Mellors Catering Services have been providing catering at Stocksbridge Junior School since September 2020.  

During morning registration, the classroom teacher lets children know what is available on the menu for that day. When your child arrives in the dining hall at lunchtime, they will line up at the counter and will be able to choose what meal they would like. Your child will be able to taste the food before they make their choice. If you would prefer your child to eat a vegetarian meal, please put your request in writing to the headteacher.

Mellors Catering Services look for ways to become involved in wider activities within school including delivering fun, healthy eating assemblies, bread and pasta cookery lessons and attending parents’ evenings to answer any queries parents may have about school lunches.

Feedback

The catering team welcome any suggestions you may have regarding menu choice and they invite you to come and speak to them about any specific dietary requirements your child may have. Please contact the school office who will put you in touch with the team at Mellors.

Payment of school meals

School dinners are charged at £2.45 per day (price from 19 February 2024). It is requested that parents pay for their child’s school dinners on a weekly basis using our online payment facility in ParentMail.

Please note that dinner money must be paid in advance on ParentMail. In the event of there being outstanding dinner payments at the end of the week, parents will receive a reminder email via ParentMail of the amount owed. If there is an arrear of £20 or more, parents will be informed by a telephone call that their child will need to bring packed lunch until the debt has been cleared.

No charge is made for school meals when a child’s parents receive income support. If you think you may be eligible, please speak to a member of our Office Team who will be able to give you details of how to apply for free meals. Further information is also available on Sheffield City Council’s website.

Packed lunch

If you prefer, your child may bring a healthy packed lunch to school. Please visit the Eat Smart Sheffield guidance below for ideas for your child’s packed lunch!

Please ensure that your child’s lunch is in a named container. We ask that drinks are not sent as each child is provided with fresh drinking water in the dining room.

You should be aware that we do not have refrigeration facilities for storing packed lunches during hot weather, so bear this in mind when choosing suitable foods.

No nuts in school

We must highlight the importance of our school being nut-free.  We have children with severe nut allergies who are at risk of significant reactions even being in the close proximity of a food containing nut products like hazelnut filling. Please ensure the contents of your child’s lunchbox and their snack do not contain nuts for the safety of all our pupils.

Free healthy breakfast for all

We are pleased that we qualify for the National Schools Breakfast Programme, which is funded by the Department for Education and run by Family Action to support schools in England to provide children with a healthy breakfast at the start of the school day.  Every school day, every pupil is offered a free bagel at the start of their school day.

Healthy Snacks

Children may bring a snack for their morning break. As a school that promotes healthy lifestyles, we ask that children bring healthy snacks. Children are not permitted to bring sweets to school.

Milk

Any child of junior school age that wishes to have milk must pay for it unless they qualify for free school meals. Children must opt to take milk for a whole term. The cost of milk will vary depending on the number of days in that term. As milk is ordered on a termly basis, money paid for milk cannot be refunded, even if your child does not drink the milk due to absence or any other reason.

Parents will receive an alert via ParentMail towards the end of each term enabling parents to pay for their child’s milk for the following term.

Drinking Water

Children may bring a bottle of water (not cordial or fizzy drinks) to have with them during lessons. We request that water bottles have sports caps to minimise the number of spillages.