School Meals
We offer healthy, balanced meals that support children’s wellbeing and energy levels throughout the school day. Our menus include a variety of options, including vegetarian choices.
Children may choose:
- A hot school meal
- A packed lunch from home
We encourage healthy eating and provide a calm, welcoming dining environment where children can enjoy their lunch with friends.
Children in Classes R, 1 and 2 are entitled to a cooked school lunch every day courtesy of Government funding – this scheme is called ‘Universal Infant Free School Meals’.
For children in Classes 3, 4, 5 and 6 the cost of a healthy, cooked school meal is £2.75.
Good food and good food culture has been shown to lead not only to healthier, happier and more fulfilled children, but to improved educational attainment.
We believe that the school lunchtime is a great opportunity for all our children to sit down together and enjoy their healthy and tasty meal, while developing their social skills.
Our meals are provided by ‘Whole School Meals’ who are a local firm who use fresh, locally sourced produce. You can view their menus, etc. on their website www.wholeschoolmeals.co.uk.
Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
All schools receive additional Government funding into their budgets called Pupil Premium. This is based on the number of pupils who are in care, the number who are in military families and the number who are entitled to TARGETED free school meals.
If you are in receipt of any of the following benefits, it is crucial that you register your child on the Kent County Council online application service for free school meals.
Your child might be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:-
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of State 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 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1st April 2018 your household income must be less than £7400.00 a year (after tax and including any benefits you get).
- From the start of the 2026/27 school year, the Department for Education will extend entitlement to free school meals to include all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit.