Canteen

Cashless Catering – School Meals

Sharples School operates a cashless, biometric system for all food and drink bought in our dining room. The most frequently asked questions related to payment are outlined below.

My Child At School MCAS

We would prefer all parents to use our e-payment method as we move forward in our attempt to remove all cash and cheques from school. This system may be used to pay dinner money, trips, etc. using a very secure website/App called MCAS. Please visit the MCAS section of our website for full details (click here).

Payment by Cash

Cash Coin terminals are located near pupil reception and on the maths corridor. The Cash terminal will accept £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p coins (1p, 2p, 5p coins cannot be used).

Payment by Cheque

1. a) Make cheques payable to Mellors Catering Services
2. b) Write the name of your child and their form on the back
3. c) Place in envelope and write name of your child and their form on the envelope then seal it (if more than one child include both with £ amount next to each name).
4. d) Hand envelope into pupil reception between 8.30 a.m. and 8.40 a.m.; this can be done every day and will ensure Commercial Services staff are able to load the correct amount onto your child’s account.

Pupils can use the Cash Coin terminals at the following times: 8.15 a.m. to 8.40 a.m. 10.40 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. (morning break) 12.40 p.m. to 1.15 p.m. (lunchtime) 3.05 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. (after school) A total spend limit of £4 per day has been set up for food and drink purchases.

New pupils will need to bring £2.50 or a packed lunch on their first day. If your child is entitled to a free school meal, this will be available. All pupils will be registered on the system as part of their first day induction.

Mellors Catering Services

Mellors Catering Services are delighted to be your on-site caterer.

Mellors (a family owned business) runs over 160 catering sites, 60% of which are schools and colleges in the north of England. We directly employ all the on-site catering staff and enjoy working with the catering team to develop the food on offer. With all the exciting changes and challenges in educational catering and some confusing messages about healthy eating in the media; we thought we would write to you at this time to introduce ourselves and our approach to healthy eating.

As you may know, there are new challenges in the school catering for contract caterers such as Mellors. If you want more information take a look at our website www.mellorscatering.co.uk or leave a message on our customer hotline T. 07947 730 620

As one of the leading caterers in this field, we have been working with local authorities on the development of new menus that meet the new nutritional guidelines that came into effect from September 2009.

Our new menus cover all the nutritional requirements to provide a balanced diet. This includes a balance of some 14 nutritional elements from carbohydrate and protein content, to zinc and iron content. Once weekly menus are delivered to the pupils, we assess the popularity of choices within these menus. We then reassess their content in light of the sales across all Mellors schools. We use an IT nutritional system that analyses all menu items to give a balanced nutritional content report. This is the background to our menu planning and sourcing of ingredients from our suppliers.

Nutritional content of food messages can be misleading and confusing in its relation to informed health choices. Therefore for our customers we don’t talk about the nutritional content of food and recommended daily guidelines; instead we talk about a balanced approach to eating through the correct choice of food groups (as per DfE guidelines).

If your son or daughter has specific dietary needs or has certain food allergies, or for more general information, please contact your Catering Manager, Debbie or Area Manager, Mark Skillicorn marks@mellors.co.uk (phone number 07395568563).

Mellors Catering Services, Lancashire Manor, Prescott Road, Pimbo, Nr Wigan, WN8 9QD