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School Meals

The school’s catering service is provided by Taylor Shaw, caterer of choice for thousands of secondary school students across the UK.  

Taylor Shaw believe lunch is an integral part of the school day. When students sit down with friends, they cement relationships, enhance social skills, and replenish both their body and mind.  

Menus are exciting, nutritious, and appealing, served in a supportive environment designed to educate students about how they can make healthy choices to support their wellbeing and improve their ability to focus.  

Freshly prepared menus meet the Government’s School Food Standards and meet the bronze Food for Life standards.     

Menus

Morning Break

Grab and Go

Main Menu 

Great Value  

Meal deals include: 

  • Main Meal Deal priced at £2.40 - includes up to 3 items   

  • Mini Meal Deal priced at £1.75 – includes 2 items  

Healthy Eating Promotion  

Good nutritional choices are vital to students’ health, academic achievement, and wider performance at school. Our Healthy Swaps campaign encourages the uptake of healthier items by providing suggestions for more nutritious options that are readily available.   

Theme Days  

Keep an eye out for regular Theme Days and Pop Ups featuring fantastic flavours for students to try including Taste of Greece, May The Fourth Be With You and Veganuary! 

Allergen Management  

At Taylor Shaw, all colleagues are trained and up to date with allergen procedures and will provide accurate allergen information to your child. If your child has allergies, we would ask that they speak to catering staff for information so that they can be provided with the information they need to make an informed and safe choice. 

Eating a School Lunch is Better for Your Child 

Did you know only 1% of packed lunches meet the nutritional standards that currently apply to school food?  Five reasons school lunches are better;   

  1. They save time & money 

  1. They’re nutritionally better than a packed lunch  

  1. They promote a varied diet & encourages new tastes 

  1. They support inclusivity, dining with friends  

  1. They help academic attainment by being linked to improved concentration 

https://taylorshaw.com/ 

Iris +Pay Lunch Cards

All catering purchases are made using a Lunch Card which is issued to all students. This dramatically speeds up payment for food and reduces queuing, therefore increasing the time children have to enjoy their breaks. There is no cash taken in school.

All families are added to Iris, so that they can put money onto their child’s Lunch Card account online through Iris +Pay.

If a card is lost, misplaced or stolen the cardholder will need to immediately report the loss to the college. The card will then be disabled and a replacement card issued. The college may levy a charge in respect of this.

Further information and answers to frequently asked questions about Iris +Pay can be found here on their website.

To log into Iris +Pay please visit https://pmx.parentmail.co.uk/#core/login 

Free School Meals

The FSM allowance is £2.35 a day, which covers the cost of a meal and a drink. Aspens (our contracted catering company) subsidise this with an additional snack up to the value of £1.

At break students can have a snack up to the value of £1. This includes a range of pastries, brownies, cookies and some hot options. Then, at lunch students can pick a main meal of their choice. This could be the hot meal of the day, filled jacket potato or other hot items e.g., paninis, or if they prefer, a cold option e.g., sandwich, baguette or pasta pot.

How does it work?

First check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, you can register for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:

  • Income Support
  • Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part V1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
  • Working Tax Credit ‘run on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

Students can also register for Free School Meals if they get any of these benefits themselves.

Registering is really quick and easy, and no proof of entitlement is needed. If you think you qualify, contact Student Services who will help you register or alternatively log on to the Cambridgeshire County Website and apply online. 

On receipt of the online application, Cambridgeshire County Council will check for entitlement through a secure Electronic Checking System. All that is needed is the claimant’s National Insurance number, their child’s details and details of their child’s schools.

If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s great – they will get the free meal (save around £400 a year)

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