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School Dinners
School Dinners
Last modified: Sunday, 20 April 2025, 4:42 AM
When children arrive in school each morning, their class teacher will take a dinner register where they will record what each child is having for lunch. Children can either have a school meal, their own packed lunch from home.
From September 2023, all children in primary schools in Wales are eligible for free school meals.
Caerphilly Catering provides a nutritious, freshly cooked, affordable meals each day. Their dinner menu can be downloaded here, and more information can be found on the Caerphilly school dinner webpage. If your child is having a school meal, they can choose from the following options: a school hot meal, a sandwich meal, a school vegetarian meal or a school jacket potato, Your child will tell their teacher their choice during registration in the morning. Since September 2023, school meals for all primary school pupils are free. School kitchens are inspected as part of the national food hygiene ratings system follow the link and put in our school name or postcode to view the school’s current food hygiene rating.
We encourage parents to ensure that packed lunches are healthy. Please do not include nuts in your child’s lunch. There are a number of children who have an allergy to nuts and even touching a surface on which there have been nuts can cause a serious reaction. This also applies to Nutella spread, but chocolate spread is acceptable (though perhaps not the healthiest option for a sandwich filling!)
Universal Primary Free School Meals - FAQs
UPFSM is part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, which will see free school meals being available to all primary school pupils (including full-time Nursery children) regardless of household income.
From September 2023 all primary aged pupils will receive Universal Free School Meals (including full-time Nursery children)
All primary aged pupils (including full-time Nursery children) are qualified to receive UPFSM automatically. Parents and carers will not need to fill in an application form but will be asked by schools on a weekly basis, which days they would like their child(ren) to take up this offer.
Even if you receive a Universal Free School Meal for your child, you should still apply for Free School Meals (eFSM) as this may entitle you to other benefits such as support with purchasing school uniform (School Essential Grant).
Please follow the (eFSM) application process so you don’t lose out on other benefit opportunities.
Families on low income or already in receipt of (eFSM) will continue to be eligible to receive other benefits, such as the school essential grant and will not be affected by the introduction of UPFSM. There is an application process for (eFSM), and it is important that when the new UPFSM scheme is introduced eligible families continue to follow the eFSM application process.
Further information can be found on the Free School Meals webpage.
Yes, you can still send your child(ren) into school with a packed lunch if you choose to. You can also take up the offer of UPFSM on some days or provide a packed lunch on others.
In line with Welsh Government’s commitment to provide all primary aged pupils with free school meals by 2024, there will be no system in place to pay for a school meal by pupils in the appropriate year groups receiving UPFSM from September 2022.
Yes. Special diets and identified allergies are catered for across all schools currently, and this will continue. Please discuss the specific requirements of your child(ren) directly with the school.
Catering providers currently offer a fully nutritionally balanced menu which includes various daily options. Please discuss any concerns you may have with us.
Sandwiches can be provided to cater for school trips or seasonal events throughout the year.
More information about universal primary free school meals will be made available here as and when it becomes available