St. Mary's Catholic Federation, Carshalton

St. Mary's Catholic Federation, Carshalton

Learning, Playing and Growing together in the Love of Jesus

School Meals

All children in the Infant School are currently entitled to Universal Free School Meals. We would assume that all these eligible pupils would take up this offer as we promote school meals as being the healthy option whilst being most convenient for parents and for free!

For those children who do not wish to take meals for the whole week, Monday to Friday, they may choose to have hot dinners on a Wednesday and Friday only. We will assume all children will take school dinners unless you wish to take the option of providing a healthy packed lunch in which case will need to be informed by writing. The choice is made at the beginning of each term and cannot be changed until the start of the next term.

 

At the Junior School, children can either have hot school dinners all week from Monday to Friday or choose to have hot dinners on a Wednesday and Friday only. Alternatively, they can bring a healthy packed lunch.  The choice is made at the beginning of each term and cannot be changed until the start of the next term.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced an emergency scheme to help families with the spiralling cost of living by ensuring that every primary schoolchild in London will receive free school meals in the next academic year 2023-2024 and continuing to 2024-2025. The one-off proposal is to ensure that healthy free school meals are universally available to all primary school pupils for one year from September due to the extreme pressures currently facing households across the capital.

Children may have packed lunches, which are consumed in the dining hall. We ask the parents to ensure that the packed lunch is healthy and that no sweets, confectionaries or chocolate are included. Bottles and cans of fizzy drink are not permitted; water is available on the table. If a child wishes to change from packed lunches to dinners or vice-versa, they may only do so at the beginning of each half-term.

 

In addition, children at the Infants’ School are provided with a piece of fruit at morning break, this follows the government initiative and is supplied from external agencies. This varies from apples, pears, carrots etc. Children at the Junior School may bring a piece of fruit for morning break (grapes need to be cut in half). As part of our ‘Healthy School’ initiative, we encourage children to bring a healthy packed lunch avoiding food with a high sugar or salt content. Please note that if a child is to be brought to school after 10.00am and wishes to have a dinner ordered, then please call the school office to ensure your child receives dinner that day.

If a child has been in school and dinner has been ordered and they leave to go home due to illness, the school dinner will be charged at the normal rate.

At the infant school, parents often ask what they can do to celebrate their child's birthday. As a healthy eating school. We do not allow sweets to be distributed in school; however, a book donation for the class to enjoy is most welcomed.

 

Milk-

Small cartons of milk may be ordered for children on a weekly basis to have at break time. Payments are made via registration with Cool Milk at www.coolmilk.com. Full details of the cost per day will be supplied by Cool Milk upon registration. There is no refund if a child is absent or does not drink the milk ordered.

Do you qualify for FREE SCHOOL MEALS and MILK? Please follow this link for further information https://www.sutton.gov.uk/-/free-school-meals-and-pupil-premium-eligibility-and-how-to-apply  and let us know as further government funding is available for children eligible for free school meals. Please don't hesitate to contact the School Office for information.

 


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