School meals are served between 11.45am and 12.30pm each day and all children are encouraged to stay for school lunch. Our school meals are provided by Taylor Shaw who work with school to ensure meals are healthy of a high quality and nutritionally balanced.
A school meal costs £2.00 per day/ £10.00 per week.
School Meals Menu
Please find below the current School Lunch Menus for Winter/Spring 2017/18 available to download:
Howden-le-Wear Autumn School Menu
All meals must be ordered and paid for by 10.30 a.m. on the first day of the school week (usually Monday). If your child is absent but will be present later in the week, the money should still be sent to school on the first day of the week. Dinner money should be placed in an envelope with the child’s name, class and amount of money enclosed, clearly written on the outside. Parents are requested to please send the correct amount and remember to deduct credits for any absences from the previous week.
Our School Meals rotate on a three weekly cycle where children choose their main meal choice in advance. There is a choice of a meat, vegetarian or fish main dish throughout the week with a range of salads and a variety of desserts including yoghurts and fresh fruit available for children each day. Parents are welcome to come into school to see the choice of food available.
A Free School Meal is supplied to all children who are in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (Key Stage 1) as well as to children whose parents are in receipt of Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, or Child Tax Credit; provided they do not receive Working Tax Credit and have an annual income that does not exceed £16,190. If you think your child may be entitled to free meals please contact the school or the School Meals Team at Durham County Council (03000 268002). Every effort is made to ensure that children receiving free meals cannot be distinguished from other children.
As well as a school meal, children are welcome to bring a packed lunch to school. Please note, that if you wish your child to change their lunch time meal arrangements (ie move from school meal to packed lunch or vice versa) we require written notice. The change may only take place at the beginning of a HALF TERM, and therefore a letter would be required before the end of the previous half term.
If your child has a packed lunch we politely request that you do not provide them with sweets, chocolate bars or confectionary items. Children not opting for packed lunch are not allowed them as this does not comply with our Healthy Schools policy. Fizzy confectionary drinks in cans or bottles or sports/energy drinks are also not allowed in school. We ask that you do not provide your child with nutella, peanut butter, nuts/seeds in a bag or any other nut based products. This is due to the adverse effect that can be caused to the children we have in school who have a nut allergy. Please ensure your child has a regular sized lunch box or bag that can be stored on the child’s coat peg.
Healthy Lunchbox Checklist
Below is a copy of the school’s packed lunch policy.
School packed Lunch Policy (February 2017)
Children’s packed lunches should include items from the 5 main food groups;
Bread, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta
These starchy foods are a healthy source of energy. Packed lunches should include 2 or more portions eg pasta salad, sandwich.
Fruit and Vegetables
These foods provide vitamins, minerals and fibre. Lunches should include at least 1 portion of fruit and 1 portion of vegetables / salad, or more eg carrot/cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes, a piece of fruit.
Milk and Dairy foods
These foods provide calcium for healthy bones and teeth. Include 1 portion at lunch eg yoghurt, fromage frais, milk.
Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans
These foods provide protein for growth. Packed lunches should include 1 portion of these foods eg boiled egg as filling in sandwich, mixed bean salad.
Drinks
Any drinks provided in lunch boxes should only include either plain water, milk (semi-skimmed), unsweetened fresh fruit juice, diluted fruit juice, fruit or dairy based smoothies.
Please support your school by not including these items in a packed lunch:
Foods and drinks high in fat and / or sugar
It is important not to fill up on too many foods that are high in fat and / or sugar at the expense of other more nutritious foods. Limiting high fat and sugar foods will help protect young people from becoming overweight as well as helping prevent tooth decay, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. This is why sweets, chocolate, crisps, cereal bars, fruit bars, toffee/salted popcorn, squash and fizzy drinks are no longer available in schools.
Restricted items
To ensure consistency and to keep packed lunches in line with food standards for school meals, packed lunches should not contain the following:
Fizzy / sugary drinks in cartons, bottles or cans
Sweets / confectionary
Chocolate spread as a filling for sandwiches
Chewing gum
Sugared / toffee and salted popcorn
Salted nuts
Sport / Energy drinks
Children bringing packed lunches must be able to manage the opening of their lunch boxes and contents.
Waste and Disposal
The school will, within reason, send any uneaten packed lunch food items back home. The rationale for this is that parents can also monitor what their child has consumed during the day and then raise any concerns over their child’s food intake with the school.
Playtime Fruit
The school is involved in a Government initiative to provide a piece of fruit for every Key Stage 1 child every day. This is usually eaten by children at morning breaktime. All pupils in school are welcome to bring additional fruit to eat at break time.
Milk
We run a milk scheme in order that children can have the benefit of daily milk which provides calcium for strong bones, essential minerals, vitamins and as a source of protein and energy.
Those pupils wanting milk each day are asked for a donation each term and to complete a consent form confirming they have no allergy to milk. Please visit the school office if you wish your child to receive milk in school.
Water Bottles
All children are allowed to bring in a water bottle which they keep in their classroom and are refilled when necessary. They have access to these during class time, to prevent dehydration and to aid concentration.
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