School Meals | Dundee City Council

Pupils in primary schools are offered two-course meals. Secondary schools operate self-service cafeterias. There is a fixed charge for a meal in a primary school. The current cost of a primary school meal is £2.15 per day. In secondary schools, the cost varies according to what the individual pupil chooses from the menu.

The provision of meals for pupils in special schools is similar to that in primary schools.

Special dietary requirements can be catered for, on the production of medical advice. Arrangements can be made for pupils who require special diets by contacting the Head Teacher.

Menus for Primary School Meals

The Nursery and Primary Menu provide a variety of dishes where the children are encouraged to eat their lunch along side their friends in a calm and inviting atmosphere. The children are encouraged by school staff to taste and try dishes that they may not be familiar with and are encouraged to eat a healthy, well balanced meal.

By visiting the interactive site you can get more details on the recipes and nutritional information on the current menu used within the schools.

School Menu 2018-19

The pictures relate to the current menu cycle and are there to help children recognise the meal they will be ordering for their lunch.

Some special diet requests can be catered for and must be requested through the school the pupil attends and medical letters must be provided in regards to allergies. For details on a special diet request please contact your nursery or primary school.

Apply for Free School Meals

On 7 January 2014 the First Minister of the Scottish Government announced that all Primary 1 to 3 children would have the option of a free healthy school meal from January 2015. This will become available from Wednesday 7th January 2015 and if you wish your P1 to 3 child/children to have a lunch then there is no requirement to complete the free school meal application form but they will need to follow school procedure for ordering the meal.

From Primary 4 onwards parents will need to apply for free school meals. Free school meals are available to all pupils whose parents receive Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance - Income Based, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit (where take home pay is less than £610 per month), Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Child Tax Credit ONLY with an income of less than £16,105, or BOTH Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with an income less than £6,900 (as assessed by HMRC).

Application forms can be submitted online:

School Meal Application Form

If we've asked you to provide documents and/or information to support a claim, you don’t need to visit our offices or send documents through the post. You can supply this information using our online evidence upload form.

If you require any further information or assistance please contact:

Customer Contact Centre
Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street
Dundee DD1 1QE
Tel: 01382 433458

Other available grants

Social Security Scotland have introduced a Best Start Grant which is made up of three payments.

The Pregnancy and Baby Payment was launched successfully on 10 December 2018, the Early Learning Payment launched on 29 April 2019 and the School Age Payment will open for applications on 3 June. As part of a programme of measures, including the Baby Box, targeted at children's early years, the aim of the payments is to support parents and tackle inequality, improving health outcomes and raising attainment.

A Pregnancy and Baby Payment of £600 for a first child and £300 for any subsequent child. This will help with expenses in pregnancy or of having a new child. There will be an extra £300 if you have a multiple birth;
An Early Learning Payment of £250. This will help with costs with early learning at around the time a child may take up a nursery place, to support child development; and
A School Age Payment of £250. This will help with the costs of preparing for primary school.

For further information about Best Start Grants can be found on the Scottish Government website.