School Dinners
Our school dinners are supplied by HCL Catering and are cooked fresh every day by our experienced team. They are an award-winning specialist caterer in the education sector. They are passionate about providing fresh, local and seasonal food to schools; improving the school meals service and making lunchtime an integral part of the whole school experience.
School dinners are free for all children who qualify for Pupil Premium and those from reception to year 2 otherwise they cost:
£2.53 per day
£12.65 weekly
School Dinners
Pupil Premium (Previously known as Free School Meals)
Depending on a families personal circumstances children may qualify for Pupil Premium (Free School Meals).
The government gives the school additional funding for every pupil premium child so it is very important that every child, regardless of year group, registers if they qualify. Although every child in Reception class, Year 1, and Year 2 in any state-funded school will get a free school meal every day older children can also get free school meals, but you have to apply. Your child will get a free school meal if you receive a qualifying benefit.
Children in our nursery may be eligible too. If they are they will receive a free school meal on the days they attend school for a full day.
Regardless of the year group it is important that you apply for pupil premium if you qualify. The additional funding not only supports the school it can help you too! It helps us fund any additional learning support your child may need in class.
In order to claim FSMs a parent must be claiming one of the following benefits:
- they are 3 or 4 years old and receiving government-funded Free Entitlement in any OFSTED registered childcare provider and their parents are in receipt of one or more of the benefits used to access eligibility for free school meals
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credits
or if they have been:
- looked after by the local authority for at least one day
- have been adopted from care in the local authority
- have left care through special guardianship; and subject to a child arrangement order setting out with whom the child is to live (formerly known as residence orders) in Central Bedfordshire
If you think that you are eligible to apply for FSMs for your child, or if you are not sure, you may want to contact the CBC Customer Services helpdesk on 0300 300 8000 to advise you. Please have your National Insurance number available when you ring.
Alternatively, you can click here to download the form . The completed form will need to printed and given to the school office to send to CBC for processing.
Please click here to find out if you might qualify.
Packed Lunches
Ever struggle to know what to put in your child's lunch box to make sure it is healthy and varies day by day? Have a look at healthy packed lunches for ideas and for further practical guide to packed lunches.