School Meals

Caterers

Sidegate's Caterers are Edwards and Blake who provide healthy nutritious meals to our pupils.  

The charge for school meals are £2.73. Children in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). If your child will be in Year 3 and above from September, please top up their lunch money to enable them to pay for their lunches. 

A cashless system is used and payments must be made through the Arbor Parent Portal or Parent App (see instructions here). Children who are in Year R, Y1 and Y2 are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) and do not pay for their school lunch.  Any queries relating to incorrect lunch account balances/debts should be directed by email to mail@sidegate.net. 

Free School Meals

 From September 2026 From the 2026/2027 school year, there will be two types of FSM eligibility:

• Targeted FSM - this continues to be based on the current eligibility threshold. It applies to pupils in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less. Pupils in this group will attract Pupil Premium funding for their school and will qualify for additional support, such as the Holiday and Activities Food Programme.

• Expanded FSM - This is a new category for pupils whose households receive Universal Credit but do not meet the criteria for Targeted FSM. Pupils in this group will be eligible for free school meals only.

Transitional protections for existing claims will end. This means that eligibility will no longer be protected until the end of a child’s current phase of education.

Suffolk County Council will carry out checks on all pupils currently eligible for FSM between June 2026 and the start of the new school year. This will ensure schools know which pupils qualify for Targeted or Expanded FSM from September.

Applying for FSM If you have not previously applied for Free School Meals and believe you may be eligible under the new criteria, please submit an online application via the Suffolk County Council website after 8 June 2026: Apply for free school meals - Suffolk County Council.

Applying for a free school meal does not mean that your child has to have school dinners but it does mean that the school will receive Pupil Premium funding for your child if you successfully apply.  We use an electronic system to capture the data of those children in receipt of a free school meal.  Children collect their meals in the same way others do, by providing their name at the till point.

Allergens & Dietary Requirements

Allergens - If your child requires a medical diet due to a diagnosed food allergy, diagnosed food intolerance or a medical condition requiring an adapted menu (e.g. carbohydrate count for Type 1 Diabetes), please follow this link to request a medical diet.  

For further support, please refer to the document: ‘Edwards & Blake Medical Diets - A Guide for Parents, Guardians & Carers’. 

Kindly note, you DO NOT need to make a request for dietary preferences, or for the following diets: vegan, pescatarian, vegetarian or halal, as these requirements can be met through our standard menu. 

Snacks 

The Department of Health funds the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme as part of the ‘5 a day’ programme to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Under the scheme, all KS1 children are entitled to a free piece of fruit or vegetable portion each school day.  

Pupils in year groups 3 and above will need to bring their own healthy snack that is low in salt, sugar and fat. Please make it clear to your child what is their snack and what is their lunch - they will be challenged, if they are not eating a healthy snack. 

Packed Lunches

Children may bring a packed lunch as an alternative to a school dinner. We recommend that you include a cool pack in your child's lunch box. Please could we ask children not to bring in any snacks or packed lunches which contain nuts (packets of peanuts, peanut butter, cereal bars with whole nuts etc) as we have both children and staff with nut allergies.  

We encourage families to ensure that their child's packed lunch provides a healthy, balanced diet. SWEETS, CHOCOLATE BARS, FIZZY DRINKS OR ENERGY DRINKS ARE NOT PERMITTED. Guidance on a healthy lunchbox can be found on the Change 4 Life website.

If your child forgets their packed lunch, we may be able to provide them with a school meal BUT you will be charged for this.  

Drinks

We have water points around the school that children can access.  Children are encouraged to bring a bottle of WATER with them to school each day (all bottles should be clearly named). Juice/squash is not permitted.