School meals
School meal provision
School Meals are provided by Herts Catering. A cook and her team work in the school kitchen to prepare the lunches daily and children eat together in the school hall. Midday Supervisors work with the children over the lunch break to ensure a smooth running of the session. The menu is available on the Herts Catering web site, please see link below, where there are three options each day, meat, vegetarian and sandwiches/baguette. If your child has any allergies or dietary requirements please make the school aware and apply for a special menu at specialmenu.hcl.co.uk. Once this has been processed the kitchen will make specific arrangements to cater for them. Meals are booked and paid for via School Gateway, cost £3.40 per day and are need to chosen before 9am on the day. Please see our Online Payments page for more details on School Gateway.
Sample menu on Herts Catering website (please scroll down)
Check if your child is eligible for free school meals
If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF). You have to apply before each holiday. Contact the School Office for further information. Other help may be available via the Household Support Fund.
Packed lunch policy
Policy summary
This is a guide for families who are choosing to provide a home prepared packed lunch for their children.
- Parents should ensure that home prepared packed lunches provide a healthy and well balanced meal
- All children at school will be given water to drink at lunchtime, any drinks at lunchtime must be a healthy choice, no cans, sugary or fizzy drinks
- Whole/crushed nuts/sesame seeds must not be sent into school – this includes pesto/hummus/cereal bars that contain nuts or any other item with nut ingredients
- Grapes should be cut into halves or quarters.
- Packed lunches must not contain sweets or chocolate
- Biscuits, chocolate coated biscuits, crisps and small cakes are allowed as long as the packed lunch provides a healthy and balanced meal
- Reusable ice packs are a good choice in warmer weather, all lunches must be in a sealed plastic container/lunch bag
- Within reason any uneaten food will be sent home in the lunchbox
- Where meals do not appear to be well balanced, a member of staff will talk to parents in a timely and sensitive manner.
Healthy choices
Our home prepared packed lunch policy fits within a wider context of promoting a whole school approach to food and healthy eating. Children’s packed lunches should be based on the ‘Eatwell Plate’ model which shows items from
the 5 main food groups; The NHS Eatwell Guide
NHS Choices shares a range of suggestions for creating healthier lunchboxes.
Foods Which Must Be Avoided
- Whole/crushed nuts/sesame seeds must not be sent into school – this includes pesto/hummus/cereal bars that contain nuts or any other item with nut ingredients
- Packed lunches must also NOT contain sweets or chocolate.
- Biscuits, chocolate coated biscuits, crisps and small cakes are allowed as long as the packed lunch provides a healthy and balanced meal.
Special Diets and Allergies
Please ensure that we are aware of any special diets that do not allow for our policy to be followed exactly. In such cases we do ask that parents talk to us and make sure the packed lunch is as healthy as possible.
Children are not permitted to swap or share food items.
Packed Lunch Containers
It is the responsibility of parents / carers to provide an appropriate packed lunch container where food items can be stored securely and appropriately until the lunchtime period. Parents might include an ice pack, since we do not have facilities to refrigerate home prepared packed lunches.
Please ensure the outside of all lunch boxes / containers are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Waste and Disposal
The school will, within reason, send any uneaten home prepared packed lunch food items back home. The rationale for this is that parents can be aware of what their child has consumed during the day and plan the family evening meal accordingly as well as to offer you the opportunity to raise any concerns over their child’s food intake with the class teacher.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The school will carry out monitoring of packed lunch provision – where there may be concerns over a child’s food/nutritional intake and/or content of home prepared packed lunches, this will be dealt with in a timely and sensitive manner.