School Meals

A wide variety of hot and cold food is provided each day at break and lunchtime. Alternatively, students may bring packed lunches. All students must stay on the school premises at lunchtime.

Students with specific dietary requirements can be catered for by our team on request.

The food available from the school dining room is of a high nutritional standard and the concept of healthy lifestyles is promoted, for example through Food Technology and Life Skills lessons.  We have also been awarded ‘Bronze’ as part of the Department for Education Healthy Schools Rating Scheme, which recognises schools’ contribution to supporting students’ health and wellbeing.  

Before and After School Provision

We provide a breakfast service in our dining room from 8.15am every day, accessible to all students. Students are supervised by a member of staff until the bell goes at 8.45am. 

We also have staff supervision in the library after school till 4.15pm, so students who wish to access the library, including the computers, may remain in school till then.   

As part of the School Food Plan there are food based standards to ensure that children get the nutrition they need across the whole day.

The main principles are:

• At least three different fruits and three different vegetables each week.
• A dessert containing at least 50% fruit two or more times each week.
• No more than two pastry items a week.
• No more than two days a week when a carbohydrate cooked in oil or fat is served (garlic bread, roast potatoes, chips, diced potatoes, hash brown & Yorkshire pudding)
• Oily fish once or more every three weeks.
• No more than two portions of food that has been deep-fried, batter-coated or breadcrumb-coated each week. This includes non-fried bread crumbed items.

The Catering at Penwortham Girls High School is provided by Lancashire County Council School and Residential Care Catering.  We care about the food your daughter eats at lunchtime and constantly seek improvements to ingredients and menus.

In the meantime, here are some food facts about our catering:

• The caterers have been awarded a Silver Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association. This means that they are required to produce at least 75% of the published menu from scratch daily.
• All the fresh, baked potatoes are grown in Lancashire.
• All the fresh yoghurt is low fat and is locally produced by Ann Forshaw Longridge.
• All the fresh produce is specified as Class 1.  Wherever possible the policy is to use assured produce providing traceability from seed to plate.
• There are no Genetically Modified (GM) ingredients in any of the lunches.
• The fresh beef burgers are gluten free, reduced salt and a healthy 85% beef grill.
• The cheese is animal rennet free and suitable for vegetarian and religious diets.  The cheese is also locally sourced reduced fat and salt.
• The gravy and the fruit jelly are suitable for vegetarians.
• The jelly contains no artificial colour or flavour.
• The meat dishes do not contain any mechanically recovered (MRM) meat.
• The roast beef is from Cumbria and is best topside.
• By popular demand we include Quorn products within the menu.
• Wherever possible we use branded products such as Quorn, Whitby Scampi, Harry Ramsden’s Chip Shop Fish, Bird’s Eye fish fingers and Knorr gravy.
• Children test new recipes and products where practicable.
• The milk, pasta, rice and flour are Organic.
• The eggs are Lion Quality Assured, Free Range and Locally Sourced.
• All the fish is sourced from sustainable fisheries accredited by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
• All fresh meat holds either Red Tractor or Farm Assured status.
• The pork sausages and pork meatballs are British and carry the British Pig Meat Quality Mark (BQAP).

Free School Meals

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Universal Credit with a household income of less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
• Income-Based Jobseekers’ Allowance
• Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit, not entitled to Working Tax Credit and household income less than £16,190
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit ‘run on’ – the payment you receive for a further four weeks after you finish work

If your child is currently eligible for free school meals, that eligibility will be protected until Universal Credit is introduced (expected March 2022) even if your circumstances change. If your child is still in education on this date, they will be eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they are in.

If you have a younger child starting school in September and you are no longer eligible, they will not be protected because this would be a new claim.

To apply please visit the following webpage https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/schools/free-school-meals/?page=3