School meals

South Tyneside Catering Service provides lunches to pupils of all age groups in nursery, primary and secondary schools.

Our highly skilled and experienced professional cooks are committed to providing an excellent lunch every day.

They work closely with school staff to make sure that even the fussiest of eaters look forward to a great meal in school.

We provide quality, nutritious menus and a friendly professional service built on the following priorities:

• Nutrition
• Value
• Flexibility
• Reliability
• Quality
• Consistency
• Commitment
• Continuous improvement

South Tyneside Catering Services currently provides meals to schools across the borough, and in some we supply breakfast clubs, mid-morning snacks and after-school club food.

About 11,000 children per day enjoy a tasty 2 course meal at a great value price of £2.20.

The catering team works closely with schools, health professionals, nutritionists and other agencies to promote healthy eating and encourage as many parents as possible to choose great school meals for their child.

All of our recipes and products have been analysed for nutrient content, in line with the government's National Nutritional Standards for school meals.

South Tyneside Catering Services supports local business sustainability, and purchase products from local suppliers as often as possible.

Primary and special school pupils

Primary and special school pupils are offered:

• a choice of at least two main courses and desserts
• a wide selection of salads, vegetables, yoghurt and fresh fruit

Secondary school pupils

Secondary school pupils are provided with a multi-choice cash cafeteria style of service, with a great selection of:

• traditional and favourite main courses
• salads
• pasta pots
• sandwiches
• wraps
• baguettes
• rolls
• paninis
• hot and cold desserts
• beverages

Secondary school meals are priced individually and are displayed in school dining rooms.

Support for schools

We aim to support schools with healthy eating messages and enhance the school dining experience. We provide:

• Attendance at Student Council meetings.
• Support in developing Packed Lunch Policies and Whole School Food Policies.
• Tasting tables to encourage children to try a wide range of foods.
• Theme days and fun days including curriculum-linked menus. Look out for our themed day menus in 2024 in January, March, May and July.
• Promotions and competitions.
• School trip lunches.

Contact us

We want to hear your views of the School Catering Service.

If you have a comment about our service or would like any further information, please contact us at:

South Tyneside Council
Catering Services
Town Hall and Civic Offices
Westoe Road
NE33 2RL

Otherwise please contact the Customer Contact Centre.