We ask parents to encourage their child to participate in having a school meal, providing them with a healthy, appetising, and nutritious lunch.  From April 2026 we have moved to FlavourEd.  (Ridgeway Education Catering).  We are very excited about the new menus they have helped us to create and expect uptake to increase over the coming months.  A meal during the school day could benefit your child by:

• Providing a balanced meal which will help improve concentration and learning in the afternoons
• Introduce your child to a wide range of food
• Develop social skills in sitting down at a table together with their peers to enjoy a meal
• We provide an alternative menu, offering gluten-free and dairy-free menu options 

Reception Class and Key Stage 1 – Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)

All children in Reception and Years 1 & 2 are entitled to receive a Universal Infant Free School Meal, regardless of a parent’s financial status, through the Government Universal Infant Free School Meal funding scheme.  

Even if your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and entitled to UIFSM's, they may still be entitled to means-tested Free School Meals, which would not only continue to help support your child throughout the day when they move to year 3 by removing the meal charge (when meals are normally costed at £2.70 per day) but also provide additional school funding – please ask at the school office if you are unsure.

Key Stage 2 - the cost of a school lunch is £2.70 per day - We run a very strict NO DEBT policy and work very hard with our families to achieve this.  Meals need to be ordered at least a day in advance, from the menu options on our Arbor Parent Portal, and paid for in advance.  We operate a cashless system at Stephen Freeman and encourage all our families to pay online.  If you are trying to book meals online and need assistance, please contact the school office: lwiblin@stephen-freeman.school 

Could your child be entitled to Free School Meals?

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of 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 four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

To find out if your child is eligible for free school meals, please click the link to complete our FSM Eligibility Check.  Personal information is required to enable us to ascertain which additional funding students may be entitled to.  All personal information is stored in-line with GDPR.

Details on allergies within a RET school can be found below.