School Meals
It is Aberdeenshire Council policy to provide meals and facilities for the consumption of packed lunches in all schools where these are required. Primary 1-5 pupils are provided with school meals free of charge. Primary 6-7 pupils will be charged £2.65 for a school meal unless they qualify for Free School Meals. Refer to the following link for helpful information –
http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/parents-carers/assistance/free-school-meals/
Attractive menu and information leaflets are provided to all Aberdeenshire school pupils and parents. In addition, an online interactive menu is also available which displays menu recipe pages showing allergens and nutritional content. This and other relevant information about school meals can be found by following the link –
http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/meals/
Aberdeenshire Council provides an online payment service to Primary schools that provides parents and carers with the convenience of making online payment with debit or credit cards for School meals. Online payment is now the preferred way to pay for primary school meals, however cash and cheques will still be accepted. To register for online payments you will be provided with a reference number by your school for each child. Parents and carers of pupils who qualify for Free School Meals are encouraged to create an account to see meal selection histories and to pay for non-food items such as school trips and activities when that option becomes available. The first step in accessing the online payment service is to visit Pay facility located on the Aberdeenshire Council web site home page. Alternatively you can register by following the link –
Parents and carers are responsible for ensuring that sufficient funds are in their children’s accounts prior to ordering a school lunch. Should a pupil not have money in their account they will still be served and you will be contacted regarding payment.
Before lunch, the children wash their hands and proceed to the dining hall in a quiet and orderly fashion. Due to the capacity of our dining-room we have two sittings for lunch with one group going outside to play before coming in for lunch. Children sit in ‘class grouped’ tables where we encourage pupils to follow our ‘Dining-Room Golden Rules’ and promote appropriate behaviour, manners etc. All children are asked to raise their hand for assistance and also when they request to leave the table. Children are encouraged to eat all of their lunch, but not forced. If we feel that a child is not eating enough at lunchtimes we will contact you.
Where children bring a packed lunch to school, parents are responsible for ensuring that lunch box contents are stored at the correct temperature, by including an ice pack where necessary.
Parents should be aware that they can request a special diet for their children if there are medical or religious reasons for doing so.
Children who require Medically Prescribed or Modified Diets, with parental/guardian assistance, should be identified during the admission process. Procedures are set in motion to accommodate these diets by parent/guardian completing Admission Form D available from the school administration office.
The school aims to encourage young people to enjoy food which is both attractive to them and nutritionally sound whether this is a school meal, a packed lunch or a snack. We would appreciate your support in achieving this aim.
Some pupils may be entitled to free school meals. Please see coloured section at the back of the book for further information.
“Playpiece”
Children should be sent with a snack for their “playpiece”. Fizzy drinks and energy drinks are not permitted in school. As a health promoting school, we encourage healthy options. Children should not share their playpiece with others in the playground as they may inadvertently cause another child to have an allergic reaction. (E.g. nut allergy – resulting in anaphylaxis.)
Cakes/Treats
We request that cakes/treats etc for birthdays are not sent to school for sharing as this can cause difficulties where there are children in class with food allergies/intolerances or other dietary circumstances.