Catering

Fresh, home cooked food

We are very proud that our Chef and Catering Team cook fresh meals and snacks every day at school. There is an delicious range of hot and cold food available at both morning break and lunchtime and the menu is available to view every week in our Bulletin.

 'The Downs Diner' and  'Café 6' provide pleasant places for students to relax and enjoy their food indoor and outdoors. There is a seperate Y7 and Y8 outdoor and covered area to enjoy their lunch and snacks every day.  The Sixth Formers use Cafe 6 to eat and relax with friends. 

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free meals

 We work closely with members of the School Council to listen to student views about healthy eating and they have helped us provide a thorough menu catering for all tastes. This includes: 

• Vegetarian meals and snacks are available every day
• Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free foods are available to order 48 hours in advance by emailing contact@thedownsschool.org to ensure collection by students.
• Boxed food for students on the go or who wish to eat with their friends across the campus, especially in the warmer months.

Allergens & Ingredients

Allergens information is available from the catering team and displayed in both the Diner and Cafe 6. All ingredients are clearly marked on each item of packaged food. 

If you wish to contact the Catering Manager, Mrs Barefoot, please do so via the Contact email address

Cashless catering system

The cashless catering system  provides us with a more efficient, faster and better quality of service. This system incorporates the latest technology and eliminates the need for students to carry cash.  It is also biometric (see FAQ’s attached) - the system recognises the thumb of your child at the tills no cash is accepted at the tills.

• Any amount of money can be paid into a student’s account, and any money spent on food & drink will be deducted on a daily basis.  We have two payment options available to you – online payments via Schoolgateway, or payment by cheque/cash to the school office.
• Using Schoolgateway obviously reduces administration costs in school, so we would encourage all parents to use that system. Contact Mrs Martin in the Finance Office via contact@thedownsschool.org if you need assistance.
• A daily ‘spend limit’ of £6.00 will be programmed into the system.  This can be increased or decreased for an individual student by parents making a written request to Mrs Martin in the School Finance Office.

Benefits to using the cashless system: 

• increased speed of service at break and lunch times, reducing queuing times
• parents and carers can see what their children have purchased each day by looking at Schoolgateway.
• anonymity for students receiving Free School Meals
• facility for parents to pay on-line
• no need to carry cash preventing loss/theft
• automatic alerts to stop students purchasing allergy trigger items.

To comply with legislation we operate an ‘Opt In’ policy and therefore ask you to complete a permission form. If you choose not to have your child registered on the Biometric System a 4 digit PIN Code will be allocated.  Please note that PIN Codes do not have the same level of security and it will be your child’s responsibility to remember the code and keep it secure at all times.

Free School Meals

Free School Meals are provided to children whose parents/guardians are in receipt of

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £17400, as assessed by earnings from up to 3 of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (from the National Asylum Support Service)
• the guarantee element of State Pension
• Credit Child Tax Credit, provided you're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income of no more than £16,190
• Working tax credit run on-paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

You can apply for free school meals through the West Berkshire Council website.

www.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=28013If you are successful the school is informed automatically.

How much can a students spend if they have Free School Meals?

Students can spend up to £3.00 per day on food.  Drinks cannot be purchased with this money.

If students go on a school day trip they should pre-order a packed lunch. On days when Christmas lunch is served and the usual services are not available to students, they are to collect their food at break.

If you have any questions please contact the school.