School Meals
School Meals
We are a healthy school and encourage all pupils to make healthy meal choices. School meals are available for all children in the school and include a vegetarian option. Children can bring a healthy packed lunch, which is eaten in the hall with the other children when school dinners are served. Packed lunches must not contain crisps, sweets, chocolate bars or fizzy drinks. A healthy packed lunch should contain a sandwich, a piece of fruit, vegetables, yoghurt and a bottle of water. School dinners are free for all children.
Free School Meals during School Closure – COVID-19
St John the Baptist School is closed except for children of key workers and vulnerable children. All families eligible for Free School Meals (which does not mean ALL of our families) will receive a voucher from the school each week while school is closed. Eligibility is determined by the Hackney Learning Trust.
If you are eligible for Free School Meals, you will receive an e-mail from Edenred (who are distributing vouchers on behalf of the Department of Education). Please be aware the e-mail may come through to your spam / junk folder.
Edenred Voucher Guidance for Parents – read the guidance carefully and follow the steps to redeem your voucher.
NOTE: Edenred are currently experiencing delays in sending out vouchers due to the the scale of demand. We will aim to keep you informed each week on the progress of your vouchers.
If you have not received a voucher and believe you are eligible for Free School Meals, please contact the school office on 0207 739 4902. For parents who have not yet applied for Free School Meals with the Hackney Learning Trust, you can do so by clicking on the link below:
Hackney Learning Trust Free School Meals
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Cereals, toast and fruit are always supplemented with a hot option in breakfast club. Breakfast club costs £1.50 per day or £7.50 per week.
Snacks in after school child care include fruit juice and a healthy sandwich or roll.
Our menus are on a 3-week rota. Please click on the following links to see what is being served this term. If you would like paper copies, please ask at the school office.
Fruit is provided for all children in EYFS and KS1 during the mid-morning break.
Please note that the school and playgrounds are a crisp, sweet and chewing-gum free zone.
NOTE: A sample menu can be found here: Menu
Is your child eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant?
Parents in receipt of Income Support or Working Tax Credit may be eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant. The school office provides information on this and any discussion will be treated as strictly confidential.
Based on data obtained from the DfE, London schools served by LGfL, are missing out on a total of about £50m in unclaimed Pupil Premium. To simplify the process by which a parent checks for free school meals eligibility, LGfL has worked in collaboration with the DfE, local authorities and supply partner, Atomwide. They have created an eligibility checking web site which provides an immediate response to a parent’s application and also notifies the school of eligibility, allowing the school to make arrangements for meal provision and pupil premium. You can check the LGfL website here.
The total Pupil Premium paid out in respect of each school is determined by the number of known FSM-eligible pupils at the time of the DfE census return – October 2018. Following testing and pilot use, the new eligibility-checker web site at www.fsm.lgfl.net is now live.
Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) is applicable to all children in Reception and KS1 (Years 1 & 2) across the country. Currently all of our children receive free school meals. Only at St John the Baptist do Years 3-6 receive free school meals provided for by the school, not the Local Authority.
Please follow the link for more information on how to check your eligibility for free school meals Free School Meals and the Pupil Premium information
Hackney Learning Trust – Free School Meals eligibility
Free School Meals For ALL
We know how difficult juggling the demands of family life can be, especially financially. So, from 18th April 2017, we started offering free school meals for every child. Not just EYFS and KS1, but for every child in KS2 too.
Until at least September 2019, our free school meals programme will save you £370 each year, per child.
Only by juggling our own finances have we been able to make this offer for years three to six. And that’s because we know the difference it can make to you and your family. In fact, we are the only Hackney Primary School to do so.
If the programme is successful, it will continue and could save you almost £1,500 over the time your child is at the school.
To find out more, call the school office on 020 7739 4902 and we will be delighted to give you all the details. Or better still, why not pop in to meet us, and take a tour of our school.
At SJB you will meet our wonderful children, nurtured in a creative environment, by our talented and conscientious staff. See our grounds which are the envy of many other central London schools and include a multi-use sports pitch and a delightful oasis on our extensive roof space; not to mention our multi-media learning facilities.
We have partnerships with a variety of organisations including St Paul’s Cathedral, Linklaters, Cass Business School London, Ministry of Stories, Beanstalk and Oscar winning pianist, Nico Casal.
This has translated into our academic results: we exceeded national expectations for attainment in KS1 and for progress in KS2 in 2015 and 2016.
Plus, in April 2016, we were graded Outstanding by the National Society on behalf of the Church of England.
So, for more information, to arrange a visit or to enquire about a school place, call us on 020 7739 4902. You can also go to our contact us page and ask us your questions.