Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

School Lunch Guidelines

We are a healthy school and follow all Government guidance on healthy food options for our children.

All pupils in Year R, Year 1 and Year 2 receive the Universal Free School Meal and are not allowed to have packed lunches. If your child has a dietary need or allergy we will meet with you and the School Cook to resolve the issues so that your child can enjoy a good quality cooked meal in the middle of the day.

All Nursery Pupils have a school meal from January to July  to get used to socialising at lunch, using cutlery and trying new foods from our menus. This is compulsory and the usual school meal fees will be charged. You will be advised of this during your child’s induction to our school and will receive a reminder letter before they start their meals.

All pupils in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 have the option of a cooked school meal or bringing their own packed lunch. Pupils eligible for Free School Meals (as determined by Government Criteria that we are happy to check for you) will receive this meal for free. Any other pupil wishing to have a cooked meal will be charged at the current rate. School meals are payable in advance to the school office. The school meal rate can change annually and we will notify you of this in plenty of time.

We do not allow debts to accrue on School Meal Accounts so please be prompt with your payments. If you run into difficulties paying your school meal account we will ask you to provide a packed lunch until your account is clear.

Our cook Mrs Lewis designs exciting and nutritious menus (including Children's Choice) and we would encourage all pupils to have their lunch prepared by school. We provide water and milk with the meal and a healthy dessert of fruit or yoghurt. On special occasions we have themed menus (for example World Book Day, St Patrick’s Day, EU Day etc) and sandwich children can book a meal for these days. In addition we have a set Roast Day (Thursday) and Pizza Day (Friday), these are always popular with all staff and children and can be booked as individual meals if your child usually has sandwiches. We also have Pudding Tuesday (our treat day when we have a different dessert!).

If you choose to make a packed lunch for your child you need to follow the guidelines set out below. If children bring in foods that are not allowed we will return them home in the lunchbox and ask you not to send them in again – please support the school with this as it can cause distress to the child when they are told they cannot eat a food that mum or dad has packed for them.

Allergies and Food Intolerances

We would ask all parents to advise us at the point that their child starts school of any allergies or intolerances that would affect their access to food and drink items in school. This information has an impact on lunches, school visits, curriculum work involving ingredients etc. It is vital that this information is accurate and updated regularly.

We would also respectfully advise our parents that allergies and intolerances are diagnosed medical issues that can have harmful effects if your child is exposed to that item. This is not the same as your child not liking a food type and the allergy/intolerance notification is not to tell us what foods your child does not like. Children select their own food at lunch and we monitor all children with allergies very closely.

Teachers using food in lessons are required to complete a risk assessment and record what is used and the ingredients in case of incident.

Halal and Kosher Options

Please be advised that we do not offer halal or kosher options in our kitchen but there is always a substantial vegetarian option for children who have religious dietary requirements.