School Meals, Food & Drink Initiatives
School Meals
At St. Stephen’s we aim to provide meals that are healthy, appetising and appealing to our children. All our school meals will be prepared and cooked in our own kitchen by a catering company called Lunchtime Co.
Meals include as much fresh, seasonal, unprocessed and locally sourced ingredients as possible including high welfare meat and sustainable fish.
Our school meals meet all the national nutritional requirements, with bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, water and a selection of salads available on a daily basis. The menu is displayed outside the school hall and is available to download at the bottom of this page, enabling parents and children to make informed choices.We regularly ask children’s opinions about the menu. Children are encouraged by staff on duty to try new foods and often will experiment when they see their peers eating a variety of dishes.
You can view our current menus at the bottom of this page.
Free School Meals
Under the mayor of London's free school meal for primary school children initiative, there is currently no charge for school meals. However, please note that there is an important difference between the government initiative to offer all primary school aged children free school meals and the existing free school meal scheme. If you are on benefits and would like help with paying for school meals, you may apply via the Borough for free meals for your child. For each eligible child, St Stephen’s is allocated £1,300 p.a. to help support the child and maximise their progress. The funding goes towards paying for things like extra tuition; school uniform; trips and out of school provision (school/holiday clubs). The funding to the school will be lost unless eligible parents continue to apply for financial help. It is therefore important that if you think your family income means that your child is eligible but they’re not registered, please either go to www.richmond.gov.uk/free_school_meals and fill out an application form or go to www.fsm.lgfl.net where you can quickly and easily check eligibility. The online application process is linked to the Department for Education’s system and gives an immediate ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response.
Healthy Packed Lunches
The school recognises that some children may want to bring in a packed lunch. We encourage parents to provide healthy and nutritious lunches. As part of our ongoing drive to ensure the children eat healthily, sweets, crisps and chocolate should not be brought into school. No glass bottles or tins should be brought in either. Please also note that due to dietary requirements or intolerance, and religious observance, we insist that no food may be swapped or shared from packed lunches. Food not eaten in a packed lunch will be sent home with the child to ensure that parents know what their child has or has not eaten. All packaging is send home to give the child the opportunity to recycle.
We understand it can be tough to get variety into their lunch boxes. If you would like some new ideas/inspiration, please click on the links below. Or make the switch to school meals: they already have to meet tough standards for nutrition, so you’ll know your child’s choosing from a healthy menu.
http://letsgetcookingathome.org.uk/get-cooking/perfect-packed-lunches
http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/healthy-lunchbox-picnic.aspx
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/school-packed-lunch-inspiration
Healthy Snacks
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are provided with a piece of fruit at morning break.
Children in KS2 (Y3-Y6) need to bring in their own healthy snacks.
Water
Children must bring in their own water bottles with a sports cap, especially before and after P.E. and during warm weather. Drinking water is accessible in school for water bottles to be refilled.
Milk
Every child under the age of five is entitled to free school milk. When a child reaches five they are then entitled to subsidised milk, around £15 per term. In order for this to happen, you need to register your child either by going online to www.coolmilk.com or send a form available from the school office to FREEPOST COOL MILK.
Healthy Schools Award
St Stephen's has held a Healthy School Award since 2004. Many areas of the curriculum reinforce the Healthy School message, including Science, PSHE and PE.
Allergies, Food Intolerance or Special Requirements
Detailed information can be found in our Food In School Policy which is available to download at the bottom of this page.
In summary: No nuts are used in any food preparation as the school is a nut-free zone. This includes coconuts.
If your child has a food allergy or intolerance, please complete the Medical Diet Request Form, available to download at the bottom of this page.
Winchester Road,