School Meals

Our award-winning team provide nutritionally well-balanced meals to schools across Newcastle.  Our menus include different choices each day and always include a vegetarian option.  We also cater for a variety of dietary requirements including needs related to allergens, gluten free and diabetes.

All our menus follow the government guidelines in the School Food Plan.  These standards from the Department for Education ensure that meals are healthy, nutritious and appealing.

All of our meals are prepared fresh daily on site, and most of our ingredients are sourced locally.  Our service has been annually awarded the Soil Association Food for Life Catering Bronze Award for our efforts.

We offer a three-week menu to primary schools, available by request at the contact details below.

However, menus and daily selections may differ from school to school.  For the daily offer at your child's school please see your school's website.

All secondary schools have bespoke menus and they also have an increased range on offer through the day.

Detail on the daily offer is on the individual school websites.

You can contact us to request the information in an accessible format.

Soil Association Food for Life Catering Bronze Award

Since 2015 we have been awarded the Food For Life Bronze Award.  This award means:

• We prepare at least 75% of the food we offer using fresh ingredients
• We only serve meat that is from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards
• We serve fruit and vegetables that are seasonal and locally grown, wherever possible
• Our food is free from GM ingredients, trans fats and harmful additives
• Our eggs are from cage-free hens
• We make sure that free drinking water is available
• We do not serve fish from the Marine Conservation Society ‘fish to avoid’ list and
• Our menus cater for dietary and cultural needs.

Menus

We create our menus following the School Food Plan guidelines while also considering what our customers want.  Our catering teams have menus to suit individual schools, taking into account various needs and preferences.

Allergen information is also available for everything we serve.  This is always available in the kitchens and on request.

In recent years we have worked with nutritionists and our Development Chefs to reduce the level of sugar in the meals and drinks offered in our partner schools.  We have updated our recipes to reduce the levels of sugar and have removed drinks high in sugar content.

Since 2015 we have reduced the amount of sugar in our meals by over 21%.  This has led to improving the intake of vitamin A and vitamin C in our meals.

Where we get our ingredients

We use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.  This means that we can support the local economy and protect the environment.

Costs of school meals

The costs for our school meals are as follows:

• £2.10 for nursery schools
• £2.20 for primary schools
• £2.30 for special schools.

In secondary schools, meals cost £2.30 and there is also a selection of meal deals and other options available.

Free school meals

All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 at state schools in England automatically receive free school meals.

For pupils of other ages, please see our Free School Meals page to see if you are entitled to free school meals and to find out how to apply.

Special events and theme days

We provide bespoke meals throughout the year to support special events in schools such as religious festivals, special events, theme days and trips out.

These fun events give children the opportunity to experience different foods and tastes from around the world and keep mealtimes interesting.

Contact us

We welcome your comments and any questions you have about our service.
You can get in touch with us by email at schoolmeals@newcastle.gov.uk