School Meals

We are a NUT AWARE SCHOOL

Our School Meals

At Athelstan we have a three-week rolling menu for school dinners which you can view below. These menus were formulated by asking the children their opinions on the meals on offer and removing less popular meals and increasing the frequency of other more popular meals.

In addition to this, children also have the ability to order a sandwich or jacket potato each day. 

Children at Athelstan School can either choose to have a hot school meal or a packed lunch. The current cost of a school meal is £2.90 (£2.40 for nursery meals). Paid school meals should be ordered and paid for through the online Parent Pay website.

NYES Catering School Meals

School meals can provide a healthy and nutritionally balanced meal for your child every day.

Our NYES Catering service provides school meals to many of the schools in North Yorkshire, as well as many schools in the surrounding area, with the aim of bringing enjoyment to school lunchtimes with local, fresh, great quality food being at the heart of what we do.

We follow a healthy eating policy, with 75% of our food produced daily in a school kitchen. We provide:

• Red tractor approved fresh meat and poultry
• Free-range eggs and sustainably caught fish
• A menu that is fully compliant to the School Food Standards
• Fruit and vegetables sourced regionally where possible using local suppliers to promote local businesses and reduce our carbon footprint
• Products free from additives associated with health problems in young children
• A menu that is nutritionally analysed, as well as being checked by a registered nutritionist
• Information and menu guidance on any specific dietary requirements any staff or pupils may have
• Fats free from hydrogenated oils
• Menus that are nutritionally balanced.

You can view our school meals food policy here.

NYES Catering hold Food for Life accreditation which recognises that we are committed to serving fresh, healthy, and sustainable meals using local food producers.

NYES Catering are also the current holders of the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) award for Best Service Team. The APSE awards recognise the very best in public services, receiving nominations from across the UK.

Our primary school menus:

• Are changed twice a year to reflect the seasons
• Have a three-week menu cycle, allowing children to become familiar with the food served
• Are written using feedback from pupils, parents, carers, cooks and school staff.

We also offer jacket potatoes and sandwiches.

Our menus are also available in multiple additional languages: Arabic, Dari, Malay, Pashto, Romanian, Ukrainian. All menus can be downloaded from the North Yorkshire Council website here.

We host fun promotional event days throughout the year with special menus to add an extra “buzz” to school lunches. Recent examples include Build a Burger, Best of British and Street Food. These exciting one-off menus are shared with the school ahead of the day; please ask the school for more information.

If your child has an allergy to one of the 14 allergens, intolerance, or allergy to any food not included in the 14 allergens, or any other special dietary requirement, please talk to us and we will try to accommodate their requirements. Our cooks and catering managers are fully trained and updated in special dietary management. More information can be found on the North Yorkshire Council website here and we have a Special Diet Welcome Pack which can be downloaded from this page on the NYES Catering website. Please contact the headteacher in the first instance, stating the required diet and our team will be in touch.

All Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals.

Free School Meals are also available for all pupils whose families receive financial support. Find out more on the North Yorkshire Council website free school meals page.

For more information and answers to some frequently asked questions visit the North Yorkshire Council school meals webpage.

Ordering system for school meals

Athelstan uses Parent Pay Meal Selector  for familes to order school meals at home. The  process will allow you as a parent/carer to help choose and order the meals your child eats at school.

We are use this system because:

• Parents/Carers are able to partake in an activity with their child that encourages education around food, and the ability to help them make healthier, more informed choices.
• Less food waste in schools.
• A more efficient and more enjoyable lunchtime service.

Below are links to Parent Pay, where you will find the meal selector, and to our guide book on how to use the system, which will hopefully make the process of using Parent Pay Meal Selector to choose your child’s meals with them as simple for you as possible.

If you are having difficulties with parent Pay, please email Parent Pay’s helpline on parent-support@parentpay.com and they will be able to support and advise you.

 In addition to the main menu we also offer sandwich/panini option and a jacket potato option - these options can be found on your Parent Pay Meal Selector account. 

Universal Free School Meals and Free School Meals

All children in Reception to Year 2 are entitled to receive a Universal Free School Meal. Funding for the meal is provided through the Universal Infant Free School Meal funding programme worth up to £400 per year per child

In addition to this funding the Government gives money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a ‘Pupil Premium’ and is linked to Free School Meal eligibility.

Are you eligible to receive pupil premium for your child/children?

Just registering your child for pupil premium means that the school receives additional funding and your child will be able to access funding for a variety of after school clubs,school visits,music lessons and school uniform.

How does it work?

1. First, check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, so please check to see if you qualify. You can register your child for Pupil Premium if you get any of these benefits:

•  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 Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does
  not exceed £16,190
• Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a
  further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

2. For children in Sunshines to Year 6, you can apply online for Free School Meals using the link below. For children in Puddles or Raindrops, please contact the Early Years Office for a Free School Meals application form.

3. Even if you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can continue as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the school still receives the pupil premium  and you can still access the additional support shown above.  Register now to make sure you don’t miss out. Please speak to the school office if you need any help.