Our school meals are provided by Alliance in Partnership and are freshly prepared on-site.   Our kitchen is proud to have achieved a 5-star food hygiene rating.

We offer a choice of healthy and nutritionally balanced options each day and you can order and pay in advance online via Parent Pay.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible for a Universal Free School Meals. In other year groups, meals cost £3.00 a day, unless you are eligible for Free School Meals Funding.

Free School Meals and Pupil Premium (new for 2026)

FREE SCHOOL MEALS (FSM)

All families in receipt of Universal Credit now qualify for Free School Meals which could save you £573 per year.

There are two categories:

• Expanded Free School Meals – for households in receipt of Universal Credit and earning over £7,400 per year

• Targetted Free School Meals (Pupil Premium) – for households Universal Credit and earning less than £7,400 per year or who are in receipt of support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

You may also qualify if you:

• Receive Pension Credit (income based)

• Support under the Immigration and Asylum Act, 1999

• are a family with no recourse to public funds

Pre-School pupils (aged 3+) can receive Free School Meals if they attend sessions covering lunchtime (minimum two hours before and after).

PUPIL PREMIUM

If you are eligible for Targetted Free School meals you qualify for:

• Free School Meals

• Access to the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) which provides free activities and events

• The ‘extended rights’ element for free school travel

All of these benefits will continue for 6 years after your eligibility ends.

The school will also receive additional Pupil Premium funding for each child. We use this money to support learning and development. The school benefits from this extra funding even if your child brings a packed lunch or if they are in reception, year 1 or year 2 and already get universal free school meals.

Pupils currently in care, who have been adopted, or children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care (including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales) qualify for Pupil Premium Plus which provides the school with further funding on top of the basic pupil premium rate.

To find out more about how we use pupil premium click here.

If you think you meet the criteria for free school meals, please call Central Bedfordshire Council on 0300 300 8306

Packed Lunches

If you have not pre-ordered a school meal, you must provide your child with a packed lunch.

According to NHS choices a balanced lunchbox should contain:

• starchy foods like bread, rice, potatoes or pasta

• protein foods like meat, fish, eggs or beans

• a dairy item, like cheese or yogurt

• vegetables or salad and a portion of fruit

We are increasingly concerned by the number of biscuits, cakes and crisps appearing in lunch boxes. Just as a healthy breakfast helps your child to concentrate and learn in the morning, a healthy lunch does so in the afternoon. Too much sugar causes problems with concentration.

We are a nut-free school. Please do not include items containing nuts in your child’s packed lunch (e.g. peanut butter sandwiches, mixed fruit/nut bags, cereal bars).

Documents

Useful Links

• NHS Choices | Lunchbox ideas and recipes

• BBC Good Food | School packed lunch inspiration