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Our school meals provider is Culinera. Lunches are ordered in advance using ParentPay.
Culinera prepare our lunches from scratch every day in the on-site kitchens using fresh, high quality ingredients. Menus meet, and often exceed, the school food standards and are regularly reviewed to ensure only healthy recipes are offered. Menus include a variety of plant based recipes and meat-free days.
The deadline for ordering a school lunch is 8:00 am on the day.
A parent user guide on how to order lunches is available. Our current lunch menu is published on the Culinera Fern Hill website.
Children eat together with their class regardless of whether they have a school lunch or a packed lunch from home. Packed lunches from home must be provided in a named lunch box that can be easily stored. A still drink may be included, though water and semi-skimmed milk are available in the lunch hall. Fizzy drinks or drinks in cans or glass bottles are not permitted. Hot food must be safely contained in a leakproof flask. Confectionery is not allowed and we are a strictly nut-free school.
Free School Meals
Children may be eligible for free school meals if one or both of their parents receive a qualifying benefit. Further information on Free School Meals is published by Kingston Council.
For queries about Free School Meals, contact the school office at: office@fernhillprimary.org
Universal Free School Meals
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal as part of the Universal Infant Free School Meal scheme which began in September 2014.
From September 2023, the Universal Free School Meals scheme has been extended to all state funded primary school children in London boroughs. Children in Years 3-6 at Fern Hill are eligible for free school meals for the full 2023/2024 academic year.
Please note that although lunches under this scheme are free of charge, orders must still be placed using ParentPay.
Further information on the extended entitlement for Years 3-6 is published here.
For queries about the Universal Free School Meals scheme, contact the school at: lunches@fernhillprimary.org
If a child has any allergies or dietary requirements, the school office must be informed. Changes to allergies or dietary requirements should be reported as soon as possible. Special diets for medical needs are catered for where possible. Further information on the provision of special diets is available on the Culinera Fern Hill website.
Go to www.ParentPay.com and log in.
From your homepage, click on the Book meals and places button under your child's name.
Select Lunchtime and the appropriate week commencing date from the drop-down boxes, then click on the Make or view bookings button.
For each day that you require a school lunch, click on your selected main course. Use the Next week tab located at the top right of the menu to move to the following week.
When you have made all your selections, click on the Confirm bookings button at the very bottom of the page.
If a payment is required, the page will navigate to the basket. You can choose to pay straight away or continue shopping for further weeks or any additional children.
For children in Nursery or Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 — you must pay within 2 hours of adding the lunches to your basket or your order will be cancelled automatically by ParentPay.
To view the menu and the choices you have made:
Go to www.ParentPay.com and log in.
From your homepage, click on the View taken meals and menus bar on the left-hand side of your screen. You can view both previous and future orders and your menu selections.
For children in Nursery, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, the cost of a lunch is £2.45. All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). The UIFSM Government initiative provides FREE school lunches for all children in Reception and KS1. Even though you do not need to pay for these lunches, you must still place an order for them via ParentPay and make a selection from the menu.
If you are eligible for Free School Meals, please do continue to apply for them, even if your child is eligible for UIFSM. Maintaining your eligibility attracts funding for the school from the Government that is used to enhance educational and recreational opportunities for your child, e.g. subsidised school trips. Whether your child is in Reception or Year 6, if you are eligible for Free School Meals, please claim them!
Due to the system requirements of ParentPay, an order deadline applies. Orders must be placed before midnight on the Sunday of the previous school week.
If your child has a serious allergy, please contact the school office. You will need to complete a Special Dietary Information Form and make an appointment to meet with our Catering Manager before you order. A letter from your Doctor may also be needed with details of your child's allergy.
Please ensure that you do not order school lunches on days when your child attends an extracurricular lunchtime club. Your child should bring a packed lunch from home on these days.
You can change your lunch order up until the deadline. If you are cancelling a lunch you have already paid for, a credit will automatically be added to your ParentPay account. We do not refund lunches missed due to absence from school for illness or any other reason.
Please contact us by email at: lunches@fernhill.rbksch.org