School lunches
At Alphington Primary school we have a school kitchen on site which provides our children with freshly cooked meals each day. There is a 3-week menu cycle which is refreshed twice a year.
There are 3 choices of main meal per day along with pudding and there is fresh fruit, salad, bread, yoghurts and water available to the children each day.
The cost of a school lunch is £2.50 and this is chargeable to children in pre-school and KS2 children, who are not in receipt of means-tested free school meals. When you join our school, you will use the school gateway app which enables you to pay for your school lunches – parents can simply add money to their child’s account and the cost of a meal is deducted each time the child eats.
Alternatively, your child can bring in a packed lunch from home but please note that we are a nut-free school so any items including nuts must not be brought into school. We have a number of children in our school who have serious nut allergies and we must ensure their safety.
To order your child’s lunch, you can use our free school gateway app. School lunches must be pre-ordered 14 days in advance. Many children mix between school lunches and packed lunches dependant on what is on the menu and their preferences.
Free school meals
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at state schools in England automatically get free school meals under the Universal Free School Meals scheme. However, some children may qualify for Free School Meals based on their household circumstances. For every pupil registered with the council as eligible for Free School Meals, the school will retrieve additional funding in the school budget called Pupil Premium which is used to help raise achievement levels. This also includes enabling access to additional support and facilities, clubs, and subsidising trips and residentials. If you do not claim for Free School Meals, then the Pupil Premium funding does not come into school. If your child is in KS2 they could also be entitled to a free school meal each day. If this is the case, then this is handled by the office so children are not aware of who is paying for meals and who receives them for free.
You may qualify for Free School Meals if you are in receipt of any of the following:
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).
- Income Support (IS).
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA).
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (IRESA).
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit.
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs that does not exttīeed £16,190).
- Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment you get for a further 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit).
