Livingstone Primary School
School Dinners
Our school meals are provided by Taylor Shaw, a catering company serving thousands of primary pupils across the UK. From September 2025, school meals will cost £3.00 per day.
We are proud to offer meals that are tasty, nutritious and well balanced. The menu is designed to help children enjoy their food and to support their learning, play and growth throughout the school day. Lunchtime is an important part of school life, and Taylor Shaw’s friendly catering team works hard to make the dining hall a welcoming, positive place for every child.
All of our menus meet the Government’s School Food Standards as well as the Food for Life Bronze Award. Every dish is freshly prepared in our school kitchen, with a focus on healthy ingredients and reduced salt and sugar. Taylor Shaw never uses undesirable additives or artificial trans fats, and all menus are planned to cater for a wide range of dietary and cultural needs. Their suppliers follow strict food safety standards, and catering staff receive ongoing training to ensure high‑quality meals every day.
Taylor Shaw’s team of qualified dietitians work closely with our chefs to make sure each menu is nutritionally balanced and aligned with guidance from Public Health England. This means you can feel confident that your child is enjoying meals that support their health and wellbeing.
We are proud to offer a wide range of tasty and nutritious meals that appeal to all children. Our menus are created using feedback from pupils, staff, parents, carers and our catering team, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy. We follow a three‑week menu cycle, which is updated twice a year to keep meals seasonal, varied and exciting.
Managing Allergies & Special Diets
Your child’s health, safety and wellbeing are always our top priority. To prepare meals safely and confidently, it is essential that we have accurate and up‑to‑date information about any allergies or dietary needs.
Taylor Shaw’s dietitians work closely with our catering team to follow a clear and thorough process for managing medical diets. This means that, wherever it is safe to do so, we can provide an appropriate alternative meal for your child. All catering staff receive annual allergy training, as well as updates whenever allergen guidance or legislation changes.
For more detailed information, our guide ‘Medical Diet Menus – A Guide for Parents, Guardians & Carers’ explains the full process and includes step‑by‑step instructions on how to share your child’s dietary requirements with us. This helps us ensure we are fully informed and able to support your child safely at mealtimes.
How to Apply for Free School Meals
From 1 September 2026 eligibility for Free School Meals is expanding nationally to include all parents/carers in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of the amount of any additional earned income.
This means there will be 2 categories of Free School Meal Eligibility. ‘Targeted’ eligibility and ‘Expanded‘ eligibility’
Targeted Eligibility
Eligible income includes:
- Universal Credit, provided they have an annual net earned income not exceeding £7,400(£616.67 per month)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by HMRC
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
If your earnt income alongside Universal Credit is above £7,400 per year your children will now be eligible for ‘expanded’ Free School Meals.
Expanded Eligibility
What Expanded Entitlement includes:
- Term-time meals: Access to a free school lunch at eligible educational settings.
What is excluded:
- Unlike children under the ‘Targeted’ threshold (earning under £7,400) pupils qualifying through the expanded criteria do not attract extra disadvantage funding or Pupil Premium for their school.
- No Holiday activities and Food (HAF) Expanded-eligibility pupils get term-time lunches only and are not entitled to fully funded holiday club provision and meals under the HAF ‘Fuel for Fun’ Programme
All claims for Free School Meals are processed by each school. To apply for Free School Meals please either contact your child’s school or you can apply/check eligibility using the links below. The links below are supplied to the LA by each school.
Previously, once a child qualifies for FSM, this will continue until they reach the end of primary school. Now, we are required to check eligibility on an annual basis going forwards.
Find further information and how to apply on your local authority’s website https://www.tameside.gov.uk/schoolmeals .
Reception Class, Year 1 or Year 2: Your child will be able to receive universal free school meals if they’re in a government-funded school and in Reception class, Year 1 or Year 2.