School Lunches

Your child may have a school lunch prepared by ABM Catering or a packed lunch provided by you.

Children in years Reception to 2 are entitled to universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) meaning there is no cost to parents for school lunches.  From year 3, the cost of a school lunch is £2.50 per day.

School lunches must be paid for in advance, weekly or termly either online through the Parent Arbor App.

Current Menus

For the current menus, please see the attachments at the bottom of this page.  There is a daily deli option for children which is the equivalent of a packed lunch from home.

Free School Meals

Some children from Nursery onwards are eligible for free school meals status. It is important to register for free school meal status with Central Bedfordshire Council as you may be entitled to additional support.  If your child prefers packed lunches, there is a packed lunch (or Deli) option at school. If you think you might be eligible, please call Central Bedfordshire Council on 0300 300 8306.

Central Bedfordshire Free School Meals Criteria and to Apply

Central Bedforshire Household Support Fund (until March 2025)

Packed Lunches from home

Packed lunches from home should be brought in a clearly named box and your child should be able to manage packaging themselves. Drinks may be brought in unbreakable containers, no cans please, clearly marked with your child's name.

Sweets, crisps, biscuits etc. are not allowed in school for snacks, however, fruit or vegetables in a named bag are acceptable and encouraged.

Allergies

There are children at school with life-threatening allergies to certain foods. We have processes in place to minimise the risk to children with food allergies in school. It follows an ABC principle:

A. A NO NUT, NO SESAME POLICY - all staff and students are asked to avoid foods that contain these.

B. BE RESERVED, NO SHARING - usually we encourage children to share; however, sharing food at school can be unsafe due to allergies. Please remind your children of this risk.

C. CUT OUT - please be sure to exclude the foods in the list below, and keep in mind not just for packed lunches in school but also on school trips, snacks at break time and after school clubs.

Our catering providers minimise the use of allergen ingredients in their menus and cater specifically for students who have formally notified them about an allergy. If you would like to record a food allergy for your child, please speak to the school office.

List of foods that cannot be brought into school:

• All nuts and sesame
• Nutella
• Peanut butter
• Cereals/cereal bars
• Seeded bread sticks
• Seeded bread, buns or crackers
• Sushi
• Sesame snaps
• Houmous
• Tahini
• Pesto
• Magic Stars
• Snickers
• Mars Bars

*Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of foods to avoid, labels must still be checked.