School dinner menus
We want every child to enjoy a healthy, nutritious lunch as part of their school day. We offer a varied menu designed to provide balanced meals and encourage positive eating habits.
The safety and wellbeing of our pupils is our highest priority and we recognise that some children have specific dietary needs due to a food allergy, intolerance or medical dietary requirement. If your child has any allergies or dietary requirements, please contact the school office.
School dinners cost £2.50 per meal.
School lunches at our satellite sites
School lunches are also available for pupils attending our satellite sites at Manor and Millthorpe.
Millthorpe pupils: School lunches should be paid for through your child’s Applefields ParentPay account.
Manor pupils: School lunches should be paid for directly to the school. The school will provide families with information on how to make payment.
Main Site Autumn Term Menu – Week 1
Main Site Autumn Term Menu – Week 2
Packed lunches
If your child prefers, they are welcome to bring a packed lunch from home. Packed lunches should be brought in a clearly labelled lunch box or bag. We encourage lunches to include a variety of healthy foods that provide children with the energy they need for a busy day of learning and play. We do appreciate some of our students have limited and rigid diets due to their complex needs.
For healthy packed lunch ideas and tips, visit www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes.
Reheating food brought from home
Unfortunately, we are unable to reheat food prepared at home due to health and safety and food hygiene requirements. School staff cannot handle or heat homemade food as this can create a risk of cross-contamination and foodborne illness. If your child would like a hot meal, you can send food in a child-safe thermos flask to keep it hot, or provide cold options such as sandwiches, wraps, salads or cold pasta. Factory-sealed, pre-packaged meals may only be reheated by school staff if they are unopened, in their original packaging, have clear manufacturer’s microwave reheating instructions and do not require an oven.
Allergy awareness
The health, safety, and wellbeing of our pupils are our top priorities. We are a fully inclusive school and warmly welcome children with a wide range of medical needs, including allergies. Allergies can be triggered by many different foods – most commonly milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, fish, and gluten – as well as non-food items like insect stings or latex.
Following guidance from the Department for Education, Allergy UK, and Anaphylaxis UK, we do not operate a blanket ban on any single ingredient. Experts advise that total bans are unenforceable, can overlook other critical allergens, and create a false sense of security.
Instead, we practice a rigorous whole-school allergy awareness approach to keep all children safe.
Visit our Allergy Awareness page for more information on our allergy procedures and support arrangements.
Free school meals
Families in receipt of certain benefits may qualify for free school meals. Our schools have a quick and easy way to check whether you are entitled to claim free school meals. All we need is your name, date of birth and National Insurance Number (or Asylum support reference number) in order to perform the eligibility check.
How does it work?
When we process your application, we will check your child’s eligibility for free school meals with information held by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education. This quick online check means we can often confirm eligibility immediately.
About free school meals
- We treat all claims in confidence and schools provide the same meals to all children regardless of free school meal status.
- Your child does not have to have a meal every day, you can still provide them with a packed lunch as and when you like.
- We will transfer your child’s entitlement if they move to another school, so you won’t need to go through the process again.
- It will not affect any other benefits you are claiming.
- Once you have registered, the system will perform a routine check and automatically update your eligibility if your circumstances change.
To contact a school Beacon Champion please email beaconchampion@applefields.pmat.academy