Overview

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
• Home Dinner

Parents must pay for school meals in advance, unless their children have a FSM or UIFSM. Application forms for FSM are available at the school office.

Free School Meals (FSM) 

Parents/Carers who are in receipt of certain benefits, may be entitled to Free School Meals.  These include:

• 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 Creditfor 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 a 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 with the strictest confidence. 

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

• Pupils should opt at the beginning of each term as to whether they wish to have a school meal, a packed lunch from home or a home dinner.
• Should a pupil wish to change these arrangements, Parents/ Carers should complete a Meal Change Request Form obtainable from the school office.
• Changes should be notified at the beginning of a half-term wherever possible. However, under special circumstances, a minimum of two weeks’ notice is required for any change, this is specified as 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)

Packed Lunch

Please read our draft packed lunch policy below:

Baden Powell Packed Lunch Policy

The School Menu

The menu is reviewed and updated each term to reflect seasonal fruits and vegetables, and is set on a three weekly cycle.  Menu’s are approved by the Senior Leadership Team, School Council and HEP.

There is always a vegetarian dish on offer.  We do not cook pork, and all meat is Halal.

Please feel free to download this term’s lunch menu and have a read of our school menu compliance report.

• Baden Powell Primary School Catering Menu Autumn Term 2019-20
• baden-powell-primary-school-menu-compliance-certificate
• school-menu-compliance-report-baden-powell-primary-school

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.  If you do not wish for your child to have school meals, then you need to arrange with the school office to collect your child at lunch times, to be taken home and feed at home.  The child will need to be returned to school before the end of their lunch hour.

 Payment procedure for school meals

• The cost of a School Meal is currently £1.70 per day or £8.50 per week, payable in advance online. Parents/Carers are welcome to use the schools computers and internet connection to make a payment.
• 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. (Termly amounts will be communicated through the weekly newsletters).
• If children are absent, their dinner money is credited for the following week.
• Refunds may only be given for credits at the end of term, or if a child is leaving the school to attend another.
• 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)

 Debt Policy

The school cannot tolerate 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 2016 the school has adopted a strict NO DEBT policy relating to school meals

• 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 Deputy Head of 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.

• 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.

Healthy school status

Baden Powell School was awarded Healthy schools status in 2011. In order to achieve national Healthy School status the school had to show evidence of how it met criteria in the following 4 core themes:

• PSHE: personal, social and health education including sex and relationship education: PSHE provides pupils with the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their lives;
• Healthy eating: pupils have the confidence, skills and understanding to make healthy food choices. Healthy and nutritious food and drink is available across the school day;
• Physical activity: pupils are provided with a range of opportunities to be physically active during and after school. They understand how physical activity can help them to improve their health and be a part of their everyday life;
• Emotional health and wellbeing (including bullying): promoting positive emotional health and wellbeing to help pupils understand and express their feelings, build their confidence and emotional resilience and therefore their capacity to learn