Skip to main content
Dixons Newall Green Academy

School meals

Family dining

Lunchtime is a key part of our school day. We eat lunch ‘family dining’ style, during which students learn to serve themselves and each other (as opposed to having to queue at a counter to collect their food). We all sit down as a school and eat together; adults eat the school lunch with the children to encourage and model good conversations. We serve each other food and help tidy away together. We value this time and see it as a key learning opportunity.

Family dining is a crucial part of academy life. We expect all students to eat the healthy meal provided by the academy at lunchtime. There are vegetables and salads to accompany the meal, followed by dessert or fresh fruit. All students are seated formally at tables for lunch, and are expected to eat the food provided.

Please see our Family Dining menu for Cycle 1 below.

Free school meals

The government gives extra money to schools and academies to help children in receipt of free school meals achieve their potential. This funding is called Pupil Premium.

If you live in Manchester and receive any of the following benefits you can claim free school meals for your school-aged child:

  • Income Support
  • Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income related Employment and Support Allowance
  • the guaranteed part of Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit – as long as you have a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  • Universal Credit that you applied for on, or after, 1 April 2018. As long as your income is less that £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits.

To find out if you are eligible please visit Manchester City Council's website.

If you live in another borough, such as Trafford or Stockport, you will need to apply through your local authority website:

Once you have your eligibility confirmed you will receive a code, please provide this to the academy so we can update our records.

Registration is completely confidential and it will not affect any other benefits.

If you would like any further information or support, please contact the academy.