School Lunches
The Office of the Mayor of London is funding universal free school meals for children in Years 3-6 for the academic year 2023/24 (this is already currently offered to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2). This means that all primary aged children will be able to enjoy a hot, nutritious meal every day they are at school at no cost.
At lunchtime your child may have a school meal or bring a packed lunch from home. Our school meals are cooked on-site by Radish Catering Services. Our dedicated kitchen team have worked at the school for many years. Radish is a boutique contract catering provider built around the philosophy of bringing people together through good food.
Words from Radish's welcome letter:
We understand the important role that food plays in how we feel and how we perform, so getting the right nutrition is vital to fuel your pupils and staff to help them be at their best. We’re big on creating the right dining experience and offering educational elements to our food to encourage pupils to try new and exciting meals, all tailored to your School via our added value activities and themed menus. Our aim is simple… to encourage children to discover diverse and delicious healthy food, whilst actively supporting schools in educating the benefits of a healthier diet. In doing so we hope to change children’s perception of food. We will ensure that every child that dines with us is well-fed, fully sustained and ready to learn and set for the challenges of each school day. We have a humble philosophy – children should never miss a meal.
If your child has special dietary requirements, we recommend you look at the Downloadable Allergens menu for a detailed breakdown. If you want more information about allergens, please contact Sarah.Cloete@radishallgood.com. Please see below to download the allergies document that needs to be completed and returned to Radish. Please also email welfare@merryhills.org.uk so the school can keep our records up-to-date as well.
All children eat in the canteen, whether they have school meals or bring a packed lunch. If your child is bringing a packed lunch from home please make sure that it does not contain sweets, nuts, chocolate or fizzy drinks and that the drink is not in a glass bottle. Crisps and cereal bars are allowed. Children must be able to open all containers themselves. All lunchboxes and containers must be clearly marked with your child’s name.
Please use this link to discover healthy lunchbox ideas.
Meals must be pre ordered through parentpay by 8am on the day. You can book up to 2 weeks in advance. We have special meals and ‘theme days’ which you will be notified about. If you have notified ECS about dietary requirements and restrictions you will only see dishes that are suitable for your child.
Please use the link below to access the ParentPay website:
Government's School Fruit Scheme
We are very pleased to be part of the Governments’ School Fruit Scheme, which provides a piece of fruit to every child from Reception to Year 2. Children are also welcome to bring their own fresh fruit or vegetables in addition to this and we are very happy for our older children to bring in fresh fruit or vegetables to school to eat during their morning break. All children are encouraged to drink water regularly – either from our drinking fountains or from their own water bottles.
School Meal Information
Radish Welcome Flyer Radish Welcome Letter Radish Special Diet Referral Form WEEKLY MENU WINTER 2023 Allergen Matrix - Winter 2023
