DRAFT School Lunches
Healthy, Nutritious and Delicious
We believe that a healthy, balanced diet plays an important role in supporting students’ wellbeing, concentration, and ability to make the most of their school day.
Our school canteen offers a wide range of freshly prepared hot meals, lighter options, and grab-and-go choices each day, with something to suit a variety of tastes and dietary needs. All of our menus are planned in strict accordance with the UK School Food Standards and are updated seasonally throughout the year.
Food Choices & Break-Time
Students can choose from a range of options each day, including:
- Freshly prepared hot meals
- A daily vegetarian option
- Jacket potatoes with a choice of fillings (where available)
- Fresh salads
- Sandwiches, wraps and baguettes
- Fresh fruit, yoghurt and desserts
- Water and other healthy drink options
We also offer themed menu days throughout the year, celebrating cuisines from around the world and giving students the opportunity to try new foods.
Mid-Morning Break
The canteen is also open during mid-morning break, offering hot snacks (such as , croissant, and pain au chocolat) and drinks. Students can purchase these using their cashless catering accounts.
Paying for School Meals
Our school operates a cashless catering system via biometric readers. This provides a quick, safe, and convenient way for students to purchase food while significantly reducing queuing times.
Pricing (From September 2026)
- Standard Meal Deal: £3.03 per day (Includes a hot main meal or vegetarian alternative, plus a dessert, home-bake, or piece of fruit).
- Individual Items: Grab-and-go options, break snacks, and drinks are priced individually
Managing Your Account via Arbor
Parents and carers can manage school meal accounts through the Arbor Parent Portal and App.
- Top-Up Funds: Instantly add money to your child's meal account.
- Track Spending: View live itemised transaction histories to see exactly what your child is purchasing.
- Daily Spend Limits: To help students manage their money, a default daily spending limit of £5.00 is set on all accounts. To adjust this limit up or down for your child, please contact the school finance office.
For help getting started, please visit our Arbor Parent Portal and Payments page.
Free School Meals (FSM)
We encourage all eligible families to apply for Free School Meals. It provides valuable financial support while ensuring your child receives a hot, healthy meal every day.
From September 2026, eligibility is expanding. Children in households receiving Universal Credit may now be eligible for Free School Meals, regardless of household earnings.
- 100% Anonymity: The daily FSM allowance is loaded automatically onto your child's cashless card/biometric account every morning. At the till, the process is completely identical to paying students, ensuring absolute confidentiality.
- Daily Allowance: The allowance covers the cost of a full daily Meal Deal (£3.03). Please note that any unspent FSM balance does not roll over to the next day.
- Topping Up: Parents of FSM students can still top up their accounts via Arbor if they wish to allow their child to buy extra mid-morning break snacks.
If you are a Camden resident or your child goes to school in Camden, you can easily check eligibility and apply online please visit the Camden Council Free School Meals webpage.
Special Dietary Requirements
We are committed to ensuring every student can enjoy their lunch safely.
- Medically Diagnosed Allergies/Intolerances: If your child has a medically diagnosed allergy or clinical dietary requirement, you must complete your child's dietary requirements in the Medical section of your child's Arbor account as soon as possible before they begin purchasing hot meals.
- Allergen Tracking: Our kitchen team is fully trained in allergen safety. A complete allergen matrix for every menu item is available at the kitchen counter for students to review.
- Lifestyle & Religious Diets: All meat served by the school is halal. Vegetarian and vegan options are available daily.
Breakfast Provision
We are proud to work with Magic Breakfast to provide students with access to a free, healthy breakfast before the start of the school day.
When: 8:00am – 8:30am, Monday to Friday.
Where: School Canteen.
Cost: Completely free for all students. No sign-up or booking required.
A well-balanced breakfast of cereals, porridge, bagels, and fruit has been proven to significantly improve student concentration and focus. Download our Magic Breakfast information leaflet to find out more to learn more.
Packed Lunches
Students are welcome to bring a packed lunch from home. To support our status as a healthy school, we encourage families to prepare nutritious, balanced lunches.
What to Include:
- At least one portion of fruit and/or vegetables.
- A source of protein (meat, fish, eggs, beans, or lentils).
- A starchy carbohydrate (bread, pasta, rice, wraps, or couscous).
- A dairy portion or dairy alternative (yoghurt, cheese).
- Water or low-fat milk as the preferred drink.
Strictly Prohibited Items:
To keep our school environment healthy and safe, the following items must not be brought onto school premises:
- Fizzy drinks, energy drinks, or high-sugar squash.
- Nuts or nut-based products (due to severe, life-threatening airborne allergies among several students and staff).
- Large sharing bags of crisps or sweets.
For packed lunch inspiration and healthy swap ideas, please visit the NHS Healthier Families website.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about school meals, dietary requirements, the cashless catering system or Free School Meals, please contact the school office.
We will be happy to help.
