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
• Every day there is a vegetarian option, a meat option and a jacket potato or pasta option. The children will also need to choose which vegetable they want and which dessert they would like (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 choose 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 choose their lunch. The dinner ladies serving the food will tell your child what their choices are.

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 give you their choice of food
• 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.

LUNCH-TIME MENUS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IF THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN PRODUCTS