School Meals & Arbor Pay
Family Dining at Ellis Guilford
At Ellis Guilford, we operate a split lunch system designed to support ‘family dining’. Each year group is provided with sufficient time to sit down with their peers and staff to enjoy their lunch together in the school canteen as well as enjoying time outside.
It is part of our responsibility here at school to encourage and develop social connections. Family Dining provides opportunity for children to chat and connect with their peers whilst enjoying a sit-down meal, whether this is a hot dinner, light snacks or a packed lunch.
Breakfast
We offer a free breakfast for all children from 8.15am to 8.30am, which is served in the canteen.
Morning Break
Children have access to the Food Pod in their year group area to purchase light snacks and drinks. All snacks and drinks in the Food Pod are priced at £1.25 or less. There is no obligation to buy a snack, and children often opt to bring their own snack from home
Lunch Break
All children access the canteen with their year group as a whole, whether it is to purchase food, eat their packed lunch or whether they choose not to eat.
Fresh water is available on tables at all times.
To enhance our family dining experience, there are a number of games that children can choose to play including Dobble, Uno, Dominos and 5-Second-Rule.
All food served in the canteen is part of the Meal Deal priced at £2.50 which includes a choice of:
- A Main Meal and a Dessert
- A Jacket Potato or Pasta and a Dessert
- A Baguette and a Dessert
All children will also enjoy time outside at lunch break, providing more opportunity to connect and play with their peers.
Children can also join our Lunchtime Clubs if they wish. You can find more information on these here: Extra-curricular Activities – Ellis Guilford School
How to pay for School Meals
Your Arbor Account
The Arbor Parent App (or Arbor Parent Portal via a web browser) enables parents and carers to make online payments for school meals, reducing the risk of lost money and ensuring learners spend money on good healthy meals.
We accept online payments for items such as dinner money and school trips. Arbor Payments provides a secure website and App where you will be able to pay online using your credit or debit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay. Arbor Pay is our preferred method of making payments to school.
You will receive your invitation to register for the Arbor Parent App / Parent Portal when your child joins Ellis Guilford. For new Year 7 students starting in September, you will receive information on how to create your Arbor account during the summer break.
Parents/carers need to ensure their child’s lunch account is topped up so it remains in credit.
For Arbor Pay queries, please email: enquiries@ellisguilfordschool.org.uk
To find out out how to create your Arbor account, please click on the link below.
EGS Lunch Card
When students join Ellis Guilford School, they are issued with an EGS lunch card on a lanyard. This is a smart card which stores your child’s data and lunch account balance. The lunch card is part of their essential equipment which they must bring to school every day (children in receipt of Free School Meals also need to bring their lunch card every day).
When students use the canteen, they scan their lunch card at the tills and their lunch balance will be updated accordingly.
The Free School Meals allowance is £2.50 per day to be used during the Lunch Break. If your child would like snacks at Morning Break, please ensure your child’s account has been topped up with sufficient funds.
If you have any queries regarding your child’s School Meals account, please email: enquiries@ellisguilfordschool.org.uk
Free School Meals & Holiday Vouchers
To check to see whether your child is eligible for Free School Meals, please click on the Nottingham City Council link below for details of how to apply. Application forms for Free School Meals are also available from enquiries@ellisguilfordschool.org.uk
If your child is eligible, the Pupil Benefits Team will notify us and we will update our records to ensure that your child receives their allowance for Free School Meals.
Each child in receipt of Free School Meals is currently entitled to shopping vouchers during the holidays.
For any queries regarding Free School Meals or holiday vouchers, please email enquiries@ellisguilfordschool.org.uk
Our Catering Provider: Caterlink
Our school catering is provided by Caterlink, the preferred caterer for our Trust. The school menu and price list can be found below to enable parents and pupils to make their meal choices each week. Food is served from our canteen.
To find out more, please visit the links below.
The Family Dining Menu is rotated on a 3-week cycle. The dates can be found on the Menus below.
For more information about Caterlink, their food and services, please have a look around Caterlink’s website. If you have any questions about the move to Caterlink, please feel free to contact the school: enquiries@ellisguilfordschool.org.uk
