At Dorothy Stringer we take healthy eating seriously and this is reflected in the quality of the food provided.

We are proud of the food that we produce for our students at Dorothy Stringer School. Our committed team of in-house cooks and catering assistants work hard to provide healthy, nutritious and delicious food and snacks for our students. 

We offer a range of options which cater for various dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and halal. We regularly review and update our menus based on student feedback. We offer students a choice of: Freshly made baguettes with various fillings; a range of pasta options; freshly made ‘meal’ of the day which always offers a meat free option. Mondays are ‘meat free’ Mondays with additional vegetarian and vegan options. Thursdays are the popular ‘Street Food Day’ where each week we serve different dishes from around the world, examples being Mexican wraps and nachos; sweet & sour noodles; Chicken or vegetarian Katsu and rice.  

Sustainable Fish City - We are proud that we are part of Brighton & Hove Sustainable Fish City. We only buy sustainable seafood to ensure marine environments, fish stocks and fishing livelihoods are protected. We will only buy MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified fish.  

Opening times

Dorothy Stringer is a cashless school which means the School Gateway Payment system is the only way to add funds to students canteen accounts so that they can purchase school meals and snacks in school. Students receive their cards on the first day of school. 

You can make payments online through the SchoolGateway, where you can use Instant Bank Transfer (see below for more information), Credit Card or Debit Card.Using the SchoolGateway will also enable you to view the purchases your child has made in the canteen. Canteen payments made using the SchoolGateway usually reach students accounts at speed, however, we recommend that students’ accounts are topped up the day before the monies will be required. 

A link to top up, canteen menus and prices can be found on our parent SLG. 

Help sheet on how to top up using the SchoolGateway :  Parents Guide

Bank Transfer Information : Instant Bank Transfer.pdf

A significant number of students in our school are eligible for free school meals (FSM). The majority enjoy a daily hot meal at school, but some choose to continue to bring a packed lunch from home. There is no compulsion for eligible students to eat school meals if they do not wish to, but by applying for this support the school will receive additional funding which we can use to help students in many other ways. Information about how we spend this additional funding to support students entitled to free school meals can be found on our website here: https://public.dorothy-stringer.co.uk/ds/pages/pupil_premium.aspx

Your child might be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit – if you apply after 1 April 2018, your household income must be less than £7400 per year
• Children, who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, may also get free school meals.

If you are in receipt of any Working Tax Credit you will not be eligible to apply for Free School Meals