School Meals
School meals are prepared and cooked at Horning Primary School, our meals are healthy, fresh and tasty. Parents/ Carers are responsible for providing a lunch for their child(ren), this may be in the form of a:
- Paid Meal
- Universal Free School Meals (UIFSM)
- Application of a Free School Meal Entitlement (FSM)
- Home-Packed Lunch
Parents must pay for school meals in advance unless their children have an FSM or UIFSM. Application forms for FSM are available at the school office.
School Menu
The menu is set on a three weekly cycle and approved by the Senior Leadership Team. There is always a vegetarian dish on offer. Please feel free to download this term's lunch menu and have a read of our school menu compliance report. If your child is late for school, please come to the school office so that we know that he/she requires a school lunch. The school encourages all pupils to have a hot school meal.
We use fresh local ingredients wherever possible with menu choices designed to provide a healthy balanced meal each day
We provide the following daily:
- Vegetable crudités
- Fresh fruit as well as a dessert.
- Fresh made bread
- Meat is sourced from our local butcher.
- Snack packs made with a choice of ham, cheese, or tuna roll.
- Also included is a portion of homemade cake, cheese portion, piece of fruit and yoghurt.
Allergens are highlighted in purple, please inform the school office if your child requires a special diet following medical advice.
Payment procedure for school meals
The cost of a School Meal is currently £2.30 per day or £11.50 per week, payable in advance online. Parents/Carers are expected to pay on Monday morning each week or may pay for longer periods up to a term in advance if more convenient. If children are absent, their dinner money is credited for the following week. If a child forgets their packed lunch and is given a school meal, Parents/Carers must pay for that meal on the same day or the following morning (except for children in receipt of Free School Meals)
Free School Meals (FSM)
Parents/Carers who are in receipt of certain benefits may be entitled to Free School Meals. These include:
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- Income support
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- NASS support
- Guarantee element of State Pension
- Child Tax Credit, with an income of £16,190 or less where the household is not getting Working Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit for the four weeks after employment ends.
- Parents / Carers must complete an application form for FSM if they want to claim a free school meal for their child(ren)
- Parents/ Carers must list all children that are eligible for an FSM on the application form and submit to the school office.
- Children who have a packed lunch but who are entitled to FSM are encouraged to complete a Free School Application form which is available from the school office.
- Please be aware that all applications for Free School Meals are treated in the strictest confidence.
Parents/ carers who believe their child/ren are eligible for free school meals should claim online via the Local Authority using the link below:
https://fiso.norfolk.gov.uk/synergy/Enquiries/Citizen/FreeSchoolMeals.aspx/
This will guide a parent/ carer to create a Norfolk Education Online NEO account. If they have already applied for school admissions online they may already have an account which they can use
They will receive an automatic response to the application and if they are eligible, the LA will confirm by email and tell the child's school.
Universal Infant Free School Meals
From September 2014, all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible to receive a Universal Infant Free School Meal.
Meal Arrangements
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- Pupils should opt at the beginning of each week as to whether they wish to have a school meal or a packed lunch from home.
- The kitchen orders are processed 7 days in advance and accurate numbers are required for ordering.
- If a child forgets their packed lunch and is given a school meal, Parents/Carers must pay for that meal on the same day or the following morning at the latest (except for children in receipt of Free School Meals)
Debt Policy
The school cannot allow debt amounting to more than one week's payment, as if debts are incurred then the school budget has to pay for them. This means that money which should be spent on the children's education is used to pay for debts incurred by Parents/Carers.
As from September 2017, the school has adopted a strict NO DEBT policy relating to school meals
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- The school is not obliged to provide a school dinner where payment is not forthcoming or where authorisation for FSM or UIFSM has not been received. We will, therefore, act promptly to address such issues at an early stage, in order to prevent arrears of dinner monies from accumulating to a point beyond parents means to settle.
If a Parent/Carer genuinely forgets to pay, the school may grant an exception and allow the Parent/Carer to pay the following day. This debt must be paid the next day and future meals must be paid for in advance before any meal is provided. - We request that all Parents/Carers give this policy their full support. If debts are incurred, the school has to pay for the meals eaten. This means that money which should be spent on the children's education has to be used for debts incurred by parents.
- If a debt is not cleared, Parents/Carers must either provide a packed lunch. In a case when a debt payment is not received, nor a packed lunch provided, the child will be provided with a school meal and the School will telephone the Parent or Carer.
- If a reasonable arrangement to clear a debt cannot be made, the school reserves the right to begin legal proceedings to secure payment.
- The school is not obliged to provide a school dinner where payment is not forthcoming or where authorisation for FSM or UIFSM has not been received. We will, therefore, act promptly to address such issues at an early stage, in order to prevent arrears of dinner monies from accumulating to a point beyond parents means to settle.
We hope that by implementing this debt policy we are able to help Parents/Carers manage school meal money better and ensure that all money that is for children's' learning is available for that purpose. The school will in exceptional circumstances postpone the refusal to provide meals where parents have advised the school of their financial situation and school is satisfied that the funding will be forthcoming.
The school will work closely with parents, to work out a payment plan to help resolve the situation if requested by the parent. However, where no attempt is made to clear the debt it will follow the procedure of the school's Debt Management Policy.
