School Meals        

All of our meals are cooked on-site by our talented and hard-working catering team. We provide a 'family meal' service, encouraging good table manners and conversation. All children sit together to eat their lunch, whether having a packed lunch or a school dinner.

Allergies/intolerances - if your child has any food allergies or intolerances, please contact the school office. For complex needs, a meeting with our Catering Manager can be arranged.

Please have a look at our menus (see 'menus & pre-booking' page), which are changed termly and run on a 3-week cycle.

 

Lower School (KS1)

Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) - all children in KS1 qualify for a school dinner at no cost to the parent/carer or you may wish to provide your own packed lunch (or a combination of school dinners/own packed lunches). 

All children in receipt of benefits based Free School Meals help the school as we are able to apply for more funding from central government (Pupil Premium), to provide valuable support like extra tuition, additional teaching staff or after school activities.

Upper School (KS2)

Children in years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are required to pay for school meals at a cost of £2.45 per day/per child, unless you are a low-income family and entitled to Free School Meals - see below. Payment should be made on the School Gateway either in advance or on the day the meal is taken.

Click here for the link to the School Gateway app.

Free School Meals (FSM)

If you are a low-income family, you may be eligible for Free School Meals (see below). Please contact the school office as we are now able to do a quick check on your behalf to see if you meet the criteria. You no longer need to apply through Essex County Council and will not be able to do so from April 2021.

     From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, the FSM eligibility criteria now includes all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of household earnings.

    Free School meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit 
• Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 

    A pupil is only eligible to receive a free school meal where both:

• a claim for this support has been made
• their eligibility has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority 

    Households may also be entitled to a meal if they:    

• are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  
• receive the guaranteed element of the Pension Credit
  
• meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds
  
  

If you need any further information or have any queries regarding school meals, Free School Meals or Free School Meal vouchers, please contact Mrs Wills in the office.

Email address: yvonne.wills@brightlingsea.essex.sch.uk