School Meals
Aspens is the company chosen by St Mary's Primary School to provide the meal service for its pupils. We specialise in providing catering to schools and colleges across the country. The food children eat at school plays an important role in their wellbeing and eating a well-balanced diet will not only maintain and improve their health but will also set them on the right track for later life. All of our dishes are prepared every day using quality, fresh and seasonal ingredients that are responsibly sourced. As well as ensuring the food on the plate is healthy, we want our customers to understand the importance of eating the right foods and help them with their food and nutrition journey.
Special Diets and Food Allergens
Don’t think that your child can’t enjoy our great food if they have a special diet – they are an important part of our catering service. St Mary's have already advised us of the pupils that have allergies. Erdita will continue to serve the lunches and the children will still be welcomed with a friendly smiling face. Legislation requires caterers to provide allergen information of food sold that is served ‘unpackaged’. Aspens already cater for lots of children with allergies and we regularly check the information from suppliers to see if there have been an ingredient changes. It is still important that our customers talk to us so that we can work together and continue to provide meals that are safe for them to eat.
Free School Meals
All children that are in Reception and Year 1 and 2 are entitled to UNIVERSAL FREE SCHOOL MEALS. Please note that this is not to be confused with FREE SCHOOL MEALS which is an entitlement that some children can receive due to their parents/carers circumstances. If you feel you may be entitled to receive FREE SCHOOL MEALS, you should request the relevant forms from your school office or www.n-somerset.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals
New Online Payment System
We are introducing our new online payment system. Parents are able to pre-book and pay for school lunches via the Aspens online system, or just pre-book meals if you are entitled to free school meals. The Aspens system is flexible as it allows you to order a day at a time, per week or even for a month in advance. It also gives you the flexibility to cancel or change lunch booking right up to 8.30am on the day. Please note that as meals are cooked specifically for your child, you need to order the lunches in advance. A surplus of food will not be cooked so you need to order a lunch for your child by 8.30am on the day to ensure they have a meal. This cuts down on food waste which benefits the environment. To help you get familiar with the new system, we have developed a tutorial to watch so you can see how user friendly it is. The link on the next page will take you straight to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch
How do I log in and book and pay for lunches?
You will be required to register in the first instance then an email will be sent for you to verify and accept within 5 minutes of completion (please check your ‘spam’ folder if you do not receive confirmation).
Please use website link https://select.aspens-services.com or click on the Quick Link in the top right corner of this page (it looks like a small arrow).
Each child has been allocated an individual code. You will be asked to input this code together with a school code to login to your account.
How do I pay?
Once you have complete the registration process, payment details can be entered under the Purchase Meal Credits tab.
All meals should be paid for in advance so it is important that you regularly check your child’s account to ensure there are sufficient funds. The school can no longer view balances on children’s accounts so it is important that you regularly check your child’s account. Any credits on your Parentpay account will be refunded to you by Wraxall.
My child is in receipt of free school meals, so do I need to register?
Yes, registration is still required in order that your child can make their menu choices.
My child was not in school for a day, so will I be charged for the meal?
If your child is not in school for the day, please ensure you cancel the meal before 8.30am. When a meal has not been cancelled, a charge will be made.
I have forgotten to make a menu choice for my child, can I still make a selection?
All orders should be completed by 8.30am on the relevant school day.