School Meals
Free school meals are available to all pupils in Reception, Y1 and Y2, and for those pupils in Nursery and Y3-6 if parents receive certain benefits.
Our school meal provider
We have a contract with Stockton Borough Council who provide and cook all meals on site in our kitchen. The cost of a school meal is £2.20 per day (£11 per week).
We will provide dinner money envelopes for you to send in each Monday or there is the option of paying online via ParentPay.
https://www.parentpay.com/parents/
Please contact the school office if you need any assistance with getting started with ParentPay.
Any non-payment of dinner money is closely monitored and reminders will be provided on a weekly basis. In order to support parents from building up school meal debt where money has not been received by the given deadline, parents will be required to provide their child with a packed lunch until the debt is cleared.
How to check if you are eligible for free school meals
To receive an instant notification informing you of eligibility, please follow this link: https://emsonline.stockton.gov.uk/CitizenPortal_LIVE/en?ReturnUrl=%2FCitizenPortal_LIVE%2F
Alternatively, you can contact the department directly on 01642 526606.
Please note that free school meals cannot be given until the form is filled in and entitlement cannot be backdated.
Packed lunches
Your child may prefer to bring in their own packed lunch, which is absolutely fine, but we strongly discourage chocolate bars and sweets, and there is strictly no fizzy drinks or nuts of any kind allowed in the dining hall. If you find yourself running out of ideas on how to provide a healthy lunch box, there are hundreds of websites you can look on. Change4Life have some suggestions here: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes#lunchbox-recipes
Please notify the office with at least two weeks’ notice of any intention to change from school meals to packed lunches so that adjustments can be made to kitchen orders.
Milk
As well as being available in the dining hall, milk is also available to all children in Nursery and Reception during their snack times. Healthy habits start young!
Fruit
Children in Nursery, Reception and Key Stage 1 are provided with a piece of fruit at playtime as a healthy snack. Please remember to advise us of any allergies.
Water
We follow Public Health guidance on encouraging all children (and staff) to drink fresh water at school. Currently, children bring in their own water bottles and it is up to parents and carers to ensure these are washed and refilled daily. Water bottles can be refilled at school should children wish: the best time to do this is decided on within each year group. Water bottles can be purchased from the school office at £1.00 each. While ideally all children should have their own water bottle, cups are provided for those without.
For more information, please click on the link: https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Water%20Provision%2009_10.pdf
In line with advice from the British Dental Association & British Dietary Association around sugary drinks, juice is not allowed in children’s water bottles (unless there is a medical reason which can be supported with a note of advice from a medical practitioner).