Menus & Information About School Meals

Apply for Free School Meals Online

Lunchtimes at Peafield Lane

Children  can choose whether to have a hot school dinner or bring a packed lunch.  You do not need to pre-order your child's meal, their class teacher will take orders at morning registration and the kitchen will cook meals according to the registers.  We have amended the school dinner menu starting in Summer 2026 and will be trying to ensure the children are being offered the meals they like!

Paying for school meals is quite straightforward: you can pay online using your child’s ParentPay account (please see the school office for your login details and help with setting this up if needed). If your child is in Acorns (FS2) , Year 1 or Year 2 they will be entitled have their school dinners at no charge. Please see the leaflet for Universal Free School Meals above for more information, or speak to a member of staff.  From the 1st September 2026 paid meals cost £3.40 per day.

Lunches are organised in sittings and children may eat with their friends in the school hall.  Children collect their chosen meal from the kitchen staff at the front of the hall and sit on table with their friends to eat together.  Midday staff circulate to ensure children act responsibly towards each other and that table manners are at their best. Children are taught to use knives and forks properly.  When they have finished their lunch, children clear away their plates, dishes and cutlery and go outside to play.

Once outside children are given a wide range of activities to choose from: football pitches are set up and cover half of the astroturf, different zones for skipping, cricket, tennis and other athletic activities are also set out. There are quiet areas with tables for drawing on and giant connect 4 as well as the ‘Teletubbie Land’ zone with hills and grass for our younger children to roll about on and engage in free play.

As well as the several midday staff on duty we now have two teaching assistants outside each day whose role is to set up and co-ordinate large group games such as ‘stick-in-the-mud’, ‘tag-bulldog’, ‘grandma’s footsteps’ and more.

We love our lunchtimes at Peafield; there’s loads to do and they’re great fun.

Free School Meals

From the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, free school meals eligibility is being expanded to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit, regardless of household earnings. Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the qualifying benefits below:

• Universal Credit 
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Households may also be entitled to a meal if they: 

• are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• receive the guarantee element of Pension Credit
• meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds

There will be two qualifying groups for free school meals: 

• Targeted free school meals - households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less.  
• Expanded free school meals - pupils who do not qualify for targeted free school meals, but are in households receiving Universal Credit. 

If you are awarded free school meals this will continue to the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, even if you have a change in your circumstances that means you should not qualify for free school meals. All claims will be reviewed ahead of the 2027-2028 academic year. 

Free school meals for children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) has been permanently extended subject to maximum income thresholds.  More information is available here for children of those who have no recourse to public funds. Families in these groups cannot apply online and should telephone our customer service team to apply.

The information needed to register includes:

• Personal details (including national insurance number and date of birth) for you and your partner.
• Child's details in full including their date of birth and the school they attend
• If eligible for free school meals and/or milk the start date will normally be within two days of parents contacting the office and entitlement being verified. The office will also write to confirm the date the child's free school meals and milk will start. Children transferring between Nottinghamshire schools need not re-apply. 

Please use the link above to apply online or telephone the Free School Meals Team on 0300 500 8080