Meals and Refreshments

School Dinners

Currently, the school meals cost £2.40 a day/£12 per week

Menu from 30th Oct 2023 - March 2024

Menu from April 2024 - Oct 2024

St George's Day - Tuesday 23rd April 2024

Kindness Day - Tuesday 14th May 2024

Wellbeing Day - Friday 14th June 2024

Our school meal caterers are Nourish. They offer our pupils main meals, vegetarian or vegans meals, pasta dishes or jacket potatoes and pupils are able to help themselves to salad from the fresh salad bar every day. They hold the Gold Food for Life Award. If you would like more details about Nourish, please look at their website Nourish

Your child can have meals every or any day of the week. However, we must receive payment by Monday morning. Online payments through Arbor Parent Portal or App – Please contact Mrs Davies: office@great-chart.kent.sch.uk.

IMPORTANT:

Payment for school dinners must be paid for in advance. The school cannot receive late payments at all. If payment is not received then we cannot cater for your child’s meal. We are sorry but the school cannot extend credit. Please make payment via the Arbor Parent Portal https://great-chart-primary.uk.arbor.sc. You can also download the Arbor App where you can keep track on your balances. 

Please note – We are a cashless school.

Dinner Money Debt Policy 

 

Packed Lunches

Should you decide to make a packed lunch, please put your child’s name on the lunch box. We promote healthy packed lunches. With your child’s packed lunch, please also include a lunchtime drink of juice or water (not a fizzy sugary drink) in a leak proof container and a piece of fruit or raw vegetables. It is suggested that cool bricks be packed with your child’s lunch. Please do not include chocolate bars, sweets or nuts.

The packed lunch represents approximately a third of the child’s daily food intake and therefore it is important that healthy foods are included to provide children with enough energy, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, which all help them to learn. A good packed lunch contains:

  • A starchy food, such as bread, rolls, pitta bread, naan bread, potatoes, rice, noodles. These foods are good for children to fill up on.
  • A good source of protein, iron and zinc such as meat, fish, beans, or eggs.
  • A good source of calcium such as milk, cheese, yoghurt or fromage frais.
  • And one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetable or salad to provide all the other vitamins and minerals. A piece of fruit could be a 100% juice or piece of fresh fruit, dried fruit or tinned fruit in fruit juice. A piece of vegetable could be a carrot stick, salad or a piece of cucumber or cherry tomatoes.

What to include in a packed lunch

No single food contains all the essential nutrients the body needs to be healthy and function efficiently so it is important that the content of the packed lunch is varied.
What about snacks such as crisps, cakes, pastries and sweets?

These foods should only be given occasionally. Children will then appreciate them more.
If these foods are included in packed lunches they might eat these first and not have the appetite to eat the other foods that will provide them with the important nutrients they need to grow and develop, be healthy and active.

Water

We encourage all children to bring a drink of water in a bottle with a sports-type cap, and the child’s name written on the bottle. They can sip water throughout the day. We do not allow juice, squash or fizzy drinks to be taken during lesson time. Water is excellent for children’s hydration and this helps their brain function and learning.

Milk

The School Food Plan has revised standards for food and drink in schools and milk now plays a prominent part. It is now mandatory for all primary schools in England to offer lower fat milk during school hours. Pupils under 5 are offered milk every day in Foundation Stage during the day. All pupils aged five and over are now offered milk to drink at lunchtimes on a daily basis to ensure we are meeting the new criteria.

Fruit & Vegetables

Free fruit and vegetables are offered to EYFS and KS1 (FS-Yr2) pupils only and children have these during the school day. Pupils are encouraged to include fruit or raw vegetables as part of their packed lunch, or to choose fruit as part of their school meal. KS2 (Yr3-6) pupils can bring in their own healthy fruit or veg snack each day.