School Dinners
All primary school aged children are entitled to a free daily school meal as part of the government's Universal Infant Free School Meals and London Mayor's funding for 2023-24.
Children will be able to choose a school dinner prepared by our caterers, 'Stir'. We ask that parents pre-order their child's food choices in advance.
All children can bring in a packed lunch from home if they prefer.
If your child has any allergies or dietary requirements, please contact the school as soon as possible so you can complete a special diet referral form.
Healthy Packed Lunches
If children bring a packed lunch it must be contained in a lunch box clearly named. Please ensure that no glass or any other breakable container is used in the interests of safety. In line with our Healthy School London Award, we have aim to be 'water or milk only' at Fairlop. Packed lunches should not include any fizzy drinks, fruit drinks or energy drinks. Children are encouraged to bring in a water bottle from home and drinking water is always available in school.
Plastic bottles may be recycled or reused. As little packaging as possible is recommended for the packed lunches and this will be returned in lunch boxes.
Sweets are not permitted in school and healthy lunches including fruit are encouraged.
Please remember that we are a NUT FREE school. If a child has a packed lunch item containing nuts, they will be asked to eat it in an area away from the other children or keep it to eat at home.
The NHS change4life website has lots of ideas for healthier lunch boxes and some great recipes. Get loads of easy-to-prepare ideas your children will love, as well as tips on what else to put in their lunchbox.
Pupil Premium Grant
All children are entitled to a hot free school meal. However, if you receive one of the listed qualifying benefits, you should make an application for free school meals as our school will receive extra funding known as the Pupil Premium Grant.
You will need to apply for Free School Meals via your local authority.
Redbridge Free School Meals Application
Qualifying benefits for free school meals
- 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 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 is a disqualifying benefit regardless of your household income - this means that you would not be entitled to Free School Meals whilst in receipt of Working Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- 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)