Catering
At Thorney Close Primary School, your child will have a choice of a tasty and nutritional meals. School provides a cooked lunch freshly prepared on the premises by our cook, Jackie and her excellent staff.
Jackie Dixon – School Cook
School meals currently costs £2.00 per day (£10.00 per week a week).
Your child will receive a wide range of freshly cooked hot meal options, dessert and a drink. Other options available include a salad bar, fresh sandwiches and jacket potatoes. The menus have been specially designed and tested to ensure your child receives a healthy, balanced diet full of nutrients and vitamins as well as carefully controlling the amount of fat, sugar and salt.
The menu offers your child a wide variety of choices that change every day over a three-week period. If your child requires a special diet for medical reasons such as food allergies or intolerances or for cultural reasons, please contact school to discuss this.
Please click here to view the school meals menu.
School meals should be paid at the start of the school week, start of the month or start of the term. We request your co-operation in receiving prompt payment, preferably via the council’s epayment system. Parents can also pay by cheque or cash (the right amount in a sealed named envelop at the school office). Please click here to pay school meals online. Meals must be paid for in advance. School financial procedures do not allow for dinner money arrears.
Menu
Please click here for school meal menu.
Free School Meals
Children whose parents receive the following benefits and tax credits are entitled to receive free school meals:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed £16,190 or
- Guarantee element of Pension Credit
The following benefits do not automatically entitle you to free school meals:
- Contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Working Tax Credit
- Foster Allowance
- Council Tax Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
You can apply for free school meals online, download an application form or complete a form at the school office.
Apply for free school meals online please click here.
To download a free school meal form please click here.
Universal Free School Meals
In September 2014, the Government introduced free school meals to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in state-funded schools in England. We are supporting this government funded initiative to give all children in Foundation Stage and Keys Stage 1 access to a hot and nutritious meal at lunch time, with the aim of:
- Teaching healthier eating habits
- Boosting children's performance in school
- Saving families money
In supporting this initiative packed lunches are not an option for any child in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2. All children in these classes must have a meal provided by school. School will provide all children in these classes with a healthy packed lunch when they are off the school site on an educational visit.
Key Stage 2
For children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 the cost of a school meal will be £1.90 per day (£9.50 per week) unless you are entitled to free school meals. Governors have allowed children in Key Stage 2 to bring a healthy packed lunch to school.
Packed Lunch Guidance
The main meal should be a healthy combination of carbohydrate and protein with a side serving such as fruit, vegetables or yoghurt. Lunches may also contain one sweet/dessert item such as a cake, biscuit or small fruit bar (fruit bars will be seen as a dessert as they have a high sugar content) and/or one savoury additional item which could be bread sticks or crackers.
- No chocolate or any chocolate flavoured food (e.g. chocolate mousse, chocolate chip muffins or cookies, chocolate spread, etc.)
- No sweets
- No nuts
- Only water - no sugary drinks, flavoured water or fruit juices
We are proud of our Healthy School status and promote good oral health in school and therefore we don’t allow chocolate or sweets in school – See Oral Healthy Policy for further information
Please click here for further information and ideas about healthy packed lunches.
Click on the Change4Life website for tasty and easy to prepare packed lunch ideas that everyone can enjoy.
Pupil Premium Funding (linked to free school meals)
Schools are allocated funding for any child in school who has free school meals or has been eligible for free school meals anytime in the last six years. This funding gives your child a real boost and allows us to put in additional support during their time with us. If you think you might be entitled to free school meals, even if at this point your child currently gets the Universal Free School meal or brings a packed lunch to school, please still complete the application form online. This will ensure the full funding your child is entitled to will be given to the school to spend on your child’s education.
Food Hygiene Rating
The food hygiene rating or inspection result given to a business reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the local authority. Thorney Close Primary School has a food hygiene rating of 5.
We are delighted to announce that school catering services has achieved the Bronze Food For Life Catering Mark for all the primary schools we provide the school meals service to.
The award provides formal recognition of the high quality of our school food, and means schools, parents and pupils can be sure our food is freshly prepared every day, and that we use seasonal vegetables, meats that meet UK animal welfare standards and eggs from free range hens. Our food contains no nasty food additives or trans fats, and meets government guidelines for food and nutrition.
For more information on the Food For Life Catering Mark please go to www.sacert.org/catering
