School Meals

Current Lunch Menu

 

summer menu.pdf

 

Schoolgrid

Parents, pupils and school staff can order and pay online via the School Grid website.  The school office will assign an email address next to every pupil’s account. The School Grid system then automates a welcome email with username and log in information to each parent or guardian.

Use the button below to log-in to School Grid and place your child's lunch order:

SchoolGrid 

 Dolce at Bede 

At Bede, our chosen meal provider is Dolce. Dolce is a family run schools catering provider with a passion for delivering good healthy food with the best customer care.

From Dolce:

 "We offer exciting new menus each term which are cooked fresh from raw ingredients and allow parents and pupils to pre-order from home, on the move or in the classroom.

 We aim to make lunchtime an enjoyable experience for every child. Using a touch screen, children select their names at the hot plate, displaying their meal choice to both the cook and child, along with any allergies or dietary requirements. Our system helps the cook get to know each child on a first name basis, making them feel welcome at the lunch counter."

Packed Lunches

Children can bring their own packed lunches. They are eaten alongside the children taking cooked meals in the hall. We ask that food is transported in plastic containers and for safety reasons, we do not allow hot liquids in flasks. As part of our healthy school programme, we also ask that children do not bring chocolate or fizzy drinks.

We do not allow the eating of sweets at school. Children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each day as part of the government’s national scheme.

 

Pre-Ordering

We want you to know everything there is to know about our menus. That is why we use SchoolGrid, the award winning online pre-ordering system. Here you can see what’s on offer across the whole term, including any special theme days which run throughout the academic year!

You can order flexibly, either day by day or up to a full term in advance. To help make an informed choice for your child, we provide the full ingredients list, recipe card and nutritional breakdown for each dish.

 

 

 

Free School Meals

Apply here 

 Download a paper form to complete: Free School Meals Form

Reasons to apply for free school meals

 You shouldn't have to worry about your child getting the nourishment they need to grow strong and healthy. Did you know:

 

• you can claim free school meals if you receive Child Benefit and any of the benefits mentioned below
• your child's school will also get extra funding if you apply
• it could save you around £500 a year
• the menu is varied to cater for all tastes and uses quality ingredients from local suppliers (Primary school meals; Secondary school meals)
• meals can be provided either at your child's school, in takeaway format or by voucher - please check with the school
• it's quick and easy to apply - you can even do this over the phone
• you don't need to provide any evidence
• no one will know your child is getting free school meals on the basis of your income
• your children will get access to free holiday activities and food with our Brighten the Day and HAF plus programmes 

Who qualifies for free school meals

Your child will qualify for free school meals if you meet all of the following criteria:

• you or your partner receive Child Benefit (for the child you are applying for)
• the child is in full-time education, under 19 years of age
• the child attends a local authority school or sixth form (but not a sixth-form college). If your child attends nursery, attendance must be full time and your child must attend before and after lunch in a nursery run by Gateshead Council

In addition, you and your partner must receive one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA - IB)
• Guarantee Pension Credit
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA Income Related)
• Child Tax Credit - but not Working Tax Credit - and your income for Tax Credit purposes must be less than £16,190 (details are shown on your Tax Credit award notice)
• Working Tax Credit Run-on
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (see section 'Families with no recourse to public funds' for information)
• Universal Credit - with a net earned family income of less than £7,400

Receipt of one of the above benefits will be checked with the relevant government departments (HMRC, DWP and Home Office) - this may be done via the Eligibility Checking Service. By signing the declaration on the application form, you are giving your consent for Gateshead Council to check your eligibility through this service.

Families with no recourse to public funds

Families who may be eligible include (but are not limited to):

• Zambrano carers
• families with the right to remain in the UK under Article 8 of the ECHR
• families receiving support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 and subject to a NRPF condition
• Chen carers
• families holding a BNO passport
• Spousal visa holders
• Work visa holders
• Student visa holders
• families with no immigration status

To be eligible for free school meals, your family's annual household income must be no higher than the following:

• £22,700 for families outside of London with one child
• £26,300 for families outside of London with two or more children

This includes any wider income or support you may be receiving in addition to any earnings from employment.

You must also have less than £16,000 in savings, including any shares, investments and bank accounts, but not including your home.

If you think you fall into one of these groups, do not complete the application form. Instead, call us on 0191 433 3729 or email benefitsFSM@gateshead.gov.uk with the heading 'NRPF free school meals' in the subject field. Provide your contact details so we can get in touch with you.

Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)

The government has made provisions so that every child who attends school in key stage 1 (reception, year 1 and year 2) will be given a school meal regardless of their circumstances. However, when your child starts in year 3 you will need to apply for the means-tested scheme as detailed above in the 'Who qualifies for free school meals' section. If you do not, you will be charged for the meals by the school.

Even if your child is in key stage 1, if you receive any of the benefits listed above, you should also apply under the means-tested scheme so that the school can receive the extra funding.