School Meals

2025-26 Menu:

We operate a cashless system.

ParentPay allows parents to pay for school meals online and track what meals are being purchased

Click here for more information on school cashless payments.

To find out, please visit the Manchester City Council website, Free School Meals Section and complete the application form (link below). This will generate a reply email to you, the parent/carer and to the school:

Changes to Free School Meals Letter

Apply for Free School Meals

Manchester City Council Free School Meals

From September 2026, free school meals eligibility will be distinguished between pupils eligible under the previous income-related criteria ("Targeted FSM") and pupils who become eligible under the September 2026 expansion ("Expanded FSM") for certain funding and support programmes:

Eligible ‘Targeted’: this covers children in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less.

Children eligible under the ‘Targeted’ category will benefit from Holiday Activities and Food provision (HAF). Children may also be eligible for Targeted Free School Meal’s if their household is in receipt of one of the below benefits:

⁻ Income Support.

⁻ Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.

⁻ Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

⁻ The guarantee element of Pension Credit.

⁻ Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190).

⁻ Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.

⁻ No Recourse to Public Funds.

⁻ Your child may also qualify if you are an asylum seeker, or if they receive any of these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian.

Eligible ‘Expanded’: this covers children who are in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings exceeding £7,400.

Under current arrangements, pupils eligible solely through the FSM expansion are not expected to attract Pupil Premium funding or have access to the Holiday Activities and Food provision (HAF).

TRANSITIONAL PROTECTION HAS ENDED

If your child is entering into Year 7 in September, transitional protection is ending, families will be required to complete a new eligibility check before September 2026.
If your child has previously been in receipt of benefits-based Free School Meals, you may need to re-apply before September 2026, if you haven’t had a notification of your application being reviewed for September. Your child may not automatically continue to receive Free School Meals from September 2026 unless you recheck your eligibility.

WHY REGISTER FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS?

Pupils receiving ‘Targeted’ FSM:

Can receive free school meals.
Will attract pupil premium funding for the school.
May be eligible for other support, such as the Holiday Activities and Food programme:

https://www.manchester.gov.uk/people-and-communities/help-with-the-cost-of-living-crisis/stay-connected-and-informed/school-holidays

Pupils receiving ‘Expanded’ FSM:

Can receive free school meals.
Are not expected to attract pupil premium funding for the school or be eligible for other support that is based on targeted FSM.

Should you need assistance completing the application form or access to a computer please contact our Finance Team on:

Tel – 0161 445 8053 Ext 106
Email – n.cooke@thebarlowrchigh.co.uk

Our Cashless School Meals System:

When they start school, each of our pupils has their fingerprint registered. When they want to buy food in our dining hall, pupils simply place their finger on a scanner at the point of sale; a display shows the server the pupil’s name, class and current cash balance held within the system. Fingerprints are used to recognise each individual pupil, hold cash balances, record cash spent and cash received, record where money is spent, on what food, on what date and at what time of day.

Requesting ParentPay login details:

If you have misplaced your unique Parent Pay Account activation details, these can be requested by contacting the school via:

Tel: 0161 445 8053 press Option 2 (Finance & HR Office)

Email: accountsreceivable@thebarlowrchigh.co.uk

About our school meals:

Fresh fruit, salad and vegetables are available every day
All meals are prepared daily in our kitchens using fresh ingredients
Our menus are screened by a Nutritionist to ensure that they meet nutritional standards
A selection of fruit juice and bottled water is available every day
Breakfast is available each day

Here’s a taste of some of the foods available on our menus:

Freshly made sandwiches with baguettes and speciality breads
Pasta, stir-fry and curry dishes
Jacket potatoes with various fillings
Wide range of traditional main meals
Selection of homemade desserts
Fruit boxes

Healthy School

The Barlow RC High School works in close partnership with Manchester Healthy Schools to help tackle health inequalities and improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

We have successfully completed the annual health check and secured the Silver Award for 2023 - 2024.

As part of our Healthy Schools drive we encourage all pupils to be mindful of following healthy routines with regard to food & drink consumption, sleep hygiene and screen time.

As part of our daily bag checks on the school gate, staff check that pupils are adhering to school policy. Pupils must not bring in to school more than one of each of the following items: chocolate bar, packet of crisps, packet of sweets. Pupils found to have an excess of this limit will have the goods confiscated. Those with a significant number of inappropriate items in their possession may be deemed to have them for the purpose of selling and will be sanctioned in accordance with the school behaviour policy.

Healthy School Policy – Energy Drinks

The consumption of energy drinks (Lucozade, Red Bull, Powerade etc.) on school premises is banned, a measure which is in-line with the majority of schools nationally. A variety of studies have been published recently which highlight the fact that the stimulants (e.g. caffeine and high levels of sugar) that are contained within energy drinks can cause loss of concentration, anxiety and irritability amongst pupils.

Furthermore, as our school has ‘Healthy Schools Award’ status, the Governors and staff believe that allowing energy drinks is contradictory to the aims and objectives of our policy. We are extremely conscious that some of our pupils have become part of a culture where energy drinks are consumed as part of their everyday diet. To combat this issue, we ask that pupils only consume the following healthy drink options in school: water, flavoured water, fruit juice or milk. Please note that water is freely available to all pupils at break and lunchtimes. Fizzy drinks are also prohibited in school.

Any pupil found in possession of energy or fizzy drinks will face sanctions in-line with the School’s Behaviour Policy. Governors and Staff appreciate the support of parents/carers in enforcing this ban for the health and wellbeing of our pupils.