School Dinners
Our Dinners
Our dinners are supplied by Aspens Services, a market leading education catering company specialising in school food.
Aspen only work in the education sector so we know what our customers want. Mixing this knowledge with an understanding of what’s hot in the food world sparks creativity and excitement in our chefs. Our kitchens provide delicious home cooked school meals each day and cater for individual dietary requirements.
They don’t just provide food, they play our part to educate children and raise awareness about nutrition, food and where it comes from, so that they can make informed and mindful choices. Feeding our future.
Aspen make sure that our Food Festival lunch menus are packed with comfort dishes and, at the same time, we help pupils to take their first steps with new tastes to explore. They make the most of fruit and vegetables that are in season, because that’s when they taste best and are the most planet friendly too.
We operate a cashless system for school dinners. So simply add money to your Arbor account before the start of the week and choose which meal you require from the menu for each day (don't forget this bit or you'll forever get Pasta). Then pupils simply inform their class teacher during register. Our menu changes termly and rotates on a 3-week cycle (current menu below). Please click the below links for help with Arbor:
Autumn 2026 / Winter 2027 Menu
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Targeted Free School Meals
Targeted Free School Meals are available to children whose families meet the Government’s income-based eligibility criteria.
• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earning from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after the person stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit) These meals are provided because a family qualifies through receipt of certain benefits or because their household income falls within the qualifying threshold. Additional benefits at our school Pupils who are eligible for Targeted Free School Meals can also benefit from additional support, including:
• A £20 school uniform voucher to spend at Mansfield Schoolwear Centre.
• Discounted after-school clubs.
• Financial support towards some school residential visits.
We encourage families to ensure they remain registered if they are eligible, as this support can make a real difference throughout the school year.
Expanded Free School Meals
Expanded Free School Meals are provided to children who receive a free school meal as part of the Government's wider free meal programme but who do not meet the income-based eligibility criteria for Targeted Free School Meals. Therefore, over half a million additional pupils will become eligible for Free School Meals under the new eligibility criteria. The change means that all households receiving Universal Credit, above the current £7,400 income cap, will qualify for this support. This expansion builds upon the existing provision which already covers:
• 2.1 million disadvantaged children
• 90,000 low-income students in Further Education
• Around 1.3 million infants under the Universal Infant Free School meal programme
Children receiving Expanded Free School Meals will continue to receive their free school meal but are not eligible for additional support from school unless they also qualify for Targeted Free School Meals
