School Meals

At Haslingden St James' CE Primary, we like to promote healthy eating whether it be a packed lunch from home or a school meal. We are working towards the Food for Life Bronze award - which means we're giving our school dining experience and school meals extra attention to ensure an enjoyable lunchtime experience! Please read on for further information about free school meals and our dining options.

Pupil Premium Important information

Expanding free school meals eligibility

From September 2026 all households receiving Universal Credit, regardless of household income, will qualify for free school meals.

Who should apply

If you receive Universal Credit and your child is not getting free school meals, apply by filling in our online form.

If you have already applied for free school meals and your child has been confirmed as eligible, you do not need to apply again. We will recheck your claim and tell your child’s school before the start of the new September 2026 term.

Eligibility

Infant school meals

Your child will be able to get free school meals if they’re in reception class, year 1 or year 2. Ask the school for more information.

If you receive qualifying benefits or targeted free school meals, your child may be entitled to other programmes of support.

Year 3 and above

Expanded free school meals

Families receiving Universal Credit with earnings above £7,400.

Targeted free school meals

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

Universal Credit with yearly household earnings of £7,400 or less.
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
the guarantee element of Pension Credit

Other programmes of support

If your child is eligible for targeted free school meals, they may also be entitled to:

free transport to school (if they also meet the age and distance criteria)
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) – fun activities during the school holidays
Pupil Premium funding for the school – extra funding to raise the achievement of some pupils

Although all children in KS1 are entitled to receive a free school meal and no application is required to accept this, some children have a statutory entitlement to free school meals. The school can qualify for additional funding called pupil premium worth over £1,550 per child, if the parent is receiving any of the following;

Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
Universal Credit and my annual household earnings are less than £7,400
Universal Credit and my annual household earnings are over £7,400

If you think you qualify for statutory free school meals, please complete the form in the link below (external website) and return it to the local education office. If you are unsure, please speak with the office staff who are happy to assist.

If either parent is registered disabled, please let the school office know.

View School Menu

Apply for FSM here

School Dinners – Provided by Lancashire County

Council catering services

Children have a choice of 2 meals every day, with fruit and yoghurt available daily. The menu is changed in the winter and the summer to offer a wide variety of choice, and is on a 3 week rota. We are a meat-free school, Quorn is used to substitute any meals which would normally contain meat.

Please encourage your child to try different foods, as some of the menu choices may be food they have never seen or been offered before. It can take a child several tastes before they like a food, so lots of encouragement is given at lunch, with stickers given to those who have tried different foods or have eaten all of their meal.

However, if your child really doesn’t like the school meals offered, it may be a more suitable option to provide a packed lunch, hungry children make unhappy children and they are unable to concentrate well in the afternoon session.

Lunch

You will be given the choice as to whether you would like your child to take a school meal at a cost of £11.75 per week, or whether you would like to provide a packed lunch. All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal.

https://haslingden-st-james.lancs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/10013-Halal-Primary-Menu-SS25-WEB-Approved.pdf

Packed Lunch

If you choose to provide a packed lunch, please send your child with a small lunch box and a plastic flask or bottle. In the interests of safety, no glass bottles or cans should be brought in to school. We are working towards being a healthy school and therefore discourage children bringing fizzy drinks, chocolate or sweets as part of their lunch.