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Dogsthorpe Academy

Lunchtimes

A hot meal may be purchased from the Academy via your ParentPay account.  We are a cashless school. All meals need to be ordered and paid for at least two weeks in advance. It is the responsibility of a parent/carer to provide their child with a healthy lunch - either a packed lunch or payment for a school meal.

Our Academy meals provision is operated by the Trust with meals prepared and cooked daily in our own on site kitchen. 

Children in years 3 and 4 have lunch between 12.00pm and 12.45pm. The Year 5 and 6 lunch-break is between 12.45pm and 1.30 pm.

All children eat together with their class in our dining room. We are a Healthy School so our hot dinner menu provides children with a balanced and nutritious meal. Menus are available in every classroom and are updated every three weeks.

Packed Lunches

There is a healthy packed lunch policy at the Academy and all parents/carers are expected to ensure that their children are provided with balanced meals at lunchtime. Please support us by providing low sugar non-fizzy drinks, fresh fruit and/or raw vegetables. Do not put sweets, high energy drinks, chocolate bars or nuts into any packed lunches.

Free School Meals

From September 2014, there is a statutory requirement for schools in England to provide universal free school meals to all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Whilst all pupils in these year groups will be provided with a free school meal, it is important that, if you are in receipt of benefits, you apply online here as you may be eligible for free school meals: 

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

Existing entitlements to free school meals for disadvantaged pupils in nursery classes and at Key Stages 2-4 will continue as they do now, based on the existing free school meals eligibility criteria:

  • Income Support
  • Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Child Tax Credit - but no element of Working Tax Credit - and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)) that does not exceed £16,190
  • If you are supported under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after your employment finishes or after you start to work less hours per week
  • Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 (as from 1 April 2018)

Break Time

Every year group has a short break in the morning and we encourage children to bring healthy snacks into school. Please do not send nuts or nut products as we are a nut-free Academy as some children are allergic.