From Monday 5th June 2023, the price of a school meal will increase to £2.80 a day, or £14.00 per week. This will apply to anyone not entitled to means tested free school meals in years 3 to 6.
Our school meals are provided by Gateshead Council’s School Catering Service. The service has faced rising labour and food costs. However, the council are charging the school £3.00 per meal, so overall, we are subsidising each meal.
Gateshead School catering is nationally recognised, award-winning service and were announced as the UK’s best performer in Education Catering for the second year running; this award provides an analysis of standards, quality, cost and productivity in comparison to other similar local authorities, demonstrating that they offer excellent value for money. They uphold a number of accreditations which serve to reassure customer of their commitment to quality, sustainability and animal welfare as well as supporting local businesses:
Their menus are carefully constructed using fresh ingredients and are served up by a well-trained skilled and experienced team. School meals offer children the chance to eat a nutritious, tasty meal in a social and safe environment.
School meals should be paid for in advance. Paying weekly for longer periods helps the school make best use of valuable administration time, reduces the need for reminders and is much appreciated. Payment can be made online via your School Gateway account, by cash in a sealed named envelope, or cheque (made payable to Chopwell Primary School).
If you think you may be entitled to free school meals, please contact 0191 433 3729 or visit Gateshead Council’s website for more information.
We feel that our school meals are an excellent choice for lunchtime and hope that you till support the catering service within our school.