School Meals / School Milk

All children in the Infant School are currently entitled to Universal Free School Meals and pupils in the junior school are entitled to free school meals as promoted b the Mayor of London. . We would assume that all these eligible pupils would take up this offer as we promote school meals as being the healthy option whilst being most convenient for parents and for free!

For those children who do not wish to take meals for the whole week, Monday to Friday, they may choose to have hot dinners on a Monday, Tuesday & Thursday or Wednesday and Friday only. We will assume all children will take school dinners unless you wish to take the option of providing a healthy packed lunch in which case will need to be informed by writing. The choice is made at the beginning of each term and cannot be changed until the start of the next term.

At the Junior School, children can either have hot school dinners all week from Monday to Friday or choose to have hot dinners on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only. Alternatively, they can bring a healthy packed lunch. The choice is made at the beginning of each term and cannot be changed until the start of the next term.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced an emergency scheme to help families with the spiralling cost of living by ensuring that every primary schoolchild in London will receive free school meals in the next academic year continue to 2024-2025. The one-off proposal is to ensure that healthy free school meals are universally available to all primary school pupils for one year from September due to the extreme pressures currently facing households across the capital.

Children requiring special diets for health reasons can usually be catered for but the school office must be informed and it is best that a meeting is set up to discuss these needs.

Packed Lunches

Children may have packed lunches, which are consumed in the dining hall. We ask the parents to ensure that the packed lunch is healthy and that no sweets, confectionaries or chocolate are included. Bottles and cans of fizzy drink are not permitted; water is available on the table. If a child wishes to change from packed lunches to dinners or vice-versa, they may only do so at the beginning of each half-term. Please note due to Health & Safety - Hot lunches should not be brought into school in thermos flasks.

We are a Nut Free School and ask that items containing nuts are not included in lunch boxes as there are children who have severe allergies to these products. This included some cereal bars and Nutella. We encourage healthy eating habits at all times and encourage parents to provide a balanced packed lunch for their children with no complete chocolate bars.

The children are well cared for at lunch times by a team of Midday Supervisors.

As part of our ‘Healthy School’ initiative, we encourage children to bring a healthy packed lunch avoiding food with a high sugar or salt content. Please note that if a child is to be brought to school after 10.00am and wishes to have a dinner ordered, then please call the school office to ensure your child receives dinner that day.

If a child has been in school and dinner has been ordered and they leave to go home due to illness, the school dinner will be charged at the normal rate.

At the infant school, parents often ask what they can do to celebrate their child's birthday. As a healthy eating school. We do not allow sweets to be distributed in school; however, a book donation for the class to enjoy is most welcomed.

Food Temperatures

It's worth investing in little ice blocks for the warmer weather, packed lunch bags are not refrigerated but we do keep them away from heat sources. We recommend that in summer parents:

purchase a small ice block
add a chilled drink to reduce the temperature of the bag
make the packed lunch the night before and place it in the fridge.
use frozen bread, it will thaw by lunchtime and keep the ingredients cool.

Free School Meals

To qualify for free school meals your child must be at school full time and you must be receiving one of the following benefits:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
Support from the National Asylum Support Service
Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) with an annual income that does not exceed £16,190

If you believe you meet the free school meals eligibility criteria, please call 0300 300 8306.

When you call to apply for free school meals, please have the following information ready:

National Insurance numbers and dates of birth for you and your partner and dates of birth for your children
If you receive support from the National Asylum Support Service, your NASS number

You will usually be told on the phone if your child can have free school meals and they will inform the school. The meal will be a hot school lunch which is cooked in the school kitchen.

Fruit Snacks & Daily Milk

Morning Fruit Snack
In Early Years and Key Stage 1 children receive FREE FRUIT for their daily snack.
In Key Stage 2 children may bring a fruit/vegetable snack from home to eat during morning break. In addition, children at the Infants’ School are provided with a piece of fruit at morning break, this follows the government initiative and is supplied from external agencies. This varies from apples, pears, carrots etc. Children at the Junior School may bring a piece of fruit for morning break (grapes need to be cut in half).

Please note processed fruit bars or strips are not permitted due to the high sugar content.

Our School Milk Scheme
Did you know our school provides a school milk scheme? By registering your child for our school milk scheme they will receive 189ml (third of a pint) of semi-skimmed milk every day. This is delivered fresh and chilled to their classroom every day.

How much does it cost?
Thanks to government subsidies, school milk is free for all under-fives and is subsided at around £18 a term for children aged five or older.

Why should I register my child?
School milk provides your child with essential nutrients. It is also rehydrating and energy boosting, helping to bridge the long gap between breakfast and lunch so children stay focused.
Find out the top ten reasons to drink school milk at www.coolmilk.com/whyschoolmilk

How do I register my child?
If your child is under five

As a school we will register your children for the scheme so you don’t have to do anything.

If your child is over five

Go to www.coolmilk.com or pick up a form from school.
Pay Cool Milk online, over the phone, at a local PayPoint or by cheque in instalments to suit you. If registering online you can pay straight away, if using a registration form you will need to wait to receive a payment request.
Just pay by a Tuesday for your child’s milk to start the following week.

How do I find out more?
Visit www.coolmilk.com or contact Cool Milk directly on 0800 142 2972.

Infant School - Autumn/Winter 2024 Menu

central autumn winter 2024 2025 menu schools 2.pdf

Junior School - Autumn/Winter 2024 Menu

central autumn winter 2024 2025 menu 14.pdf