School Catering

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council School Catering Service believes that for the very best start in life children and young people need good nutrition.

Our Primary and Secondary school menus are planned to meet the Welsh nutritional guidelines for school lunches by our catering manager and Nutritionist.  It is our aim to ensure that all pupils are provided with a healthy, well balance and nutritious meal.

We also cater for special dietary requirements either for medical, therapeutic, ethnic or elective grounds.

In Merthyr Tydfil school meals are only made from:

• fruit and vegetables, sourced regionally where possible using local suppliers
• products free from additives associated with health problems in young children
• fats free from hydrogenated oils
• menus which are nutritionally analysed to provide nutritional balance
• ingredients, produced freshly every day in a school kitchen

Our Menus are run on a four week cycle with a strong focus on fresh fruit, vegetables and salads. Our commitment to healthy eating is reflected in the products we use, with most containing reduced saturated fat, sugar and salt. All our food products are oven baked or steamed, even the chips we serve are oven baked and during 2011 we removed chip fryers from every school kitchen.

Also wholemeal bread, yoghurt and water are available daily.

Our main aim is to provide a healthy well balanced meal for school children at:

• Nursery, infant, junior or primary school
• Secondary school
• Special school

If you think your child may be entitled to free school meals please view the free school meals page for more information.

Benefits of having a school lunch

• Meals are balanced and healthy and there is variety every day
• We cater for vegetarians, special needs including medical diets and religious needs
• Your child can join in with fun during promotions and competitions
• Theme days are fun and nutritious and include such ones in the past as "Teddy Bears Picnic", "Oriental Day" and traditional days such as St. David's Day and Christmas Lunch
• The menus adhere to The Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations 2013
• Fully trained staff serving meals daily

Primary school meals

We put a great deal of time, effort and resources into creating and promoting healthy menus and offering choices to children. We offer a four week menu of hot dishes, along with a baguette/wrap/jacket potato menu. Our meals include a dessert and a drink. In addition to the dessert of the day, we also offer a limited choice of fruit yoghurt or fresh fruit daily.

See what’s on our menu

All the food and drinks that we offer in schools complies with the Healthy Eating in Schools (Nutritional Standards & Requirements) (Wales) Regulations.

How much?

A two course set main meal for a child is £2.30.

Secondary school meals

We put a great deal of time, effort and resources into creating and promoting healthy menus and offering choices to children. We offer a four week menu of hot dishes in the set menu option, along with a number of different hot and cold dishes that are varied daily and include Pasta, Filled Rolls, Sandwiches, Wraps and all the food and drinks that we offer in schools complies with The Healthy Eating in Schools (Nutritional Standards & Requirements) (Wales) Regulations.

See what’s on our menu

• Week 1 
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4

How much?

A set meal deal for a child is £2.70.

We offer a wide range of food and drinks so please see our latest prices for further details.

Special Dietary Requirements

In order to provide a smooth running of the service and to be able to provide lunches to those that have any special dietary requirements, this includes vegetarian preferences as well as ethical / religious diets, in addition to medical/allergen needs, you are required to fill in a Special Dietary Form and upload relevant documentation supporting any allergy / prescribed diet.

The form can be found using the link below:

Special Dietary Requirements Form | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

It is imperative that this form is completed if your child has a special dietary requirement so that we can provide an appropriate menu.

Please note that deviations from the mainstream menu will not be provided without the form in the link above being completed and submitted.

Cashless payment for school meals

Whichever secondary school your child attends, we offer a cashless payment option to pay for school meals at every site

Cashless System

Our system allows yourself to upload money online.  The money is then used to pay for food and drink in the canteen by your child, via the biometric / pin number system.

Free school meals on cashless card systems

The biometric system works the same for all children whether they pay or have a free school meal. The amount allocated for the free school meal will be automatically added onto the system. This is not accumulative.

Benefits of cashless card systems

• The removal of cash exchanges at lunchtime improves the speed of service for your child.
• Your child's meal detail is recorded each day, which means you can keep track of what your child eats
• Discourages the misuse of school dinner money through spending in shops outside of the school grounds
• For children with free meal entitlement the value is entered automatically onto the system, making it the same for everyone

Why should I choose a school lunch for my child?

There are many benefits to your child having a school lunch. Schools are ideal places to encourage healthier eating and good choices in food for the pupils, which should assist in the prevention of childhood obesity and other health complications.

• Our menus meet all the nutrient standards set out by The Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations 2013
• Our menus are written by a qualified Public Health Nutritionist
• A school meal is much more convenient for you as it saves time, no packed lunch to prepare, washing up or emergency shopping trips for forgotten items a school lunch is value for money.
• A school lunch teaches children good social skills when eating with others and how to use a knife and fork properly. This reinforces the lessons that they learn at home
• All catering staff are fully trained in food safety, nutrition and healthy eating.

We are committed to improving standards of food served and developing a sustainable service for the future. Our aim is to provide a quality, value-for-money service and to contribute to the health and well-being of the community as a whole.