Our school catering facility is run in-house by our wonderful Catering team – led by Diane Bones. This means we have control over what we serve and from where we source our ingredients.
Typical Menu
Each day there will be a variety of hot and cold food including (but not limited to) paninis, baguettes, pizza, rolls, sandwiches, bagels, pasta, jacket potatoes, fruit, yoghurts, cakes and drinks. When COVID allows we will also be providing hot meals such as curries, roasts and pies accompanied by a hot dessert.
Breakfast club
The school breakfast club is open from 7:45 in the morning and serves cereals, toast, bacon rolls, pastries and drinks. FSM students receive cereals, juice and toast (with butter, Jam or marmite) free – this is on top of their allowance.
Natasha’s Law
From October 2021, this new law comes in to force, which requires all pre-packed food offered for sale to be labelled with a full list of ingredients. This is to protect people from inadvertently consuming something that will cause them an allergic reaction. If your child suffers from any allergies, please encourage them to make themselves known to Diane so that she is aware and also encourage them to read the new labels.
Payment
Students can pay for refreshments using a debit or credit card or their fob, which can be preloaded with funds online using the Parentmail +Pay portal (they can of course still pay in cash if they wish). This is the system we use for you to pay for all things school related. When you logon to Parentmail, you will see a dinner money option which will allow you to load money onto your child’s account. In order to pay for school items (including lunch money), you need to register yourself with Parentmail via the link that will be emailed to you when you first join. If you have not received an email, please contact the finance office: finance@fernup.dorset.sch.uk.
When a student begins at FUS in Y9 to Y11, they will receive a black catering fob, which can be attached to their keyring or popped in their wallet. Students starting in the 6th form will receive an ID card during September, which is used for catering and attendance. Students entitled to Free School Meals will have their entitlement added on to their account automatically every night ready for the next day, and their fobs/ID cards are exactly the same as all the others, so they are not identifiable.
Free School Meals
FSM students are entitled free breakfast every morning as well as their daily allowance of £3.50 per day. This enables them to buy something at break and something at lunch, meaning they will never go hungry.
What are the eligibility criteria?
Children are entitled to receive free school meals if they or their parents or guardians receive any of the benefits below:
- income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
I don’t currently claim free school meals – what does this mean for me?
If you think you might be eligible for free school meals, you need to submit a claim to Dorset Council via their website here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/education-and-training/schools-and-learning/at-school/free-school-meals.aspx Alternatively, you may obtain a form from the school office. The information you provide will be used to check if you are in qualify. If you are eligible, we will be notified. Your child will receive free school meals and will automatically be entitled to receive other pupil premium benefits that the school will provide, such as additional support and resources for your child, including revision guides, uniform grants and financial help with trips etc.