School Meals and Milk

School Meals

At Micklem Primary School we have an excellent catering team who provide high quality food for our children. There is a Hot (meat), Vegetarian, Jacket Potato and Sandwich option for them to choose from everyday.

Our cook can can also cater for special dietary needs. Please see below for details of how to apply for a special dietary needs menu.

Please find attached the current menu which shows all of the options available. The cost of a school meal is  £3.35 per day as of 01/04/2024. If you wish your child to have school meals then please top up your child's Arbor 'Meals' account in advance.

Your child can, of course, bring their own packed lunch from home if they wish to do so. Please see below for our guidance on packed lunches.

Special Dietary Requirements 

Our school meals are provided by Herts Catering Ltd who have a rigorous process in place to provide a safe meal service to pupils with food allergies or intolerances, in our school.

If your child has a food allergy or intolerance and meets the qualifying criteria, then they have a range of delicious and nutritious menus designed especially for your child’s medical requirement.

The on-line account system takes just minutes to create and complete and is really easy to use. You will need at hand:

• Your child’s school details including class name
• Medical evidence of your child’s medical requirements
• Electronic Passport style photograph (which you will need to upload on to our system)


• To apply, simply go to https://specialmenu.hcl.co.uk

  Once you have created your account you will be able to easily update the school and HCL with any changes to your child’s dietary needs in the future and will automatically receive new menus when they change (twice yearly).

Packed Lunches

Children are able to bring packed lunches into school if they wish to do so, but please be reminded that peanut butter cannot be used as a sandwich filling as some of our pupils have serious allergies and this could trigger a severe reaction.

We encourage the children to have healthy snacks whilst in school and ask that you follow this by providing your child with a healthy packed lunch. This includes no sweets or chocolate bars please. Cans, glass bottles and fizzy drinks are also not allowed.

Closing the Gap - FSM

Over 861 households in Dacorum could be eligible for free school meals but so far
haven’t applied (Oct 23). 
As well as missing out on a free school meal, households could be missing out on:
• school milk (Year 3 and over)
• food vouchers during school holidays
• SaverCard which gives half fare bus travel to 11-19 year olds (usually £20)
• help with music lesson fees
• free school holiday activity camps (www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/happy).
If you think you may be eligible, make an application by going to: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals 

School Meals Debt Recovery Policy