School Meals

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why we have decided to take the catering in-house

We believe we can provide a better-quality service which will allow us to provide a more varied, nutritional menu to our children, as well as to engage them more in what they are eating and how the meals are made.

Our hopes for this service

Over time we want to develop a whole new vision for ELAN Catering Services, consulting with children and families to develop exciting new menus, launching an online brand and image which will be attractive to all.

How much will each meal cost?

All children in Reception, years 1 and 2 are eligible for their meals free of charge through the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme.

In all other years there is a charge of £2.61 per meal to be paid in advance via our on-line payment systems, Parent Pay or School Grid.

If you believe that your child may be eligible for Free School Meals after Year 2, please contact your child’s school office for advice.

Special dietary need?

We will continue to collect this information via the school office and ensure that all dietary requirements are met. Please continue to talk to your school-based staff and we will ensure all special requirements are met.

Compliance and Food Standards

We have registered as a new business with Environmental Health, and our consultancy firm will ensure that all Health & Safety legislation is met.

Our school meal service

We view catering as an integral part of a pupil’s experience and a factor that supports their learning and development. Food is exciting and diverse, just like our schools and the communities we serve. That is why we have stepped away from a contracted service provider for our food and introduced ELAN Catering into our schools to ensure that meals are well-balanced, visually appealing, and (of course) tasty! We also believe that meals should be prepared and served by a team who are not just passionate about catering, but also about the role they play in pupils’ education.

The ELAN catering team will do their best to cater to every child, but sadly, we cannot tailor meals for individual pupils. However, we have taken every opportunity to make sure that the menu is as inclusive as possible by ensuring there are choices available every day to suit a range of dietary needs. If your child does have a medical and diagnosed food allergy/intolerance, you must inform the school office immediately.

Our menus meet all of the school food standards and clearly show which choices contain one (or more) of the 14 key allergens, as defined by the Food Standards Agency. To further safeguard pupils who have been diagnosed with food allergies/intolerances, all catering teams across the trust will prepare home-cooked meals from the same recipes designed by our catering operations manager, Alex Crawley.

ALL parents/carers will need to pre-order their children(s) meals online (in some cases, this can be completed at your child’s school – please talk to your school about this). This is done by logging onto SchoolGrid, a web-based platform, that enables parents to preorder their child’s lunch at home. By accessing SchoolGrid online you will be able to pre-order meals, make payments, view recipes, allergens, and ingredients.

Please note ALL children’s meals will need to be pre-ordered, regardless of whether your child is in Foundation, Year 1 & 2 (Universal Free School Meals) or is in receipt of Free School Meals.

The cut-off for ordering from home is 8.55 am; the school office will only be able to place orders for late arrivals up until 9.45 am that day. However, if a child arrives after this time and a pre-order has not been made, they will be offered a jacket potato, unless a home-packed lunch has been provided.

A copy of our latest menu is available now and we change this three times per year (after October, February, and May half terms).

Packed Lunches - of course, we appreciate that some parents/carers may prefer to send their child to school with a packed lunch. Where this applies, we ask that these are prepared in accordance with any packed lunch policy that our schools require to ensure that children still receive the right nutrients to support their ability to learn in the afternoon, and that all meals consumed at the school promote healthy eating.  

Our Pupils

Our pupils are at the heart of everything we do.  We understand the benefits of eating healthy and our role in their physical and mental development.  We keep our pupils engaged through regular menu changes, theme days and promotions.  We consolidate this engagement by keeping up to date with the latest food trends.

Our Schools

We know that our schools are unique, so we always provide a bespoke service tailored to fit the needs of the school and its pupils. We work hand-in-hand with all our schools and are always open and transparent in everything we do.

Our Ethos

We are passionate about providing pupils and staff with the best possible catering service.  We endeavour to serve freshly prepared food, made on-site using local and ethically sourced products.

Our Catering Teams

Our catering teams are central to delivering a high-quality catering service.  We support them through training and hands-on management to promote their professional and personal development.