School Lunches

School lunches are cooked on site by Food and More for all children from EYFS – Year 6.  Your child has the choice of either meat or vegetarian option. You can choose for your child to have a school lunch on any number of days each week when making your booking via the My Child At School (MCAS) platform. All meals (regardless of whether parents need to pay for them), must be pre-ordered via MCAS.

Lunch Menu

Please click the link to view our latest lunch menu: SSPJ MENU Sept 23 – Dec 23 and SSPJ MENU Oct 30th 23 – May 24 (please see corresponding allergens data). Please note the dates shown on this menu are for kitchen use only. When making your menu selections, please follow the dates shown on MCAS. To do this, select the Dinner Detail widget from your Dashboard and click on Opt 1 to make your selection.

Christmas Lunch 2023

Do I pay for my child’s school lunch?

If your child is in EYFS, Year 1 or Year 2, parents and carers do not pay for school lunches because the government funds the cost of your child’s lunch under the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) grant.  However, you must still pre-order your child’s lunch option via the MCAS platform.

If your child is in Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 or Year 6, you will usually be expected to pay for your child’s lunch.  The cost of a school lunch is £2.50. Please book and pay for your child’s school lunches via MCAS. If you have any queries regarding MCAS please contact the school office on 01865 311064, or see the help guide.

The only exception to the above is if your child is eligible for free school meals.  You can read the eligibility criteria on the government’s website or speak to the school office. It is important that you apply even if your child is in EYFS, Year 1 or 2 as the school receives extra funding (currently £1,385 per year), for any child entitled to a free school meal. This funding is spent directly on raising attainment and achievement.  Again you will still need to pre-book the meals via MCAS though you will not need to make payment. If you think you may be eligible for free school meals, please email headpa@ss-philip-and-james.oxon.sch.uk and request an application form.

Packed Lunches

If your child does not wish to have a school lunch, the alternative is for them to bring in a packed lunch.  Your child will store their packed lunch in their cloakroom where they will get it before going into the hall to eat lunch.

Nut Free School

We have children and staff with severe nut allergies in school and therefore ask that you do not send any nut or nut related products into school.  This applies to items in your child’s packed lunch and to snacks for break time. This includes:

  • Sauces that may contain nuts, including pesto and satay
  • Peanut butter sandwiches/ cookies cakes
  • Chocolate spreads, including Nutella
  • Cereal bars
  • Some granola bars
  • Cakes that contain nuts

Snacks at Playtime

School provides fruit and vegetables to children in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 and we encourage all other children to bring a healthy snack (no crisps or sweets, please) into school to eat at playtime. We also ask that you provide a water bottle for your child.  Please do not send in juice, squash or fizzy drinks. Water only.

 

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the school office: office.3835@ss-philip-and-james.oxon.sch.uk