School Meal and  Payment information

We are delighted to announce that, from September 2019, we have appointed Dolce as our new school meal provider. They are a family run school catering provider and  were chosen because of their commitment in ensuring your child receives a high quality meal, freshly cooked using raw, locally sourced ingredients.

The cost of a school meal will remain the same as this year and is £2.35 per day and £2.00 per day for Nursery children.

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to receive a free school meal as part of the Universal Free School meal scheme. Children in Years 3 to 6 who are entitled to free school meals will continue as normal.

Pre-ordering

Dolce use a pre-ordering system on SchoolGrid (see below). Here you can see what is on offer across the whole term including any special theme days like Bonfire night or Christmas. To make an informed decision, they also provide a full ingredients list, recipe card and nutritional breakdown. Pre-ordering can be done daily, weekly or even for the whole term. If your child has an allergy, you can update your child’s record on SchoolGrid and the sophisticated allergen blocking system prevents you or your child ordering any unsafe meal options. You can also order flexibly, so two days a week you might want to make a packed lunch for your child and for the other three days you may require a school meal.

SchoolGrid Account

If you would like your child to have a school meal, you will need a SchoolGrid account. We have arranged for all parents, even those whose child has sandwiches, to have a SchoolGrid account. The reason for this is that if you every need a school meal in an emergency, for example your child has forgotten their packed lunch and you are unable to bring it to school, then you would be able to order a meal online. You must have an account to order a meal.  If you do not have an account please contact the school office.

Lunchtime

We aim to make lunchtime an enjoyable experience for every child. Using a touch screen, children will select their name at the hot plate and it displays their meal choice to both the cook and the child. Our system helps the cook to get to know your child on a first name basis, making them feel welcome at the lunch counter.

 Payments

Since January 2018, we have been a cashless school. All school meal payments were made directly to Tameside and they advised the school of all payments received. The school office would manage all payments, chase and advise of any outstanding payments. From September, parents will deal directly with Dolce. There will be two payment options available

1. Direct Debit. Most parents tend to choose this option. This will be collected from your bank monthly on the date you select and will work in arrears for the meals you have taken the month before. To set this up please access your SchoolGrid account - [account] - [direct debit] You will receive a statement two weeks before a payment is due stating the amount and the date the payment will be taken. Direct Debits cannot be set up over the phone
2. If you prefer not to pay by Direct debit you must have credit on your SchoolGrid account. You can top your account up by
   1. Online Card Payment - A card payment can be made online through your SchoolGrid account, please log on and select [Account] - [Pay by card] where on screen prompts will assist in taking payment
   2. Telephone Card Payment – Dolce Customer Care team are available 8.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday to take a card payment for your account on 01942 707709. The minimum payment amount accepted over the phone is £10

Contact details

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding school meals, allergens, payments etc, please do not hesitate to contact Dolce Customer Care Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, on 01942 707709 or by email to customercare@dolce.co.uk

Finally

With an emphasis on quality produce and a passion for delivering excellent customer care, we are delighted to welcome Dolce into our school community. All that we ask is that you pre-order your child’s meal in advance and that if you choose to pay by card that your account is kept in credit.

Thank you for your continued cooperation, if you have any further queries please contact a member of the school administration team who will be happy to help.