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School Meals & Milk

School Meals

Our school has been recognised as and awarded the ‘Healthy School’ status. Nutritious, well-balanced school meals are cooked fresh each day in our own kitchen. We operate a ‘Pupil Choice’ school meal system, as directed by Hertfordshire Catering.

VERY IMPORTANT: St Andrew’s is a ‘nut-free’ zone

Please note that we cannot allow nuts in school either as a snack, in snack bars or as peanut butter in sandwiches due to the risk of anaphylaxis. Even the dust from peanuts can be fatal and it is imperative that parents adhere to this very important regulation. This also applies to birthday sweets.

Children have a daily choice of :

  • A hot meal
  • A vegetarian option
  • Jacket potato option
  • A school-made packed lunch

Pupil Choice Menu on the HCL website – type ‘St. Andrews’ to find our school

In addition there is the option to have a cooked school meal on a Wednesday and/or Friday only. There is ‘Wednesday Roast’ every Wednesday and ‘Fish Friday’ every Friday, both are popular choices as well as an opportunity for children to ‘try’ or to be introduced to our excellent school meals. Alternatively, you may provide your child with a packed lunch from home. New Reception children, accompanied by a parent or carer, are invited to sample a meal before they start school.

Parents wishing to change their child’s dinner arrangements from school dinners to packed lunches, or vice versa, are required to give two weeks’ notice before the end of a half term. A form is available from the School Office.

Free school meals

Children, parents or carers who receive one of the benefits listed below can get free school meals:

  • Income support
  • Income-based job seekers allowance
  • Income-related employment and support allowance
  • Support under immigration and asylum law
  • The guarantee part of state pension credit
  • Child tax credit and you have an annual income of £16,190 before tax or less
  • Working tax credit during the 4 week run on period

Further information is available from the School Office or from:

www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

Sandwich Lunches

In line with our healthy eating programme, the following guidelines are set out to parents regarding foods to be included/excluded in sandwich lunches:-

  • To supplement sandwiches / rolls / wraps/ savoury lunchtime foods, children are encouraged to include fruit and vegetables in their lunchboxes.
  • Cake, biscuits, mini biscuits or biscuit bars eg. penguin bars are also permitted, but only as part of their packed lunch.
  • ‘Squeezy’ yogurts should only be used if your child is able to open the packet themselves.
  • Children should not bring actual sweets or bars of chocolate to school as part of their packed lunch.
  • Packed lunches should be sent in a named, leak-proof lunch box.
  • Drinks should be in cartons or unbreakable bottles. They should be ‘still’ and cold.

Snacks

We are currently participating in the Government’s Fruit and Vegetable Scheme entitling every child age 4 – 6 to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each day. This reinforces our commitment to healthy eating and replaces morning snacks for all children in KS1.

Children not participating in the scheme, including those in KS2, are requested to bring only fruit or vegetables into school for their morning break.  This may be dried fruit as well as fresh fruit, though we encourage parents to select items with no added sugar. Sugar coated fruit or fruit bars are not permitted.

Water

It has been proven that drinking plenty of water increases children’s mental alertness and so helps them to learn more effectively. Fresh, mains-supplied water is freely available for the children. Each child has their own named plastic water bottle, which they can refill as necessary. Bottles can be purchased from the School Office. In keeping with our school Food Policy ‘children may only drink plain, unflavoured water’.

School Milk

Under the Nursery Milk Scheme, milk is offered to Nursery children free of charge and any children in Reception who are still 4 years old for the whole of the following term. Milk is also offered to children who qualify for Free School Meals. All children’s milk is refrigerated on receipt of the delivery in the early morning and is kept chilled until required at break time.

Milk may be ordered on a termly basis, for FS and Key Stage 1 children only. A reminder letter is sent to parents of FS and Key Stage 1 children towards the end of each term. For administration reasons, orders cannot be accepted after the deadline. Milk is refrigerated on receipt and given to children during their morning break. In the interest of children’s health milk is semi-skimmed for children in Key Stage 1.