Lunchtime at School
Lunchtime runs from 12.15pm to 1.30pm. Children from the same class sit at the same lunch table, under supervision, whether they have a school meal or bring a packed lunch from home.
There are three options for a lunchtime meal, two provided by the school and one provided from home. The school provides unlimited water with every meal, (whether it is a school or home meal).
School Meals
Our school meals are provided by the Greenshaw Learning Trust via Park Hill Junior School. School meals are free for all Infant aged children - (Reception to Year 2). The menu is rotated every 2 weeks and the current menu can be downloaded and viewed using the links below:
Download our Autumn menu 2024 here. Please note that The Greenshaw Learning Trust have advised that all the items on this menu are halal-suitable.
Any enquiries or feedback regarding the menu should be made directly to the Greenshaw Learning Trust - you can send an email to enquiries@parkhill-inf.croydon.sch.uk and we will send this onto the Greenshaw Trust.
You must ensure that staff at our school are kept up to date with any allergy or dietary requirements that your child has. If your child has developed a new allergy or dietary requirement that is not listed on their original application form, please contact our school office as soon as possible on 020 8680 0747 or email enquiries@parkhill-inf.croydon.sch.uk
The school meals meet the mandatory requirements of the School Food Standards 2015. The menus are nutritionally analysed to ensure they meet and in most cases exceed The School Food Standards with Halal Suitable and Vegan options available. Therefore, these meals should not be subsidised with food from home, including condiments such as Tomato Sauce or Mayonnaise. You are welcome to provide your child with a packed lunch from home every day, or on days where the school dinner is not to their taste.
Free School Meals
Hopefully you have completed the Free School Meal eligibility check form as part of your child's admission to our school. If not, please contact the school office and complete a form to find out if you are eligible. This application needs to be made each academic year your child is in the school. This is particularly important for those children joining the school for the first time, or for any children whose parents have experienced a change in financial circumstances. If you qualify for Free School Meals, then our school will receive a Pupil Premium grant of £1,385* to support your child's education. The grant is paid for up to six years.
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
For more information, follow the link below:
https://www.croydon.gov.uk/education/schools-new/free-school-meals
If your child is eligible for this grant, they will benefit from free school milk, clubs, subsidised uniform, music tuition etc.
If you think your family maybe entitled to receive this grant, please fill out this form and return it to the school office.
* Based on pupil funding rates 2022 to 2023.
School Packed Lunch
A packed lunch is available on request. Please speak to a member of the school office for further information.
Packed lunches can be ordered on days where children are attending school visits and order forms will be provided by the school office prior to school visit dates with a deadline for orders to be returned.
Home Packed Lunch
Your child may bring into school a packed lunch from home.
Nuts and peanuts can cause allergic reactions, which are sometimes severe. Please ensure that packed lunches do not contain any nuts or nut products, such as peanut butter and Nutella/ chocolate spread. We are a nut-free school.
Please prepare all food so that it is ready for your child to eat (peel oranges for example) and please ensure that the food container is clearly marked with both your child’s and their class teacher’s name.
Packed lunches should aim to include:
- Some starchy foods such as bread (sliced bread, pitta bread, wraps, bagels), pasta, potatoes, couscous; choose wholegrain where possible
- 1 portion of fruit and 1 portion of vegetables or salad
- Dairy food such as cheese or yoghurt (plain or fruit)
- Meat, fish, or another source of protein such as eggs, beans and pulses, hummus, falafel
- Oily fish once every 3 weeks e.g. sardines or salmon
Please be aware that sweets, such as Haribo and hard-boiled sweets, or chocolate bars should not be included in packed lunches.
The school provides water for all pupils at lunchtime; however, children should also bring in their own personal water bottles every day (no other liquids, such as fruit juice or squash, should be included) – which need to be labelled with their name and class.
Please ensure that you keep the school updated of any changes to your child’s dietary requirements.
Please note that all children will automatically be given a hot lunch unless they bring a packed lunch from home on the day, or the office has previously received a school packed lunch request.