School Meals

The Refectory

Meet Chef Jackson

I recently retired from the Royal Air Force after 22 years as a chef and was eager to take on a new challenge. I accepted the appointment as Chef Manager at Stalham High School last January and immediately identified that the breaktime food being offered needed overhauling, which I did by making it fresh, steering away from the convenience food, thereby giving the students a more nutritionally balanced range of choices.

Two other members of staff and I set up a project group to find out what the students want in order to further develop the Refectory. I am also excited about getting the students involved in some kitchen workshops I’d like to run, from basic bread making to more complex cooking. I look forward to all the challenges ahead and hope that the Refectory can be used to its full potential by being better incorporated into the students’ education at Stalham High.

What’s new?

I’ve introduced the new spring /summer lunch menu to provide students with a tempting selection of food using seasonal produce wherever possible. The food we serve is freshly made on a daily basis. Each day we offer a combination of traditional and world flavours, either as the main meal or the Grab & Go option. There are also vegetarian and vegan meals available, a jacket potato bar and freshly prepared salad bar available daily.
Alongside the lunch menu, food is served at break time which consists of a main choice of the day i.e. sausage rolls, breakfast muffin etc; a potato choice, a salad pot option (pasta, noodle, rice or cous-cous) and a variety of breakfast choices including porridge and granola with a selection of toppings.

We use local produce as much as possible in all our meals

The red dots highlighted on the map below indicate where our suppliers source some of the produce from. This in turn ensures sustainability, quality produce and supports the local farmers whilst lowering the school’s carbon footprint.

     

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Pay for school lunches online

We are a cashless school and so all payments for food should be made through Arbor. 

If your child does not have sufficient funds on their lunch account to purchase food at break or lunchtime, the School Office will issue them with a slip and ring home to request their dinner account be topped up.

If you find that your child is overspending regularly and would like to put a limit on their account, please email office@stalhamhigh.org.uk with the student's name together with confirmation of the limit you would like placed on their account.  

Please note that if a child's dinner account is more than £5.00 overdrawn and their account has been not been brought into credit despite contact home, they will be unable to make further purchases from the Refectory.  

Free School Meals

Are you entitled to Free School Meals?  

A significant number of our students already claim their entitlement and use it every day however, we know that so many more families are entitled to claim and do not.  

We recognise that there are often many reasons as to why families do not claim for their entitlement. Some parents may fear being stigmatised for doing so, others may feel that the process of claiming is too difficult.  

As a School, we are committed to ensuring that all of our students are receiving the support they need to make their learning journey with us a successful one, whether this is through pastoral support or by providing them with a nutritionally balanced meal at lunchtimes.  

If you feel that you may be entitled to Free School Meals or you would like further advice on how to claim or to check your eligibility we would encourage you to get in touch with Norfolk County Council.  

Claiming is quick and easy and could mean that you gain over £400 a year in free lunches. As School, we could gain over £900 to spend on making your child’s education better, meaning that Free School Meals really do benefit everyone.  

Interested in finding out more? 

To check your eligibility and register for free school meals go to www.norfolk.gov.uk/neo