A healthy midday meal cooked on the premises is provided at a cost of £2.00 per day.  This includes two courses, unlimited salad from the salad bar and a drink of fruit juice, milk or water.  The money for the whole week's meals is payable on Monday mornings.  Please send the money or cheque in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and class clearly written on it.  Please make cheques payable to ‘Derby City Council’.  Children are expected to stay for complete weeks as otherwise it would cause difficulties in ordering and cooking.  Parents are welcome to come into school and try one of our delicious meals by prior arrangement – please telephone the school office for details. 

School Meal Payments

The Local Authority no longer pursues dinner money arrears.  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 has to be used to pay the debts incurred by parents.  The school cannot support this debt.

The Governing body have therefore agreed the following protocol.

• Children will not be provided with a school meal unless it is paid for, (unless they are entitled to free school meals).
• Parents must pay for the meals on the Monday for that week.
• Parents will be contacted at the end of the week if the debt has not been paid.
• If there is still a debt after two weeks the parent will be informed that their child will not be given a school meal until all of the debt is paid.  The parent will be asked to provide a packed lunch or take the child home for lunch.
• If parents still do not pay the debt then the school will have no alternative but to begin legal proceedings to recover the debt.

All City schools are in the same position, and many are adopting a ‘zero tolerance’ approach.  I hope that by showing a degree of flexibility we can ensure that all parents are able to co-operate and so not disadvantage the children in our school by draining valuable budget resources to pay off debts.

Free School Meals

Free meals are available to pupils whose parents/guardians are receiving (a) Income Support (IS), (b) Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance (IBJSA), (c) Child Tax Credit, but who are not entitled to a Working Tax Credit, and whose annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) does not exceed £15,575, (d) support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, or (e) Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit.  There is automatic notification of children who transfer from another City school who are in receipt of free meals.  If you think you may be entitled, application forms for free meals are available from school or the Free School Meals Department, Derby City Council. (Telephone no.255114, Email: freeschoolmeals@derby.gov.uk.)

Please note that the Education Office will not back date free meal entitlements.

Parents will no longer have to complete a renewal application form in order to receive free school meals for their children.  Checks regarding eligibility are now done by the City.  You will, however, have to fill in a form if you are claiming for the first time, or your circumstances have changed.  Parents claiming under Child Tax Credit will also need to fill in a form, and this will be sent to you directly from the City.