We have our own kitchen within school which is managed by Leeds City Council’s School Meal Service, Catering Leeds. They employ a dedicated team, led by Sarah Waterhouse our Cook, who ensure that all children in school get a well-balanced meal at dinner time.
Here’s what Leeds City Council Catering service have to say:Our school menus have been designed and developed by our qualified food technologist to provide nutritionally balanced, delicious and healthy choices for your child. All food must adhere to our ingredients and food additive policy before appearing on our menus. And just as we care about what goes on your child’s plate, we also care passionately about where it comes from.
We value and celebrate the cultural diversity within Leeds and provide meals that cater for all. We can provide meals for those with special medical or dietary needs.
Our catering staff are well trained and on hand to support and guide your child through their lunchtime experiences.
Children are offered a choice of main courses and puddings, including salads and fresh fruit. Each child can choose from a selection of 4 meals at the beginning of the day. We have a meat dish (red option), a vegetarian dish (green option) a jacket potato with filling (purple option) or a sandwich with filling (yellow option). The current cost of a school meal is £2.40 for children in KS2. School meals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are free. |
The menus rotate over a 3 week period. There are two sets of menus every year. The first set of menus run from September until February half term. The second set of menus run from February half term up until July.
Reception children go for their lunch at 11.45am. KS1 (Years 1-2) go for lunch at 12pm. KS2 classes (Years 3-6) start to come in for lunch from 12.15pm - classes are called in to ensure the children do not spent too long queuing. Children can choose to sit where they want, whether they are on school dinners or packed lunches, ensuring that all children can sit in their friendship groups at lunchtime.
We operate a band system so the children choose from four options, meat, vegetarian, a jacket potato or sandwich every morning. This ensures that all children receive their choice of school dinner.
We also operate a 'mixed week', meaning children can have a combination of school dinners and packed lunches over a week. If you choose to do this, you have to select which days your child will have a school dinner and this is then fixed. For example a child may have a school dinner on a Monday and Wednesday and a packed lunch on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday but this has to be adhered to every week unless notice to change is given.
Children who do not choose to have a school dinner, bring a packed lunch. We have been awarded the Healthy Schools Award so whilst we do not want to be the 'Lunchtime Police', we do encourage healthy food in packed lunches such as fruit, brown bread, yogurts etc rather than sweets and biscuits.
Children on packed lunches can have a fruit drink at lunchtime but we ask that it is a flat drink not fizzy and that it is in a plastic bottle. No glass bottles or cans for safety reasons.
We appreciate parents and carers support with this.
For more information about packed lunches, please see Packed Lunch Guidance for Parents as the bottom of this page.
Children may, of course, go home for their dinner. Dinnertime is from 11.45am-12.15pm for Reception, 12pm-1pm for KS1 and 12.15-1.15pm for KS2. If you wish for your child to do this, please contact the headteacher, Miss Percival.
If your child wishes to swap from school dinners to packed lunches or vice versa or you want to change the days your child has school dinners if they are currently on a mixed week, please give one week's notice as the food for the kitchen is ordered in advance. Please inform the school office either in writing, by phone or in person if you wish to change.
Free school meals are available to some children according to family income. It’s important to register for entitlement to free school meals, even if your child has a packed lunch – this is so we can receive additional funding (called the pupil premium) which we can use to help your child.
Children are entitled to Free School Meals if their parents, carers or guardians receive any of the following:
Please note if you are entitled to Working Tax Credit you do not qualify for free school meals unless:
To find out if your child qualifies for free school meals, and for any help or advice, you could: