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School Meals
School meals are provided by Dolce who offer new exciting menus every term. All parents are given access to the online ordering system to enable them to order at home and also have access to all the recipes, ingredients, nutritional breakdown, allergen and dietary information.
Should your child suffer with any food intolerance/allergies these can be set on the system by the parent or can be discussed with school.
A school lunch can provide up to three of the five daily portions of fruit and vegetables and can supply one-third of your child’s daily recommended nutrients.
Free School Meals
Is your child eligible?
Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:
- younger than the compulsory age for starting school
- in full-time education
Packed Lunches
Thanks to Jamie Oliver, school dinners have had a radical overhaul. But what about the lunchboxes we pack for our children?
It’s just as important to make sure the lunchbox your child takes to school provide a healthy, balanced lunch as when they eat at home. This means plenty of foods that contain the nutrients that children need, and fewer foods that are high in sugar and saturated fat.
Packing the lunchbox
A balanced packed lunch should contain:
- Starchy foods. These are bread, rice, potatoes and pasta, and others.
- Protein foods. These are meat, fish, eggs, beans and others.
- A dairy item. This could be cheese or yoghurt.
- Vegetables or salad, and a portion of fruit.
Starchy foods are a good source of energy, and should make up a third of the lunchbox. But don’t let things get boring. Instead of sandwiches give kids bagels, pitta bread, wraps and baguettes. Use brown, wholemeal or seeded bread, not white bread.
Children often like food they can eat with their fingers, so chop up raw veggies such as carrots or peppers. Breadsticks and wholemeal crackers are great finger foods and they can be spread with low-fat soft cheese or eaten with reduced-fat cheddar and pickles.
Replace chocolate bars and cakes with fresh or dried fruit.
Vary the fruit each day and get them to try new things, like kiwi or melon. You could also make up a tasty fruit salad. Be inventive and encourage your children when they try something new.
Please do not include chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks in your child's packed lunch.
Brush Bus – Learning programme for Nursery and Reception children to brush their teeth
Brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste 1,300-1,500ppm fluoride is indicated for maximum caries control and is an evidence-based intervention for preventing dental decay. Children aged 3yrs-6yrs should use a pea-sized amount of paste and spit out after brushing and not to rinse. Children at Beacon will benefit from the supervised Brush Bus programme actively taking part in being taught how to brush their teeth and learning how important it is to brush their teeth.
The programme has three positive benefits:
- It teaches the children dexterity when brushing.
- It gives the children an extra opportunity to benefit from fluoride.
- It gives children the opportunity to brush their teeth with their own toothbrush –if they don’t have one at home.