Lunch Club:
The school runs a Lunch Club, enabling children to stay for lunch at the school. This means that your child may stay from 9.00 a.m. until 1.00 p.m. or from 11.30 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. For further information or to enrol your child at Lunch Club please speak to our Lunch Club Supervisor Mrs. Mair Richards in the school office.
Please find details of how to pay for your child to stay at Lunch Club.
In order for the smooth running of Lunch Club and the security of your children we would ask if the following procedures can be followed:
In line with the school’s ‘Healthy Schools’ initiative, may we ask Parents to avoid including sweets or sugary drinks in lunch boxes – these treats are best kept for home. We’ve included a list of suggestions to include in a healthy lunch box.
We DO NOT allow nuts and nut products to be brought in lunchboxes (due to pupils with nut allergies.
The following information may be found on www.netmums.com :-
Simply pick one item from each of the five categories below to make up a well-balanced packed lunch.
You can vary the portion sizes depending on the age and appetite of your child.
1. Tummy fillers
Growing kids need plenty of starchy foods to fill them up and give them energy. Nutritious meals packed with fibre, protein, carbohydrate and vitamins will also help your child's growing bones and give them a healthy dose of brain power for the afternoon ahead.
These along with fruit and/or vegetables should form the main part of your child's lunch.
Try some of these ideas:
Sandwiches and wraps
§ Homemade or shop bought bread - vary between wholemeal, granary, multi-grain and white.
§ Crepe/pancake, potato cake, malt loaf, hot cross bun, scone.
Fillings/toppings
§ Meat - wafer thin cooked meats, cubed chicken/turkey breast with tomato and lettuce, ham and cheese, roast chicken & hummus, leftover cold meats (chicken, turkey, meatloaf, sausages etc) with salad, chicken and mashed avocado, cold BLT.
§ Fish - tuna mayo & sweetcorn, tuna salad, sardine and tomato, fish paste and cucumber.
§ Veggie - grated cheese, cheese spread, cream cheese, Quorn slices and salad, cottage cheese with pineapple, cheese and grated carrot with a little mayo, veggie sausages, vegetarian pate with cucumber, cheese and coleslaw, egg salad/egg mayo, cheese and pickle, Marmite.
§ Sweet - High-fruit jam/fruit spread, nut-free chocolate spread*, honey, treacle, lemon curd.
Other ideas
§ Carbohydrate based salads such as pasta salad, rice salad, cous cous,potato salad, tabbouleh etc.
§ Egg based foods such as quiche, mini quiche or frittata.
§ Baked items such as savoury muffin, cheesy corn triangles, pizza slice,mini pasty, cheese and potato roll, croissant, samosa, pakora, spring roll etc*.
*These items can be high in saturated fat, so just opt for them occasionally.
2. Five-a-day options
§ Any combination of the following, in a small pot or bag: raisins, sultanas, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, ready to eat dried apricots, dates or prunes.
§ Whole fruits - satsuma, apple, banana, pear, peach, plum, grapes, strawberries (whatever is in season)
§ Fruit salad-pot - any combination of prepared fruit: strawberries, orange, melon, mango, pineapple, kiwi etc.
§ Homemade fruit puree, smoothie or apple sauce (you can add strawberry, peach, etc)
§ Fruit jelly made with fruit pieces and pure fruit juice.
§ Tinned fruit pot (useful in the winter if you can't find ripe fresh fruit) - mandarins, pineapple, peaches, fruit salad, pears.
§ Salad pot - any combination of prepared raw vegetables: cucumber, lettuce, pepper, celery, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, mangetout, slices of avocado sprinkled with a little lemon juice etc. or coleslaw
3. Good for growing bones
§ Fruit yogurt, fromage frais or dairy-free alternative.
§ Cold rice pudding or custard.
§ Greek/plain yogurt.
§ Cubes of cheese or pre-packed lunchbox sized cheese portion, cottage cheese with pineapple.
§ Dips: hummus, tzatziki, raita, cream cheese and plain yogurt.
4. Snacks
If you have energetic kids, you may like to add a snack to their lunchboxes to re-fuel their energy levels!
Here are some of our favourites:
§ Savoury options - Hard boiled chicken's or quail's eggs, scotch/savoury egg, mini sausages, sausage roll, falafel etc.
§ Small bag of lower salt (preferably baked or reduced fat) crisps, or a handful of crisps in a pot. Crackers, crisp bread, rice cakes, cheesy biscuits,savoury flapjack, savoury scone, bread sticks, unsalted popcorn.
5. Thirst-quenchers
Steer clear of sugary drinks and go for one of these healthy options:-
§ Water
§ Milk (whole, semi-skimmed, goats or soya)
§ Milkshake
§ Pure fruit juice or smoothie - preferably diluted.
§ Occasional well diluted high-juice squash (a note about sugar free options)
A note about sugar free options
Sugar can be hard to spot in children's food, as it's called many different things. All the following are forms of sugar, which is only needed in small amounts and offers your child little, except empty calories: sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, fruit syrup, molasses.
Look for 'no added sugar' on the packet. If you can't see that on a label then read the Nutritional Information panel and look under 'Carbohydrates - of which Sugar'.
But do be aware that products stating 'no added sugar' normally use chemical sweeteners, some of which are being investigated for safety