School Meals

Nutritious Dining at Gable Hall - At Gable Hall, we are dedicated to providing students with a diverse array of wholesome and nourishing food options, available before school, during break times, and at lunch. For the most up-to-date menu, please find the link provided at the end of this section.

The current tariff pricing is available and demonstrates the full range of food and drink which is available. Gable Hall uses a cashless catering system for the food and drink purchases.

Here is a link to the Eatwell Guide (from Public Health England) – this provides a useful overview of what food groups make up a balanced and healthy diet.

Free school meals

Your child may be entitled to free school meals or a premium to assist with their education.

• Complimentary Breakfast for Students Receiving Free School Meals (FSM): Enjoy a daily breakfast on us! Options include a choice of cereals, toast, 2 hash browns, a roll, or a bottle of water (valued at 45p).
• FSM Card: The FSM card costs £2.75 and can be used during both morning and lunch breaks (not during each break).
• Confidential FSM System: Your privacy is important to us. We use a secure fingerprint system to ensure confidentiality.
• Diverse Menu: We offer a variety of meals on a 3-week rotating menu.
• Account Top-Up: To provide more food options, please remember to top up your child's account as needed.
• Spending Limit: To promote responsible spending, all Squid accounts have a £5 daily spending limit. This limit can be adjusted by contacting our finance team.

Even if your child does not wish to eat free school meals but is entitled to, Gable Hall could receive funding of £985 per year to help with tuition, resources, coaching and extra assistance. To find out if your child is entitled please follow the Free School Meals link.

The basic information is also reproduced below:

Pupil Premium is a Government grant which is paid to schools / academies. It is allocated for children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals or to children who have been looked after continuously (in Local Authority care) for more than six months. This grant was introduced in April 2011 and information is taken from a Data Collection from all schools called the School Census.

Who is eligible:

Your child may be eligible for free school meals if you receive either:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• 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
• Universal Credit – provided your total net earnings are no more than £616.67 each month
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Your child must be attending a state-funded school in the Thurrock area. If your child attends a school outside of Thurrock, you must apply to the council for the area in which they attend school.

When you must apply: 

You must make a new application for your child to start receiving free school meals, even if their siblings already receive free school meals.

When you have to register:

If you've moved to Thurrock and had been assessed as eligible for free school meals in the area you moved from, you only have to register with us – you don't have to make a new application.

When you don't have to apply:

You don't have to make a new application at the start of each school year – even if your child's school says you should. The government will allow your entitlement to continue, either until it finishes introducing Universal Credit (expected in 2023), or until your child leaves school when they complete year 11 or a sixth form college connected to the school, whichever is sooner.

You also don't have to make a new application if your child:

• changes their school in-year within Thurrock
• moves from primary to secondary school within Thurrock

How to apply or register

Visit https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/school-meals/free-school-meals