Lunch Arrangements

You have the option of sending your child into school with their own packed lunch, or they can eat a school lunch prepared by our caterers. You can also switch between the two options - some of our children like to eat a school lunch on a Wednesday and Friday, when the meals are a roast and then fish/sausage and chips respectively, but bring their own lunch on other days. The choice is yours.

However, we have a number of children who have life threatening allergies to nuts, and consequently we insist that none of the children's packed lunches contain any products which may contain nuts.

School Meals

Our dinners are prepared on site by CDC (The Contract Dining Company). The cost is £2.53 per meal and must be paid for in advance via the SchoolComms system.

You can view a copy of their current menu here. Although the menu is dated April 2024, this is the current one. It runs until October 2024.

CDC send out an allergy letter to all parents. It is imperative that you complete and return this to CDC if you child has any food allergy. CDC will provide specific meals for children who have food allergies – providing you supply them with the information you require.

If your child is in Key Stage 2, which is Years 3-6, you have to pay for their school lunch, unless you are in receipt of benefits which mean your child is entitled to a free school meal. If you believe this to be the case, please apply online on Kent County Council’s website.

Children in Key Stage 1, which is Years R, 1 and 2, are entitled to ‘Universal Free School Meals’. This means that they all receive a school meal, free of charge, regardless of the parents' income.

However, if your child is in Key Stage 1, and you are in receipt of certain benefits, St Peter’s can receive additional funding (the Pupil Premium) if you register as we have outlined above. Whilst you don't need to do so in order for your child to receive the Universal Free School Meal offer, we would ask that you do. The Pupil Premium funding is very important to us as it allows us to purchase more resources and to employ more staff, to support your child's learning. So, if your child is in Year R-2 and you are in receipt of benefits, please register for free school meals.

Packed Lunches

Classes of children eat together, whether they are eating a school dinner or their own packed lunch. However, during warm, dry weather, particularly in the summer months, we allow those with a packed lunch to picnic on the school playground. Obviously, they eat separate from classmates having a school lunch when this happens.

Parents' Meal Days

During terms 2, 4 and 6, there will be one day of the week when parents are invited to join their children for lunch! Whether your child has a packed lunch or school dinner, you will be able to come in at 12pm to sit in the hall with your child whilst they eat, and you can have a school dinner. The children love having you join them and it also provides you with an opportunity to sample the school dinners and to see how the lunch service is operated.

We can't fit you all into the hall at once, and hence a different year group is invited each week. Over the course of seven weeks, we are able to offer this experience to you all. 

We appreciate that working parents may find it difficult to come into school. Consequently, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc are all welcome to take your place if you can't make it.