Catering at Bamford Academy

We have Mellor's Catering staff at Bamford Academy:

Catering Manager:

Mrs B Shambayati

Catering Assistants:

Mrs K Benn

Mrs S Safar

Every child should have the opportunity to be healthy, no matter their circumstances. Healthy, free meals at school help enable all children to have the same opportunities to learn and thrive, no matter where they grow up. The impact has been shown to last well into adulthood, with evidence linking free school meals to improved educational attainment and a host of social, financial and health benefits.

Eligibility for free school meals

Reception, year 1 and year 2 students

You don't have to apply for free school meals for children in reception, year 1 and year 2.

All children in these year groups get a free meal at lunchtime, under the government's Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme. These are provided at all schools, academies, free schools and pupil referral units maintained by Rochdale Borough Council.

However, if your child is in a key stage 1 group and you get one of the qualifying benefits listed below, you can help your school get extra funding if you make a claim for free school meals.

Year 3 - year 6 students

To be eligible for free school meals:

• You, as the parent or guardian, must receive Child Benefit for the child you are responsible for.
• You must also receive one of the qualifying benefits listed below.

Qualifying benefits for free school meals:

• Income Support (IS).
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (IBJSA).
• An income-related employment and support allowance.
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
• Child Tax Credit - provided you aren't entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an income that doesn't exceed the current year's level.
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit.
• Working Tax Credit during the 4 weeks immediately after your employment finished.
• ​​Universal Credit: your child is only eligible for free school meals under Universal Credit if you and your partner have net earnings of less than £7,400 per year.

If your income changes

If you receive free school meals and start earning more than the allowed amount, your children can still get free meals until the end of the 2025-2026 school year. This is called Transitional Protection.

Transitional Protection only applies to the children you applied for before you started earning more than the allowed amount. If you have younger children who started school after your income went up, they won’t be entitled to free meals.

From the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the government will end this protection for means tested free school meals and you will only be entitled to free meals if you meet the eligibility criteria.

From the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the government will introduce new eligibility criteria, meaning that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive a free meal. The government have told us they will issue further guidance before September 2026.

Free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

The Department for Education has permanently extended free school meal eligibility to children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF). 

The eligible groups include, but may not be limited to children of:

• Zambrano carers
• Families who have no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
• Families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
• A subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Chen carers
• Families holding a British National (Overseas) passport
• Spousal visa holders
• Work visa holders
• Student visa holders
• Those with no immigration status

Income thresholds for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

To be eligible for free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds, your annual household income must be under:

• £22,700 for families with 1 child
• £26,300 for families with 2 or more children

You must also not have more than £16,000 in capital and savings.

You may need to provide full bank and building society statements, showing all transactions for the last 2 months for all accounts held, whether in the UK or your home country.

Apply for free school meals

To apply for free school meals:

1. You and your child must both live in the borough of Rochdale or the city of Manchester. If you're claiming from an address in the city of Manchester, your child must attend a school in the borough of Rochdale. If you and your child live in any other borough regardless of where they go to school, you should contact your local council to apply instead.
2. Complete the free school meals online application form below.
3. If we award free school meals for a period you've already paid for, you can request a refund by contacting your school directly.

If you believe your child may be eligible for free school meals, we encourage you to apply here: Free school meals – Rochdale Borough Councill. This can provide valuable support to families and ensure that every child has access to a healthy meal each day.

At Bamford Academy we believe every child deserves access to a nutritious and fulfilling meal each day. We offer a free breakfast to all pupils through Bamford Boost!. This offer ensures all pupils have a positive and nourishing start to the school day. A healthy morning meal supports better concentration, behaviour, and emotional wellbeing, helping pupils feel ready to learn from the moment they enter the classroom. 

While we work to ensure no child goes without a lunch, we also have a responsibility to keep outstanding lunch debts to a minimum so we can continue to provide high-quality services for all. 

We follow a clear and supportive process for managing outstanding lunch debt by ensuring every child can enjoy a nutritious meal while also keeping our school meal service financially sustainable. We monitor Arbor accounts daily and contact families promptly when an overdraft occurs, starting with gentle reminders so that small balances do not grow into unmanageable amounts. If any family is experiencing challenges, we encourage them to reach out and together, we can find a way to help.

Pupils will always be provided with a basic meal, and those entitled to Free School Meals will continue to receive their entitlement. As debt increases, we work more closely with families through emails, texts, and phone calls, offering guidance and signposting support where needed, while also ensuring safeguarding teams are informed if appropriate. Our aim is always to work in partnership with families, helping them resolve difficulties early and ensuring no child is disadvantaged.

All our catering staff have received Allergen Awareness training in line with Natasha's Law.

Natasha’s Law, introduced in October 2021, is landmark regulation that has transformed food allergen labelling in the UK.

Natasha’s Law requires all pre-packed foods for direct sale (PPDS) – food made on the premises and packaged for sale, such as sandwiches, salads and cakes - to display a full ingredients list with the top 14 allergens clearly highlighted. The introduction of Natasha’s Law closed a dangerous loophole in food safety, and the greater transparency it provides means people in the UK living with food allergies can have greater confidence that the foods they buy are safe to eat.

Please contact the school if your child has any known food allergies, or if you have any concerns around allergens.