School Meals

Our aim is to encourage as many pupils as possible across the school to have a cooked school meal, a provision we are very proud of.

Those pupils who wish to bring a packed lunch to school are welcome to do so, but we ask that parents/carers adhere to the school’s packed lunch and healthy eating policies – whilst also respecting that we are a nut-free school. We have a number of pupils on roll for whom exposure to nuts and/or nut products can have extremely serious consequences.

Upon your child joining the school, we request that you confirm whether they will be having a school meal or a packed lunch. For current pupils, should there be no change at the start of the school year from the previous (Summer) term, their current meal status will carry forward. A lunch audit is routinely carried out during the first couple of weeks of the term to ensure that everyone’s meal status is correct.

The current cost per day of a school meal is £2.65 for Nursery pupils with charges applied to our parent payment app on a half termly in advance basis.

Pupils in YR, Y1 and Y2 are funded by the government’s Universal Free School Meal scheme, pupils in Y3-Y6 inclusive are currently funded by the Mayor of London’s Universal Free School Meal scheme..

A parent wishing to stop lunches is required to give notice prior to the first day of any half term. Notice must be given in writing, preferably by email, to the relevant front office. In the event that written notice is received after the start of a half term, charges will be made to the end of that half term (and meals may be taken during this period). In the event of financial difficulty, parents should contact the Headteacher to discuss this.

Could your family be entitled to Free School Meals (FSM)?

If eligible, and in addition to providing valuable financial support, the school would receive additional funding to help with your child’s educational journey – this also applies to pupils in Reception and Key Stage 1, when the cost of pupils’ school meals are covered by the government’s Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme.

Parents/carers of pupils in Year 2 who currently benefit from the UIFSM scheme will – upon transition to Year 3 – have lunch charges uploaded to their Pay360 accounts on a half termly basis, unless in receipt of a current FSM entitlement. We therefore urge anyone who thinks they may be eligible for Free School Meals to check in good time. Applications should be submitted via your home local authority.

For Richmond residents, information relating to the eligibility criteria and application process can be found here https://www.richmond.gov.uk/free_school_meals

The school currently has a contract with a company called Caterlink. This contract was established in September 2011. Meals are freshly cooked each day, on-site in the school kitchens.

Our chef manager and her team strive to create tasty, nutritionally balanced and culturally diverse dishes that also meet the strict healthy eating, animal welfare and food standards established by the government – meals to stimulate developing taste buds and young minds!

Our children have a keen interest in food production, where their food comes from, environmental impact, sustainability and seasonality. Our Chef Manager regularly joins the Pupil Council and Food Focus Group meetings, with pupil feedback actively encouraged via a comment slip system.

Both school kitchens were substantially upgraded in the summer of 2011, prior to this contract being awarded, thanks to the generous fundraising efforts of our PTFA.

Our school meals are extremely popular, with over 87% of pupils enjoying a freshly prepared lunch from the school kitchen each day. A large percentage of school staff eat with the children on a daily basis, with lunch at Barnes being very much a social event.

Brasserie News|Caterlink Website

We provide a fresh salad bar alongside the main menu, with the catering team working hard to ensure that primary school favourites – such as grated carrots, sweetcorn and cucumber – are available alongside new, mouth-watering combinations. New favourites include Greek Salad, Superfood Salad with lentils and sun-dried tomatoes and Roasted Vegetable Couscous.

Fresh bread is baked daily, and served alongside the main menu and Salad Bar. Lisa and her team produce flavoured focaccia, ciabatta and flatbread alongside more traditional loaves. Fresh fruit platters are always available as an additional option to the day’s dessert. Oils, spices and seeds are provided for dipping and sprinkling – a science in itself!

Children potentially have to taste new foods ten to fifteen times before deciding whether they like it or not. Encouraging children to try new ingredients – or different combinations of ingredients and flavours they are already familiar with – is key.

We have a well-established allotment and Gardening Club, supported by both staff and volunteers. We aim to incorporate homegrown produce within the menu wherever possible – it being far more likely that fussy or nervous eaters will eat vegetables if they have been involved in the growing process.

We have encouraged the addition of meat free days, as well as the introduction of new 50% plant-based protein recipes – all of which contain more vegetables and less meat on average compared to the original recipes.

Vegetables can be added to everything, including desserts. Particular favourites at Barnes have included a Beetroot & Chocolate Brownie, Carrot & Courgette Cake and White Bean & Oat Blondies.

The school works alongside Caterlink to not only deliver delicious school meals, but also teach children about taste, provenance and the journey from farm to fork. Development chefs regularly visit the school to deliver workshops, lead cookery classes and host healthy eating assemblies.

We teach and promote healthy eating on the basis that a well-balanced diet can have a positive impact on children’s health, behaviour and achievement. If your child is bringing in a snack please follow these reminders: 

✔  The food provided should be simple and easily eaten 

✔  Please select from fruit, peeled vegetables or dried fruit 

✔  Please do not send biscuits, chocolate, sweets, crisps, nuts etc. 

WE ARE A NUT FREE SCHOOL Any food item (snacks and packed lunches) brought in to school must be NUT FREE – we have members of staff and children on-site who suffer from severe nut allergies.

We teach and promote healthy eating on the basis that a well-balanced diet can have a positive impact on children’s health, behaviour and achievement. If your child is bringing a packed lunch to school please follow these reminders: 

✔  The food provided should be simple and easily eaten 

✔  The main element should be savoury – such as a sandwich, filled pitta bread, wrap, pasta or rice salad 

✔  Aim to include at least one portion of vegetables or salad 

✔  Include at least one portion of fruit. This could be a fruit salad, a piece of fresh fruit or dried fruit 

✔  For an extra snack, a fruit yogurt, fromage frais or rice cakes could be included 

✔  Although we do not recommend sweet desserts, we accept that you may wish to pack your child a small piece of cake or a biscuit 

✘  Please do not provide your child with crisps, chocolate, sweets, or a drink other than water 

✘  Please do not use chocolate spread as a sandwich filling 

WE ARE A NUT FREE SCHOOL Any food item (snacks and packed lunches) brought in to school must be NUT FREE – we have members of staff and children on-site who suffer from severe nut allergies.