School Dinners

School Dinners
Parents/carers are able to choose on a daily basis between providing their children with a packed lunch or having a school dinner. There is a choice of a hot main course or vegetarian option with a pudding or fresh fruit; alternatively, jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings.  Any containers brought into school for lunch or drinks should be named please. Dinner money is brought in each day by the children and stored for them until lunchtime, when it is paid to the kitchen staff. All money needs to be in a named envelope or purse. Milk and water are made available to all children at lunch time.
Chartwells are contracted to the school to provide school meals for our children.
They are the company chosen by East Sussex County Council and they are responsible for maintaining good nutritional standards. All meals need to be paid for using Parent Pay. Please follow the link below to set up an account:

https://www.parentpay.com/

You may find out more about school meals by visiting:
www.eastsussex.gov.uk/schoolmeals


Free School Meals
The are several circumstances in which your child is entitled to free school meals, including if you are in receipt of Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance, (Income Based). If you are receiving Child Tax Credit alone, (i.e. not with Working Tax Credit), and you may still be entitled to free school meals. An application form is available from the school office. If you are entitled to free school meals, please apply, even if your child does not want school dinners. It  benefits the school for children to be registered for free school meals, so we seek your co-operation with filling in this form if applicable. For more information, including criteria for entitlement, please follow the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

Since September 2014 every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 is entitled to a school meal. However, it is important that you still apply for free school meals if you are entitled; this secures valuable funding for our school which we can use to support your child in a variety of ways.

Snacks and Drinks
Packed lunches
The school is committed to informing pupils and parents/carers about approaches to the preparation of a packed lunch that is balanced and healthy. In order to keep teeth healthy, sweets are not allowed in school but one chocolate-coated biscuit as part of a packed lunch is permitted.
The school has identified areas for the eating of packed lunches where pupils can have easy access to drinking water and facilities to dispose of and recycle waste.

Snacks
Children may bring some fruit or vegetables to eat at morning break if they wish. Additionally, children in Reception and Key Stage One receive a free piece of fruit every afternoon, as part of the government sponsored ‘Healthy Eating’ Scheme. Water is available from drinking fountains at both ends of the school and children are encouraged to bring in a transparent plastic bottle of water for personal use.

Drinks
The school recognises the contribution that the consumption of sufficient water makes to learning, positive behaviour and health. The school has shown a commitment to meeting legal requirements to make clean, palatable water available to all pupils and staff throughout the school day. Parents/carers are encouraged to provide an appropriate container, (transparent plastic bottle), for drinking water and to ensure that these containers are kept clean. The children can keep these bottles in classrooms so that they are readily available.