School Meals
Our School Lunches
Lunchtime at Our Lady & St Patrick's
Lunchtime is an extremely important part of our busy school day. At Our Lady & St Patrick's, children may bring their own packed lunch or enjoy one of our excellent, healthy school meals.
Our school meal provider is Dolce, who use an online ordering & payment system called 'SchoolGrid' to provide a cashless payment method for parents. This system is also great for the children, as they can choose from the meal choices available each day. Alternatively parents may go online and order meals from home, as well as viewing recipes and ingredient information. If you have any questions or need help with school meals, please contact the school office.
- The cost of a school dinner is £2.50 per day (£12.50 per week)
- Nursery children may also choose to stay for lunch at a cost of £1.50 per day.
- Children in Reception, Year 1 and 2 are automatically entitled to free school meals ('Universal Free School Meals')
- For other year groups, free school meals can be applied for using the form at the bottom of this page.
More information for parents & carers is available on the Dolce website - please simply click the link below to find out more...
Our School Lunch Menus
We also enjoyed special 'themed' menus throughout the year!
How our school meals system works
Daily Choices:
During registration each morning, children select their chosen meal on the interactive whiteboard in their classroom. Meals can also be pre-ordered from home (see more info below). Daily vegetarian options are clearly displayed on a green button.
At Lunchtime:
Children select their name on the red touch screen at the serving hatch. Their meal choice is displayed to the cook, along with details of any dietary needs.
Paying by Direct Debit:
Parents should pay for school lunches via direct debit which is an easy way for you to manage payments. Once you've signed up for direct debit you will receive regular statements from Dolce, informing you of the choices your child makes each day. Statements are sent out on a four weekly basis and Dolce gives two weeks notice before amounts are collected.
Pre-Ordering on Line:
Parents can also pre-order children's meals online. This facility allows parents to pre-order for up to a term at a time. Paying by direct debit means you will automatically be emailed a username and password for logging on to the pre-ordering facility. Parents who wish to pre-order online but do not wish to pay by direct debit need to provide the school office with an e-mail address which can then be sent to Dolce to create their own log on.
Allergen information:
In line with requirements, Dolce ensures that allergen information is available for parents when selecting their child’s meal on-line. Alternatively, Dolce’s area manager and the school catering team are on hand to answer any queries or requests for further information about their recipes.
Healthy Eating:
Our school dinners provide a very healthy choice and the best way of ensuring your child has a good balanced meal at lunch time. There's always a wide choice of menu options on offer, so even the fussiest eaters can find something tasty and nutritious to enjoy each day!
Packed Lunches
🥗 The school meals provided by our kitchen are specially designed to be healthy and nutritionally balanced, to suit the needs of growing children.
🍏 However, we also recognise that some families prefer their child to have a packed lunch from home, so we encourage parents and carers to provide a tasty and healthy packed lunch.
🥗 It is so important for children's physical and mental growth and wellbeing, as they grow and develop, to provide a healthy option for your child's packed lunch each day.
🍎 Children only really two or three items in their lunch each day:
▪️A sandwich / pasta salad, or other main item
▪️Some fruit
▪️A yoghurt
▪️You may also want to give them an additional item, such as cheese or vegetable sticks (the odd packet of crisps is ok as a treat now and then too!)
There are some good websites which offer useful advice on what to put in a healthy lunchbox for children - please follow the links below, for more ideas about how to make your child's packed lunch as healthy as possible...
https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes
www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/healthy-lunchbox-ideas.aspx
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/childhealth6-15/Pages/Lighterlunchboxes.aspx
Free School Meals
If you think you may be eligible for support with paying for School Meals, please see the information below.
You can contact the Local Authority directly, by following the link, and find out immediately if you are eligible for Free School Meals. If you are eligible, it is quick and easy to apply online, again by following the link below.
If you need any help with Free School Meals please contact our school office, who will be happy to assist you, on (01900) 812582.
Free School Meals
Please click the link below to find out if you are eligible, and to apply for Free School Meals