporary password to set up your ParentPay account. If you need this resent, please contact your school office.
For children with food intolerances and allergies, Chartwells have a dedicated team of medical diet nutritionists on hand to support allergen aware children and their parents. More information on their medical diet process can be found here: The Chartwells Approach to Medical Diets | Chartwells
Parents and guardians can contact the medical diet nutrition team directly on: westsussexspecialdiets@compass-group.co.uk.
To find out more about Chartwells, visit their website or contact the school catering team. Weblink: Primary School Caterers You Can Trust | Chartwells