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Catering / Free School Meals
The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse is a clean, bright and fresh environment for the students to enjoy their break times in. We have great facilities on site including a new sound system which plays music through the lighthouse during meal service times.
We do ask that all the students help keep the Lighthouse pleasant for everyone by ensuring they clear their rubbish away into the bins and return plates to the trolleys when they have finished their meals.
We offer ‘meal deals’ on both sit down meals and Grab’n’Go items and we regularly run theme days where students get the chance to try foods from different regions. They may even get to see the catering team in fancy dress!
We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day – so every school day we run a breakfast club from 8am until morning registration begins. Serving a selection of hot and cold foods.
We currently hold a 5* hygiene rating from the local council and the food standards agency’s ‘scores on the doors’ scheme.
You can see our menu at the bottom of this page.
Cashless Catering via ParentPay
We run a cashless catering system via ParentPay so there is no need to bring cash onto the school site. This de-stigmatises and provides anonymity to free school meal students, reduces queueing times and enables us to provide rewards for healthy eating.
Every student is issued with a school ID card which they need every time you want to use the catering services and when it comes to taking your exams. We have set a £5.00 spend limit on every student account, this limit enables the parents to control the student spend. Parents are able to set their own spend limits by putting a request in writing to the school. Replacement cards are available at £1.00 each available via ParentPay, which you can access here:
Free School Meals
Free School Meal Eligibility Changes for the new Academic Year 2026/27
Free School Meals eligibility is changing from the start of the new academic year, and you will need to apply if you meet the new criteria. From September 2026, the Government is expanding access to Free School Meals so that all children and young people from households receiving Universal Credit can apply. There will be 2 categories of eligibility:
Eligible Targeted: this covers children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less, as well as those receiving certain other qualifying benefits or with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). These children may also attract additional support for their school, such as pupil premium funding, and access to schemes such as the Holiday Activities and Food programme.
Eligible Expanded: this covers children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings exceeding £7,400 per year. These children will be entitled to Free School Meals only.
Due to these changes, all families will be required to apply from 1 June 2026. We strongly recommend applying online as early as possible via the link below.
Before starting your application, please ensure you have your National Insurance number and details of your benefits to hand.
Before applying, please ensure you have:
- Your National Insurance number
- Details of your benefits (such as a Universal Credit statement if requested)
Please note that applications during this period may take longer to process due to a high volume of requests. If your child is currently receiving Free School Meals, their eligibility will continue until the end of the current school year regardless of the outcome of your new application. Once your application has been processed, you will receive confirmation of the outcome. If you are eligible, we will confirm the category your child qualifies under and the level of support they will receive. If your child is eligible under the Targeted category, they may also be entitled to additional support for the duration of the academic year. If your child is eligible under the Expanded category, they will receive Free School Meals. If your circumstances change and you believe you may qualify for the Targeted category, you should reapply so your eligibility can be reassessed