Melling Primary School
School Lunches
If the current crisis has meant that you are now having to claim universal credit you may be able to get extra help through the benefits related Free School Meals system. The following information will help you to see if you are eligible to apply. If your application is successful, please email the school at finance.melling@schools.sefton.gov.uk so we can add your details to the system.
If you think you may already be eligible for Free School Meals and have not previously applied, you can make your application in the same way.
FREE SCHOOL MEALS ELIGIBILITY - SEFTON RESIDENTS check eligibility here and telephone Sefton - 0151 934 3263
FREE SCHOOL MEALS ELIGIBILITY - KNOWSLEY RESIDENTS email completed form to benefits@knowsley.gov.uk
PLEASE NOTE, DUE TO THE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE FOR BUBBLES FROM SEPTEMBER 2020, THE THREE WEEK LUNCH ROTA HAS BEEN SUSPENDED AND HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A SCHOOL PACKED LUNCH OPTION WHICH PUPILS CAN EAT AT THEIR DESK. PLEASE SEE Parents | September 2020 Reopening Information SECTION OF THE SCHOOL WEBSITE AND www.parentpay.com FOR DETAILS AND BOOKING.
We offer a three weekly menu schedule which repeats until a new menu is published (normally twice a year). Use the menu form above to make a menu choice for each day you want to order school meals (you can also get the menu sheets from the office). It is fine to mix school meals and packed lunches so long as you know which days you choose packed lunch and which lunches, and that you keep to your pattern. You need to give notice on the previous Thursday if you want to change from packed lunch to school lunches or vice versa.
PAYING FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES
All infant pupils (Reception class, Year 1 and Year 2) receive free school meals. For junior classes, we are a cashless school and payment for school meals should be made in advance via ParentPay (www.parentpay.com). If you need to pay using cash at a PayPoint, please see Mrs Hart in the school office.
Our school lunches meet the government's standards for healthy eating with a vegetarian choice every day. We hope your children enjoy their lunches. Bon appetit!
New Food Standards for School Food
As you may be aware, from January 2015, the Government has introduced New Food Standards for school food, underpinned in legislation by The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. The new standards were developed by the School Food Plan Standards Expert Panel and advised by The Children’s Food Trust’s (CFT) nutrition team. In order to ensure that Sefton's menus comply with the new standards, they have developed them in conjunction with the nutritionists at the CFT via their menu checking service. The CFT have nutritionally analysed not only Sefton's new menus, but also the recipes they use, their cooking methods and the food they purchase. Sefton is the first council in the country to follow this process for their primary school menus. To reflect this work, the menus now carry the CFT menu checked logo. The menu checked logo gives schools, parents and pupils the confidence that the food served provides the energy and nutrients that children need to do well at school. The menus have been developed not only to meet the new standards but also to give pupils a choice of their favourite meals. Sefton have also introduced some new menu choices, particularly the vegetarian offering, which is hoped will appeal to all pupils. On the advice of the CFT nutritionists, Sefton will be providing a choice of jacket potatoes on 2 days per week and sandwiches on 3 days per week. They will be offering a choice of 3 drinks each day - water, milk and fresh fruit juice. Whenever new menus are introduced, there may be some teething problems as pupils adjust to the changes. Please encourage your children during any period of adjustment, as in order for them to reap the full nutritional benefits of our menus, it is important that the full choice is offered.