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For information about how we are keeping our staff and our children safe during the Covid-19 crisis, please see our Covid-19 Trust Support page

School Meals

Mealtimes are an important part of the day for children, enabling them to build on all areas of their development.

At SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School we aim to provide positive mealtime experiences through

  • providing children with an interesting variety of foods, and allowing them choice in what they eat.
  • allowing children plenty of time to eat and to interact with others, including other children and adults.
  • supporting and encouraging children to help with preparing the eating area, and to assist with serving food and drinks and tidying up after meals.
  • encouraging positive interactions between lunchtime supervisors and children.
  • respecting children’s different appetites and preferences.
  • positively encouraging children to try different foods.

Meals are provided by Mellors Catering Company and menus are rotated on a weekly basis. We serve both halal and non-halal food at school. Our menus offer a good selection of hot meals for the children to choose from at lunch time. Children in Key Stage 2 also have the option of choosing from the sandwich bar.

Cost of school meals: Currently every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to Universal Free Schools Meals. There is no application for this.  However, when children transition into Year 3, school meals are charged at £11.75 per week per child. If you think you may be entitled to free school meals, please speak to Mrs Molli Crompton from our school office who will support you in your application. Further information linked to free school meals can be found in the links below.

Free School Meals ~ Letter to parents Mellors Lunch Menu

Food Allergies 

A food allergy is when the body’s immune system reacts unusually to specific foods. Although allergic reactions are often mild, they can be very serious. In the most serious cases, a person has a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), which can be life threatening.

Most children that have a food allergy will have experienced eczema during infancy. The worse the child’s eczema and the earlier it started, the more likely they are to have a food allergy. It’s still unknown why people develop allergies to food, although they often have other allergic conditions, such as asthma, hay fever and eczema.

What are the top 14 food allergens? 

There are 14 major food allergens which need to be mentioned (either on a label or through provided information such as menus) when they are used as ingredients in a food product or meal. However you can be allergic to any food substance.

The top 14 food allergens are:

Celery; Cereals containing gluten; Crustaceans; Eggs; Fish; Lupin; Milk; Molluscs; Mustard; Tree Nuts; Peanuts; Sesame seeds; Soya and Sulphur dioxide (sometimes known as sulphites)

It is crucial that any food allergens are reported to school (regardless of whether your child eats school meals) with evidence from the child’s doctor. 

If your child does have an allergy, a Mellors allergy pack will be completed and, in some cases, an Individual Health Care Plan which details the steps school should take if your child experiences an allergic reaction. As part of this, the school’s catering manager Mrs Sharon Luby, Miss Elaine Davies/Miss Hannah Murphy (school SENDco) and/or Mrs Paula Coleman (designated safeguarding lead) will meet with parents to agree a food menu for individual pupils with diagnosed allergies.

Below is a poster with further details linked to the 14 allergens.

14 Allergens