Catering
letter to parents/carers - march 2023 - tariff changes
Dear Parent/Carer,
As you will be aware there have been significant prices increases in many food items over the last 12 months with some significant increases in many items.
As a result, our catering company, Wilson Jones, have been forced to make some changes to the tariff. In order to minimise the impact on our families they have decided to expand price points, instead of applying a flat rate increase across the board. This means is that there will still be items available at the current price points and also an increased number of options at these lower price points, however, the prices of the higher premium products will be increased.
The cost of a meal deal will increase from £2.60 to £2.75; this will include the price of a free school meal. We firmly believe, and evidence has shown, that if children eat healthily this will help them to achieve both their educational and lifestyle goals.
Please be assured that we know the decision to increase prices has not been taken lightly and believe that the revised prices will still remain competitive with the prices charged in other local schools.
These changes will come in to effect with the new menu change, following the Easter break.
We would like to remind parents and carers that you may be entitled to claim for free school meals. Please contact the main school office if you would like help completing the application form.
To qualify for free school meals you must be:
- Receiving Income Support and Child Benefit
- or receiving income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-based Employment & Support Allowance and Child Benefit
- or receiving Child Tax Credit only with no entitlement to Working Tax Credit and with a gross annual income as assessed by the Inland Revenue of £16,190 or less (gross means before deductions for tax and national insurance) and Child Benefit
- or receiving the guarantee element of State Pension Credit and Child Benefit
- or being supported under Part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
meal deals 2023
MAIN MENU 2023
This menu will begin following the Easter half-term break and run all the way up to the October half-term break.
Click here to download the Main Menu 2023
deli menu 2023
free school meals - information for parents/carers
We would like to remind all parents/carers that you may be entitled to claim free school meals for your child. Every child who is entitled to a free school meal will bring in additional money to the school budget. This additional funding would be used to bring extra resources to the school (for example, additional staffing or equipment) for your child’s benefit. Ultimately, this would help raise standards for your child and other students.
We would encourage all parents/carers who think they should be entitled to free school meals (see below) to complete an application form through one of the following options:
- https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims; or
- http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/schoolmeals; or
- You can get an application form from the main school office
Staff in the main office will be happy to assist you in completing the application.
The Council will process applications on our behalf and can be found at:
- Pupil Benefits
- The Woolwich Centre
- 35 Wellington Street
- Woolwich, SE18 6HQ
To qualify for free school meals you must be:
- Receiving Income Support and Child Benefit
- or receiving income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-based Employment & Support Allowance and Child Benefit
- or receiving Child Tax Credit only with no entitlement to Working Tax Credit and with a gross annual income as assessed by the Inland Revenue of £16,190 or less (gross means before deductions for tax and national insurance) and Child Benefit
- or receiving the guarantee element of State Pension Credit and Child Benefit
- or being supported under Part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
The easiest way to ensure that your free school meal application is processed quickly is to contact Greenwich via their website.
If families have a free school meal application pending you must still pay for lunch in advance.
Families are able to check their eligibility using the London Grid for Learning Free School Meals Eligibility Checker. If eligible, please provide the school with the awarded certificate in support of your free school meals application.
Our school canteen is run by WilsonJones, an independent school catering specialist.
They provide us with a bespoke innovative food and drink’s offer, which is served at breakfast, first break and lunch.
Their menu includes a wide variety of items, which are healthy and nutritious to meet the needs of our students. This includes a hot main meal, which is available each day. Along with a comprehensive deli menu, which includes items such as paninis and wraps, cold sandwiches, baguettes, desserts, fresh fruit, and a wide range of cold drinks.
All items are priced individually as well as there being meal deal combination options; for example, the main meal combo costs £2.60 and includes the hot main meal and a dessert or bottle of water. The menus are displayed in the dining hall, and these are inclusive for all dietary requirements, for example, vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free.
Families that are eligible for free school meals will need to request that their allowance moves over to their chosen secondary school via their home local authority. This will then allow the student to buy lunch in school each day but does not apply to breakfast or snacks at other times.
Students can bring in their own packed lunch and/or snacks. We do however ask that you consider the contents of this to be balanced and healthy. We do not allow students to bring sweets or chocolate bars to school and students are banned from bringing in multipacks of items such as biscuits, sweets, chocolate, crisps, cakes etc. Other items that are banned are fizzy/energy drinks (including Lucozade). These items will be confiscated if brought into school. The reason for this is to avoid poor behaviour that sometimes follows high sugar intake.
We also ask that students bring in a refillable water bottle (not a glass one) that they can refill from the fountains to avoid dehydration.
Healthy Eating
The school works closely with Wilson Jones, our catering company, to promote healthy eating. All menus reflect the government guidelines on this. The PE curriculum also focuses on exercise and healthy food. We encourage all pupils to lead a healthy lifestyle by eating well and taking regular exercise. Fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps are not encouraged nor are they sold in the school canteen. Water, plain and flavoured, is available as well as milkshakes and fruit juice. Fresh fruit is also offered.
Eating Arrangements
Breakfast is provided from 7.30am. Students have a varied menu in the cafeteria style system. Students are encouraged to have school dinners since they provide a nourishing well-balanced meal in the middle of the day. The cost of a school meal deal, is £2.75 and there are three menus to choose from including a cold, main meal and hot deli meal deal. Students may also bring a packed lunch. No students are allowed to leave the school site during lunchtime.