School Meals

Frequently Asked Questions relating to School Meals

• How much do school meals cost?

  Currently school meals are priced at £2.40 per day.

• How do I pay for my child’s meals?

  Payments should be made online via https://www.parentpay.com/  This is a quicker, safer, and easier way of making payments for your child’s school meals. Payment for meals can be made weekly, monthly, or termly in advance.

  When your child joins St Joseph’s they will be given an activiation letter for this website.

• Is my child entitled to free school meals?

  Any child whose parents or carers are on certain benefits is entitled to receive free meals at school. Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

  • Income Support
  • income-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit

  Children who get any of the above benefits in their own right (ie they get benefits payments directly, instead of through a parent or guardian) can also get free school meals. Children under the compulsory school age who are in full time education may also be able to get free school meals.

• What do I do if my child has a special dietary requirement?

  If your child has any allergies or dietary requirements please complete the Food Allergen/Special Diet form that can be found at the bottom of this page.  If your child would normally have a packed lunch we would still recommend completing this form so the school are aware for any treat days.

  Mrs. Hudson, our catering manager would also be happy to speak to any parent who has any dietary requirements.

• Does my child get a school dinner card?

  We operate a Biometric cashless school meal system. The biometric system is based on fingertip recognition technology. Every student is issued with an account that allows them to buy food and drink at morning break time and lunchtime using only their fingertip – gone are the days of lost dinner money cards! When your child applies for their place at St Joseph’s the Biometrics Permission Slip is in their welcome pack to sign and bring back to school.

• Can I set a daily spend limit?

  The cost of a school meal is £2.40. We can add a daily spend limit to a child’s dinner money account in order to ensure they are not purchasing any extras. If this is something you would be interested in please contact our Catering Manager Mrs. Hudson.

• How do I track my child's dinner money balance?

  You can monitor your child’s balance on ParentPay in order to ensure their account is not left with insufficient funds.

  As a school, we would appreciate it if pupils’ accounts maintain a credit balance at all times. Pupils will be notified by canteen staff if their account is in arrears. If your child is in arrears they will be refused any extra’s on that day (they will still be given a main meal.)

  When pupils leave school in Y8 only balances over £5.00 will be issued a refund.

• How do you handle personal data?

  Certain data will be held on the system to enable accurate operation. This will include the pupil’s name, tutor group, photo, account balance, and meal entitlement. This data is handled under the guidelines of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and only used by parties directly involved with the implementation of the system.

  If you have any concerns please contact the School Office on 01434605124

• What is on the Menu?

  Scroll to the bottom of this page and you will be able to access our menu’s. They are on a 3-week rotation. There are often over 5 choices for lunchtime!