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Food & Drink at school

Octopus Breakfast Club and Starfish After School Club - we run a breakfast club and after school club – details available at the school office or click on 'Octopus & Starfish Clubs' on the homepage.

Fruit and Vegetable Scheme / Snacks - we participate in a Government funded Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.  Each morning break children in nursery, reception, year 1 & 2 are offered a piece of fruit or vegetable such as a carrot, banana or pear.  Parents are not charged for this.  Children may bring an alternative, healthy mid-morning snack (fruit or vegetables) and drink to school – NOT sweets, chocolate, gum or fizzy drinks/energy drinks.  Snacks must be kept separate from their lunchbox.

Water Bottles - please ensure your child brings a named water bottle to school every day which is kept in the classroom so children can have a drink at any time.  The bottle should be: easy to fill and use and hold a minimum of 300ml.  Please click here to read more guidance about drinking water at school.

Milk - when children join the school, parents and carers are asked if they would like to register their child to receive school milk, which is free if they are under five.  Milk is provided in a carton at morning break time (please advise us in writing if you do not want your child to have the milk).  Milk is available at lunchtime for children eligible for free school meals.  Milk can also be ordered for children over 5 for around £18 per term by registering with Cool Milk online at www.coolmilk.com  

Lunchtime - reception, year 1 and 2 have lunch in the hall between 11.50 and 12.30 and they sit at tables with other children from their class.  Please ensure that they can wash their hands.  At around 12.30 years 3-6 have lunch and the younger children go out onto the playground.  When it is warm enough, children have their lunch outside on the picnic benches or on the field.  Our midday meals supervisors and teaching assistants look after the children during lunchtime and there are always first aiders on duty.

School Meals - Free school meals are available to all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 and for eligible children in Year 3 and above, and can be purchased for children in year 3 and above who are not eligible for free meals. Children who have hot meals can still sit with friends who have packed lunches.  For information about free school meals, menus, special diets and more please see 'Hot School Meals - Chartwells'.

Packed Lunch - children will need a named plastic lunch box which they put onto a trolley at the start of the day.  Please note that the following is NOT allowed:

  • Glass bottles or jars;
  • Fizzy or Energy drinks;
  • Sweets and chocolate;
  • Foods containing nuts or nut products; or
  • Hot drinks/soups in a flask.

At school we encourage healthy eating.  Please join us in encouraging children to have a healthy balanced lunchtime meal.   According to research carried out by the University of Leeds in 2016, only 1.6% of primary school packed lunches met the Governments School Food Standards that hot school meals are required to meet.  Please see the Packed Lunch Guidelines below for more information and inspiration.   If your child has a nut allergy or any other food allergy, please make sure this is noted on the Medical Form.  Children are encouraged to compost waste such as apple cores and fruit skins.  We do not allow children to throw away uneaten or half eaten food as it is important for parents to know what their child has or has not eaten.

Some new reception and nursery children take a long time to eat their lunch so please ensure that they can open all their food packages/containers; have food that they are familiar with and like; and, don’t have too much to eat!

Home Lunch - children are entitled to have their lunch at home.  We recommend that children stay at school for lunch so that they can play and socialise with other children.  If you do want to take your child home please inform the school office.

Food in the curriculum - we regularly use a wide range of food to support teaching and learning, for example, cooking, trying foods from around the world, using food as part of an art project, tasting foods, experimenting with food (e.g. in science and design & technology).  If your child is a vegetarian, has a food allergy, has religious reasons or any other reasons for avoiding certain foods or food products, please let us know.

Birthday Treats - We all love to celebrate children’s birthdays!  However, to promote healthy eating and as part  of our National healthy schools status please do not send birthday treats to school.

Nutrition information http://www.firststepsnutrition.org.newpages/Early_Years/eating_well-early_years.html

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