School Canteen

Our school catering is currently run by Caterlink.

Payment

Thornleigh Salesian College operates a cashless catering system. When a student joins the College, an electronic catering account is created for them and biometrics are used to pay for food and drinks.

Thornleigh is now fully cashless and all payments must be made through the School Gateway App. Parents/carers can use School Gateway to top up their child's catering account and view purchases. Information about setting up a School Gateway account will be provided before your child starts at Thornleigh.

If a child does not have enough money in their account, they should ask a member of staff for a "pink slip". This will allow them to purchase a meal, with the cost appearing as a debit on their account.

Special Diets

Special diets are an integral part of our catering provision, whether as a result of an ethical or religious belief or a food intolerance or allergy. To register this as a requirement please complete and return the special diets form to the school as soon as possible.

In October 2021 new labelling legislation comes into force (Natasha's Law). The legislation states that all food service organisations serving food that is packaged on site for immediate consumption will have to display ingredient and allergen information.

We work hard behind the scenes to ensure:

• Our catering teams are fully trained on Natasha's Law and the update in legislation.
• We provide fresh food that is made and packaged daily on site.
• We have tight kitchen practices and controls in place to safely label goods.
• We have strong links with our supply chain to allow our team of nutritionists to centrally manage ingredient and allergen substitutes from head office, relieving pressure from our on-site catering managers and teams.

Free School Meals

From September 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) is introducing changes to Free School Meals (FSM) eligibility. As part of these changes, all families currently receiving Free School Meals must complete a new eligibility check to confirm their entitlement for the new academic year. Parents/carers who believe their child may be eligible are also encouraged to complete an eligibility check.

From September 2026, Free School Meals will fall into two categories:

• Targeted FSM – for families receiving Universal Credit with household earnings of £7,400 or less per year.
• Expanded FSM – for families receiving Universal Credit with household earnings above £7,400 per year.

Check Your Eligibility

Parents/carers can check their eligibility online using the:

LGfL Free School Meals Eligibility Checker

The application process is quick and secure. You will need the following details for the parent/carer claiming benefits:

• Surname
• Date of birth
• National Insurance number

Completing the eligibility check is important as it ensures that your child receives any entitlement they are eligible for and enables the College to access additional funding that supports pupils and families.

Free School Meal Allowance

From September 2026, the Free School Meal allowance is £2.70 per day.

The £2.70 allowance is available during lunchtime service only, which operates between 1:05pm and 2:15pm.

The Free School Meal allowance is not available during mid-morning break. If your child wishes to purchase food or drinks at break time, please ensure that sufficient funds are available on their catering account. All catering account top-ups must be made through the School Gateway App, as the College is cashless. Alternatively, students may bring suitable snacks from home.