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Information

School Meals

The catering at Cottingham is provided by abm Catering.

Sample menus are available to view below to give an idea of the range of food available each week. There are also value deals and other special offers which are displayed in school and in the student bulletin. 

Free breakfast for all students and staff

Every morning students and staff are welcome to help themselves to a slice of toast and a drink in the main canteen for free between 8.15 and 8.45am.

Free School Meals

In England, free school meals (FSM) are currently a legal entitlement available to eligible pupils. Local authorities are responsible for providing free school meals. 

We encourage parents and carers to apply for free school meals as we know that this both saves parents money and encourages students to eat healthy food.  

Some parents may be reluctant to apply because they are concerned about any stigma attached to students receiving free school meals. However, because this system is automatic, students are not personally identified as receiving a free school meal and as such anonymity is ensured. 

If you pay for school meals, you can save almost £100 in Primary schools and almost £409 in Secondary schools by applying for Free School Meals. 

Eligibility 

Parents and carers in England do not have to pay for school lunches if their child is known to be eligible for free school meals. Children are eligible if their parents meet certain eligibility criteria and if they make a claim for FSM. As stated in the previous section, all infant school pupils receive free school meals, regardless of household benefit status.  

If a pupil is known to be eligible for FSM in a given school year, they remain eligible until they finish their current phase of education (primary or secondary).  

Since 2014 all infant school pupils (reception, year 1, and year 2) in state-funded schools are eligible for a free school meal. 

Parents currently meet the eligibility criteria if they receive any of the following:  

  • Income Support 

  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance 

  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 

  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 

  • The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit 

  • Child Tax Credit (provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) 

  • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after a person stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit  

  • Universal Credit – with household income of less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits) from 1 April 2018, with transitional protections for previously existing claimants. 

  • Further guidance on who qualifies under the extension can be found on the gov.uk website. 

To check your eligibility or to make a new claim, visit your local authority website’s Free School Meals page. 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council 

Check eligibility: Free school meals (eastriding.gov.uk) 

Apply: Free school meals - East Riding of Yorkshire Council 

Hull City Council  

Check eligibility: Free school meals | Hull City Council 

Apply: Application for free school meals (stchull.org)