School Meals
Our school meals are provided by Hutchison Catering, an independent, family-run catering supplier that maintains a traceable supply chain, and values ethical farming practices and locally sourced food where possible. We recognise that a great school food culture improves pupil health and wellbeing and Malin Bridge pupils enjoy freshly made food in our bright and cheery school halls every day.
All about Hutchisons
- w/c 1 September 2025
- w/c 22 September 2025
- w/c 13 October 2025
- w/c 8 September 2025
- w/c 29 September 2025
- w/c 20 October 2025
- w/c 15 September 2025
- w/c 6 October 2025
Hutchisons regularly gather ideas and feedback from pupils so that they can provide tempting, nutritionally balanced and wide-ranging food options that our pupils will enjoy. We work with Hutchisons to:
- offer tasty, nutritionally balanced meals
- offer crudités and jugs of water on the tables
- cater for a wide range of dietary requirements
- use local suppliers wherever possible
- make sure that 80% of our dishes are freshly prepared
- follow the standards set by the Soil Association Food for Life Partnership
- maintain a 5 star hygiene rated kitchen
- minimise packaging
- recycle as much as possible
Dietary requirements
All food products and menus will be clearly labelled where applicable, and all catering staff receive allergen training.
Special dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, and allergies can be accommodated. Please contact office@malinbridge.chorustrust.org for further information.
Paying for school meals
Bridge
Children can first take school meals when they enter the Bridge setting, chargeable at £2.50 per day. Children in Stepping Stones must be provided with a packed lunch from home.
Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 2
All children in Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to universal free school meals, funded by the government. Even if your child is in Foundation Stage, Year 1 or Year 2 and you think that you may be entitled to means tested free school meals also when your child gets older, please still apply for this funding as it means that we also then receive pupil premium funding, which will help us to provide further support for your child.
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6
School meals will be charged at £3.00 per day.
We use a cashless catering payment system (ParentMail PMX) and your child’s dinner money account can be paid for, in advance, using ParentMail. In the event of there being outstanding dinner payments at the end of the week, parents will receive a reminder email via ParentMail of the amount owed. If there is an arrear of £20 or more, parents will be informed by a telephone call that their child will need to bring packed lunch until the debt has been cleared.
Free School Meals
Applying for means-tested free school meals is straightforward, confidential and online and saves you money every year. Your child’s lunch account is automatically and confidentially credited with enough money for their school meal.
Are you eligible?
Just visit the Sheffield City Council website to see if you are eligible and apply.
Did you know?
We receive pupil premium funding for pupils who receive free school meals, which helps us to provide further support for these pupils. To find out how we use this money to support our pupils, please see our pupil premium page.
Further information
Packed lunches
Your child may bring a healthy packed lunch to school, in a named container. Please bear in mind that we will not be able to refrigerate your child’s packed lunch.
Healthy snacks
Children may bring a snack for their morning break. As a school that promotes healthy lifestyles, we ask that children bring healthy snacks. Children are not permitted to bring sweets to school.
Milk
Any child over the age of five in primary school who wishes to have milk must pay for it unless they qualify for means-tested free school meals. Children must opt to take milk for a whole term. The cost of milk will vary depending on the number of days in that term. As milk is ordered on a termly basis, money paid for milk cannot be refunded, even if your child does not drink the milk due to absence or any other reason.
Parents will receive an alert via ParentMail towards the end of each term enabling parents to pay for their child’s milk for the following term.
Drinking water
Children may bring a bottle of water (not cordial or fizzy drinks) to have with them during lessons. We request that water bottles have sports caps to minimise the number of spillages.