Lunches/Cashless Catering

Family lunch

The school now operates a family service whereby all students come to the canteen and sit and eat in the same groups each day. This has been done to ensure all students sit and eat a nutritious meal and enjoy each others’ company. It also supports our Covid policy of students remaining in the same groups every day.

We operate a cashless catering system. This means that pupils pay for food through an online account; we use a website called ParentPay. Parents/carers of each student have been issued with log in details. Unless students choose to bring a packed lunch, they will receive a meal and dessert for lunch each day, at a cost of £2.20. They will be charged for this against their ParentPay account. Please ensure that the account has sufficient funds so that the School can provide their son with a meal each day.

Students who are eligible for Free School Meals will receive a meal and dessert each day and not be charged. If free school meal students are absent from school for any of the reasons listed below, then the student is entitled to a free school meals at home, which can be collected from the school.

• self-isolating after positive Covid test;
• showing Covid symptoms and are waiting for the results of a test;
• living in a household of someone who has tested positive.

Packed lunches, provided by our canteen, are left for collection in our reception for this purpose

The Canteen

• The canteen offers Cashless Catering, click here for information.
• No physical money is used, instead money is debited from each pupil’s unique account.
• We work with the catering company ISS, Islington Council and the school council to ensure the quality of food is healthy.
• The menu alternates throughout a four week cycle, as detailed below, to make sure the choices are as diverse as they are healthy.

School dinners
£2.20 Main meal
To read the menu please click on this link Lunch menu November 2020

Free School Meals

Free school meals are available to eligible secondary school pupils. You may be eligible for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income–based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit if your taxable income is less than £16,190 and you don’t receive Working Tax Credit
• the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• support under Section VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit

Children who get paid these benefits directly, and not through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

You can apply for this service using the citizens portal:

https://ems.islingtonschools.net/CitizenPortal_LIVE

Why is it important to apply?

Applying for free school meals is very important because the amount of money that your child’s school receives from central government depends on the number of children registered as eligible for free school meals.

If you think you may be eligible, even if you do not wish your child to receive a free meal, we would encourage you to register so that the School receives as much funding as possible to invest in the education of its pupils.

Packed lunch

As well as eating canteen-cooked school dinners, pupils can bring packed lunches to eat in the canteen. A guide to healthy packed lunches from the NHS can be find by clicking here.