School Meals Information

OUR CURRENT SCHOOL MEAL PRICE IS £3.15 PER DAY.

As school meals are universally free in the infants (YR - Y2), it is our expectation that the children in these year groups have school meals. This means that we do not allow children to bring a packed lunch to school until Y3.

Since April 2021, the catering at Yew Tree Primary School has been operated by Dolce Catering Services. Further information about this company is available by visiting their website: www.dolce.co.uk

As part of the service, school meals need to be ordered in advance via School Grid (available by CLICKING HERE). Information about setting up your account can be obtained from the office or by reading the information shared below. 

Parent/Carer Guides & Information

Food Standards & Allergens

In December 2014, new allergen legislation came into force, and from January 2015 the new Food Standards became mandatory. Our menus are fully compliant with the latest legislation and guidance.

Dolce, our catering company, have trained our catering staff to be aware of the changes to the legislation and competent at meeting the requirements. Information about allergens, and information about your child which you can alert our catering team to, is available on School Grid when you pre-order your child’s meal. If you require any further information please speak to a member of our catering team.

Information about the School Food Standards is available from:

www.schoolfoodplan.com/standards 

Information about the Allergens legislation is available from:

www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label/labelling-changes

Free School Meals (FSM)

All children from Reception - Year 2 are now eligible for a free school meal regardless of income. However, it is vital that you register with the Council if you are eligible for means tested FSM (see below).

From September 2026, the Department for Education will introduce new eligibility criteria meaning that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit (regardless of earnings) will qualify for FSM.

Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits: 

• Universal Credit
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

A pupil is only eligible to receive a free school meal where both:

• a claim for this support has been made
• their eligibility has been verified by the school where they are enrolled or by the local authority 

Households may also be entitled to a meal if they:

• are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• receive the guarantee element of Pension Credit
• meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds

For further information or to apply for Free School Meals CLICK HERE.

Eligbility Checks

The Department for Education will introduce a requirement for FSM claims to be checked annually from September 2026.

Any child who currently has a protected free school meals claim, will be reassessed using the Inland Revenue Checking Service at the end of the current 2025/26 academic year in July to see if they still qualify for a free meal. If any child after being reassessed no longer qualifies under the new eligibility criteria, parents/carers will be informed, along with their child's school, to confirm this and parents will now have to pay for their child's meal from September 2026.

The eligibility checks will confirm whether your child is eligible for "targeted" or "expanded" FSM. All eligible children will receive a free meal but only "targeted" children will generate extra funding and, therefore, be eligible for discounts on trips etc. Please read the FSM 2627 letter below for further details.

We are delighted to be able to offer our KS2 children (Y3 - Y6) access to a Tuck Shop. 

Our infant children (YN - Y2) are not able to access the Tuck Shop but have access to free fruit on a daily basis. 

The Tuck Shop is run by our catering company Dolce and is entirely cashless. Therefore, if your child wishes to purchase something, they must have money credited on their account.

Children are only allowed to purchase a single drink and some food each day. Of course, the Tuck Shop is entirely optional and children in our junior classes con continue to bring their own healthy snack/drink if they would like to. 

School Milk

School Milk is free to children who are under five years of age and for children who are eligible (and registered with the Local Authority) for Free School Meals across the school. 

If your child is over 5 years old, and is not eligible for Free School Meals, but you would like them to drink milk daily then you can also order this through our supplier for a nominal charge.

All orders (whether free or paid) will need to order directly from Cool Milk for a nominal charge. Information is available at www.coolmilk.com/parents but you can also speak to our office for guidance.

Food Hygiene Inspection

Our kitchens are inspected by the Food Standards Agency. During our most recent inspection, we were awarded the highest possible rating - 5 (Very Good). Information about the food hygiene ratings is available at: www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-hygiene-rating-scheme