School Meals
Hot Cooked Lunches
Like many schools across the country, we work with Caterlink to provide a hot meal option for pupils. We offer school dinners every day cooked on site in our friendly kitchens run by our cooks Mrs Taylor and her mother Mrs King. Everything is cooked from scratch and our cook knows the children’s likes and dislikes very well indeed. Menus change every term to suit the season and offer fresh ingredients! Parents can choose from the menu and can change from day to day if required. Mrs Taylor is very happy to discuss any particular dietary requirements that your child may have and can tailor the menus according to their needs . If your child is in Y3 or above payment an be made using ParentPay, for those in Reception, Y1 and Y2, universal school meals are currently free, see below.
Packed Lunches
Packed lunches may also be brought to school if preferred and we operate a healthy eating policy (no crisps and chocolate bars please!) Some parents prefer to send a packed lunch for pupils. We hold Healthy Schools status and encourage healthy eating at lunchtime. Chocolate bars, fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps should not be sent into school as part of a packed lunch. For a range of healthy lunchbox ideas why not take a look at the BBC Good Food guidance BBC Good food guide The NHS also have lots of advice about packed lunches – follow the link here! NHS good food guide
Lunch Choices
Take a look at the menu for Autumn Term below. Food orders are placed with the kitchen daily so it is possible to make changes to your order on a daily basis. Special diets will be catered for. All special diets must be registered with Caterlink before a child can be offered a school meal. If your child has a special diet/allergy, please inform the school office as soon as possible so that we can provide you with a form for completion.
Snacks: We encourage children to have a snack at breaktime to help maintain their energy levels. A piece of fruit or plain biscuit is ideal. All infant children receive a FREE piece of fruit or vegetable every day at snack time. For ideas about healthy snack choices take a look at the Change 4 Life guidance: www.nhs.uk/change4life
Milk: All under 5 children are entitled to free milk at school through a scheme called ‘Cool Milk at School’. To access this scheme, you need to register online at www.coolmilk.com Whether or not your child likes milk, we suggest enrolling them in the scheme anyway as the role modelling of their peers will often encourage reluctant milk drinkers. When your child becomes 5 years old, they can still have milk but it is not free.
Other Drinks: Your child will have access to drinking water at all times. We will remind them to drink plenty of fluids after exercise and at regular slots throughout the day.
Free School Meals Online Portal Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to Universal Free School Meals. If your child is in Year 3 and above, you may be entitled to apply for free school meals. This can save up to £437 per year! You can use the online portal to check to see if you are eligible.
Parents and Carers can now apply for Free School Meals online. In May 2016, Gloucestershire County Council’s Access to Learning Team launched a new online portal that enables parents/carers to apply for Free School Meals across the county. The portal is a quick, easy and more efficient method for parents/carers compared to the traditional paper based system. It should also make the process easier for schools as it will no longer be necessary for them to print, fax or scan paper forms as they have done in the past. For more information and to make an application visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals.
If you have any queries, regarding this or the process of applying, please contact the Free School Meals team who will be happy to help. Tel: 01452 425390 or email: pupilbenefits@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Our kitchens are always awarded top marks with the Food Standards Agency.