Ashdon Primary School
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Small school. Big welcome.
Reception places for September 2027!
Please book your tour!
Lunches
Our school meals are freshly prepared and cooked in our own school kitchen every day.
A school meal costs £3.30 per day. Our menu runs on a two-week rota and can be downloaded below.
Our Two Week Menus
Menu - Week 1
Menu - Week 2
Meet our School Caterer
Our meals are cooked by Mrs Henry, who has been part of the Ashdon team for 4 years. Everything is prepared on site each morning rather than arriving ready-made, and Mrs Henry knows every pupil by name — and exactly who does and does not want gravy.
Freshly made cakes and deserts cooked weekly in our own school kitchen!
Families joining us in Reception are invited to try one of Mrs Henry's lunches with their child at our "Come Dine With Me" session in the summer term.
Our school kitchen holds a 5-star food hygiene rating, the highest available under the Food Standards Agency scheme.
Paying for meals
From 1 September 2026, all school meal payments are made through the Arbor Parent Portal. This replaces Scopay, which is no longer in use.
In Arbor you can view your balance, top up your account and set a low-balance alert so that you are reminded before your account runs short. Please keep your account in credit to avoid falling into arrears. If you need help getting started with Arbor, the school office will be glad to assist.
Our School Meals Debt Policy is available to download below.
Free school meals
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 automatically receive a free school meal. This is known as Universal Infant Free School Meals and you do not need to apply for it.
From September 2026 the Government has expanded free school meal eligibility. All children from households receiving Universal Credit are now entitled to a free school meal, whatever the household earns. There are two categories:
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Targeted free school meals — for households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less, and for households receiving certain other qualifying benefits or with no recourse to public funds. Children in this group receive a free meal and also bring additional pupil premium funding to the school.
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Expanded free school meals — for households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings above £7,400. Children in this group receive a free meal.
Please note: the transitional protections that had been in place since 2018 ended in July 2026. If your child received free school meals under the previous rules, their entitlement is being reassessed against the new criteria. Please check your position and apply again if your circumstances have changed.
Even if your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and already receives a free meal, we would encourage you to apply. A successful application may bring extra funding to the school, which we use on initiatives to support your child’s learning.
Applications are made through Essex County Council, not through the school. Applications are usually processed within 15 working days, though this can take longer in August and September. If your child changes school or you move house, you will need to apply again.
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Apply for free school meals — Essex County Council:
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Please see additional information applying for free school mealsl:
Some parents worry that their child might be identified as different from their classmates. When the dinner register is taken, staff only ask whether a child is having a school dinner or a packed lunch, so no child is identified as receiving a free meal. If you would like to talk this through in confidence, please contact the school office.
Allergies, intolerances and special diets
If your child has a food allergy or intolerance, or a medical or religious dietary requirement, please tell the school office before your child has their first school meal. We will ask you to complete a special diet request form, and where appropriate we will work with you and your child’s healthcare team to put an individual healthcare plan in place. Please tell us straight away if anything changes.
All our staff have completed accredited allergy and anaphylaxis training, and we keep the necessary medication and equipment on site. Allergen information for each menu is available from the school office on request.
We ask families not to send nuts, or products containing nuts, in packed lunches or as snacks. We cannot guarantee an entirely nut-free environment, but this helps us to reduce the risk to children with severe allergies.
Allergies and Anaphylaxis Leads - Mrs Anderson and Mrs Dowding.
Please see our Allergies and Anaphylaxis Policy on our policy page.
If you need any further information, please contact the school office.
Healthy Packed Lunches
Healthy Break-Time Snacks
Packed lunches and break-time snacks
A healthy lunch helps children to maintain their concentration and energy through the afternoon, so we ask parents to think carefully about what goes into a packed lunch. The NHS Healthier Families website has practical ideas and recipes for lunchboxes and snacks.
Our expectations:
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No nuts or products containing nuts.
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Break-time snacks should be fruit, vegetables or dried fruit — not crisps or chocolate.
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A packed lunch should be balanced and nutritious: a sandwich, wrap or salad, a portion of fruit or vegetables, and one small treat.
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Children may bring a water bottle every day. Please fill it with water only — no squash or flavoured water.
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NHS healthier lunchboxes and healthy snack ideas for children - just click on the images on the left hand side.
Choosing between school dinners and packed lunches
Children choose each morning whether they would like a school meal or their packed lunch, and simply tell their teacher when the register is taken. There is no need to book in advance or let the office know beforehand.
Milk
All children under five are offered a carton of milk each day. Milk is free for children under five, up to and including their fifth birthday, and for children entitled to free school meals. For everyone else there is a small charge, which is paid through the Arbor Parent Portal, in the same way as school meals. If you would like your child to have milk, please let the school office know and we will add them to the list.
If your child forgets their lunch
No child at Ashdon goes without lunch. If your child arrives without a packed lunch, the office will telephone you to ask whether you would prefer to bring one in or for your child to choose a meal from our school menu at the usual cost of £3.30.