Lunchtime at William Austin Infants

Lunchtime at school will be a new experience for your child so here is some information to help put your child and your mind at rest.

• All meat served is Halal
• Each class is allocated a midday supervisor for the whole lunchtime
• Lunch is eaten in the school hall
• Each child will choose their lunch first thing in a morning with help from a member of staff. They will have a meat choice, a vegetarian choice or the choice of a jacket potato. They will then have a choice of vegetable and desert.  (see the link below for a sample of the dinner menu)
• Children will have time eating their lunch in the hall and then some time outside or inside playing.
• At the beginning of the academic year the children are supported in the hall by the class staff and the midday supervisor
• There will be someone in the hall to help the children cut up their food.
• Children are encouraged to use cutlery to eat their food.
• If your child is not eating their dinner the staff will pass this message on at the end of the day.
• Each child will be given a cup of water to have with their lunch

What will happen at lunchtime

1. Your child will line up in the hall ready to collect their lunch.

2. Next they will pick up their plate, knife, fork and spoon and wait in the line.

3. Then they will go into the kitchen hatch and get their lunch that they chose in the morning. The children will need to choose their vegetable and desert.

4. After that your child will walk out of the kitchen hatch and be guided to sit down at a table to eat their lunch.

5. Finally once they have finished their lunch they will be helped to put their plates and cutlery away.

How to help your child prepare for lunchtime

• Give them a choice at lunch time - cheese or jam sandwich, orange or apple, peas or sweetcorn, chips or mashed potato
• Encourage them to speak in a loud voice to say what they have chosen for their lunch
• Help your child use a knife, fork and spoon correctly
• Encourage your child to carry their plate to the sink once they have finished their food
• Support your child to cut up their food
• Encourage your child to eat their main dinner before having their pudding

All Infant school children are entitled to a free school meal, but if you would prefer your child to have a packed lunch it must be a healthy packed lunch with no chocolate, no nuts (this includes chocolate spreads, such as Nutella!) and no fizzy drinks. We are a NUT FREE school. The school will need a weeks’ notice if you wish them to change their lunch preference.

If your child has diagnosed allergies and cannot eat certain foods the kitchen manager will need to see a doctor’s note proving these allergies to enable her to cater for their allergies.