An important part of academy life is food – good food and nutrition can support learning and lead to healthy bodies and healthy children, leading to better learning.

Our families love to see what their child has been eating – our menus are now uploaded for this current term:

Autumn 2024 menus

Jacket potato and sandwich menu

Autumn Menu (to October half term)

Universal free school meals (UFSM)

UFSM is an ongoing government initiative which provides a free lunch for all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 (key stage 1). There is no need to prove eligibility and all children in these year groups are entitled to this.

This is not the same as the Free School Meals (FSM), which are provided for children whose parents/carers are in receipt of certain benefits, as UFSM does not carry pupil premium funding. It is important that parents who receive one of the qualifying benefits register for benefits related free school meals instead of UFSM as this enables us to claim pupil premium too. You can find out more about free school meals below.

To find out more about universal free school meals, contact the academy office.

Free school meals (FSM)

We know that having a nutritious meal during the school day is important for children’s health, wellbeing and learning – and we want to ensure that all children who are eligible for free school meals benefit from this scheme.

Your child may be able to receive free school meals if you get any of the following:

  • 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 – your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

If you think that your child(ren) may be entitled to free school meals then you can either apply online or download a form via the Nottinghamshire County Council website here, or phone them on 0300 500 80 80.

Once your application has been approved, the council will inform the academy and we can then start providing free school meals for your child(ren). We treat all recipients with complete discretion.

We are here to help, so contact us if you have any queries or concerns you would like to discuss directly with the academy.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, your local food bank can help. To arrange a food voucher for your family, visit Sherwood Forest Foodbank(opens in new tab), or for further support contact the academy(opens in new tab) to talk to someone in confidence.