School Meals, Milk and Daytime Snacks
Click on the below link to take you to the Spring Term menus.
Menus , both main and allergen aware, operate on a 3 week rolling basis. Click on the below link:
School Lunch Menu – Ashlands Primary School
Hutchisons Catering
We are delighted to share that from January 2026, we will be introducing a new catering partner to enhance the dining experience for all our pupils.
Hutchisons Catering has been awarded the contract for our Trust primary schools. We were impressed not only by the quality of their food but also by their ethos and commitment to fresh, nutritious meals as well as their focus on environmental impact.
Ashlands will be the first school to transition when we return to school on Tuesday 6th January, with others following shortly after.
What’s New?
• Freshly Prepared Meals: All food will be cooked from scratch on site daily, overseen by a dedicated chef manager.
• Seasonal Menus: A three-week rotating menu using British ingredients, sourced sustainably and locally wherever possible.
• Pupil-Approved Choices: At tastings, pupils particularly enjoyed the variety of options, including fresh crudités.
School Meal Prices
Reception and Key Stage 1: Children continue to receive free meals under the Universal Infant Free School Meal scheme.
Free School Meals (FSM) on economic grounds will continue to receive a free school meal.
Key Stage 2: Meals will cost £2.83 per day .
Nursery Meals: Meals will cost £2.40 per day.
Ordering System:
Appetite Ordering System
Hutchisons uses an online system called Appetite, allowing parents/carers to pre-order meals and view nutritional information. Further details can be found below.
Appetite App Information Letter 11.12.25Download
Allergens and Food Intolerances
If your child has an allergy or food intolerance you must complete and return the below form to indicate this. Hutchisons will flag this on the meal ordering system and you will be directed to the Allergen menus at point of ordering.
Special Diet Request Form – Hutchison Catering Download
You must complete and return this form as well as indicating any allergies on the school Admission Form.
We operate a nut and seed free kitchen.
Packed Lunches
Please remember that nuts / products containing nuts (including peanut butter and Nutella) and seeds, including seeded bread and hummus are not permitted in packed lunches.
You are able to choose which days your child has a school dinner and which days our child is able to bring a packed lunch.
We ask that children who do bring packed lunches do not bring hot food / drinks in vacuum flasks and we do not allow children to bring sweets.
Drinks should be sent in a non-breakable leak proof container.
Although we do not feel it is the school’s responsibility to ‘police’ lunch boxes, parents are asked to ensure that packed lunches are balanced, healthy and properly satisfying.
A team of Lunchtime Supervisors look after the children in the dining room and in the playground.
In the event of wet weather children are supervised in classrooms.
We make every effort to ensure that children are catered for with games and peer leaders.
Ashlands kitchen has a 5 Star Hygiene rating.
Universal Free School Meals
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive a free school meal via the Universal Free School Meals initiative.
Economic Free School Meals
Children in Years 3-6 and Nursery may be entitled to a free school meal if your joint family income is less than £16,190 per year or if you (*1) are in receipt of any of the benefits listed below:
This is the top rating possible and means that that our kitchen hygiene standards are very good.
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income- related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support from NASS (National Asylum Support Service) under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on
- Universal Credit
- The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
*1 This includes those who have parental rights for the child/children named on this form.
Parents should make their Free School Meal claim online at:
Children in Years 3-6 and Nursery may be entitled to a free school meal if your joint family income is less than £16,190 per year or if you (*1) are in receipt of any of the benefits listed below:
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income- related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support from NASS (National Asylum Support Service) under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on
- Universal Credit
*1 This includes those who have parental rights for the child/children named on this form.
Parents should make their Free School Meal claim online at: www.bradford.gov.uk/schoolmeals
This is the quickest method of application. There is a downloadable pdf form on this page that can be printed off from this link. If you have any difficulties please contact the school office for assistance.
School Milk
Milk is available for pupils all pupils. This is free to Nursery and Reception children.
Ashlands uses Cool Milk for their pupil milk. Cool Milk are widely used across primary schools for pupil milk.
If you wish for your child to have milk in school, you must register them on the Cool Milk portal. This applies to all children from nursery through to Year 6, for those under 5 there will be no charge, for those over 5 there will be a subsided charge.
See further details below:
General
• All children at Ashlands are entitled to milk at break time.
• Under 5’s are free, parents still need to register their child with Cool Milk so they know quantities to deliver.
• There is a charge for over 5’s if you choose to have milk.
• School receives class a list of children who are registered so we know who to give it to.
• Under the Cool Milk system you can register / deregister your child through the year so if you don’t sign up initially in September then don’t worry.
• Water will continue to be available for all children in school. In nursery and reception, we have a snack table that the children can access. For children in Year 1 – Year 6 we ask that they have a named water bottle in school that they can fill up through the school day.
• If your child has a dietary requirement and cannot drink cow’s milk, please contact the school office.
Information for parents of children in nursery and reception under 5’s.
• Milk is free for children 5 and under.
• You will still need to register on Cool Milk so that they know to delivery milk for your child (This includes nursery children).
• If your child is in nursery then you need to indicate which days they attend. Milk is available through the day so don’t worry if they only attend ½ days on certain days.
• Once your child turns 5, Cool Milk will contact you to ask whether you want to continue and to arrange payment
Information for parents of children over 5.
• Parents / guardians of children over 5 are required to pay for milk if your child wants it. For September you need to do this via the Cool Milk portal and not Arbor.
• All payments are direct to Cool Milk and not to school.
Free School Meal pupil information.
• If your child is over the age of 5 and eligible for free school meals they are entitled to free school milk.
• Parents should register on the Cool Milk portal and Cool Milk will confirm with school eligibility
Please find below useful information:
Please note that parents share information regarding their child when they register for milk, school will not share information regarding pupils on roll who do not take milk.
Day Times Snacks
Children in Key Stage 1 are provided with a fruit or vegetable snack at morning break. This is through the National Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and there is no charge.
Children in Key Stage 2 may bring fruit snack/vegetable snack if they wish. Sweets, chocolate, biscuits or crisps are not allowed. Snacks should be marked with the child’s name.
Children are encouraged to bring in bottled water and bottles can be filled at the fountains around school. Other drinks are not allowed. Please ensure that your child has a named bottle.
Children in nursery and reception do not need a water bottle as water is available through the day at the snack table.
