Health & Wellbeing

Whilst we encourage all Parents/Carers to ensure their selections are made, we understand that there may be times where you forget to make your selections. Should you forget to make a selection, and your child does not have a packed lunch with them, then the school will provide your child with a meal.  We will never let a child go without food at lunchtime.

We understand that for many different reasons, you may decide that your child requires a packed lunch instead of a cooked school meal. If a child is not having a cooked meal, your child is welcome to bring along a packed lunch. We do ask that packed lunches are healthy and nutritional, and that the amount and type of food that is included in your child’s packed lunch is suitable for their age. A guide to healthy packed lunches can be found here.

If your child is bringing a packed lunch, simply leave the dinner option blank in your online account. If a selection for a school meal has not been made online it will be presumed that your child is having packed lunch and a dinner will not be provided.

All our catering is carried out by the Merthyr Tydfil Catering department. All enquiries about ingredients, menus and allergies can be accessed via the Merthyr Tydfil catering website.

All school meals are served in our school hall where Pupils are provided with access to our Kitchen, as well as tables and chairs to sit and enjoy their meals. Pupils are provided with supervision from our DRAs (all DBS checked) and Support staff, and have plenty of time to enjoy their lunch, as well as having time to enjoy play  with their friends.

Dining Room Assistants (DRAs) are available to assist and support pupils during lunchtime, and encourage them to eat their meals. No child will ever be forced to eat something they do not like on their plate, and for pupils bringing in packed lunches, we will send home any unfinished food so that you are aware of what they are eating (or not eating) so that you can adjust their packed lunch accordingly.

If any concerns arise around your child’s eating habits we will be in touch with you to ensure arrangements are put in place to get your child eating during lunchtime.

As you can appreciate, feeding 200+ pupils can be a challenge, however our aim as a school is to ensure that all pupils get a fair and appropriate amount of time to enjoy their lunch.

Depending on the age of your child, the length of lunch times will differ. All Pupils get at least 30 minutes (40 minutes for Nursery) to have their lunch, with additional time able to be provided should it be necessary. Children will always be provided with ample time to enjoy their lunch so that they don’t have to rush.

Our times for Lunch are:

• Nursery (3 – 4) – 11:45 – 13:15 – We appreciate that our youngest pupils need that little bit longer to enjoy their lunch. Our Nursery pupils have an extended lunch break with increased supervision to ensure they are safe and happy when enjoying their lunch. Pupils initially have from 11:45 – 12:25 to be served/have their lunch, followed by time to play with their friends outside. Our Nursery staff will always use their observations of Pupils to judge when then have finished with their eating, and are ready to go and play.
• Infants (4 – 7) – 12:00 – 13:15 – Younger pupils enjoy their lunch from 12:00 – 12:30, followed by break where they can stretch their legs and enjoy some time with friends before heading back to class at 13:15.
• Juniors (7 – 11) – 12:15 – 13:15 – Our KS2 pupils have lunch from 12:15 – 12:45, followed by plenty of time to play with friends. Pupils who may required a little longer to finish their lunch are able to with supervision from our DRAs in the school hall.

As a school, we have a statutory duty to provide statutory aged pupils with a school meal. However, there may be instances where you would like to collect your child for lunch.

Should you wish to provide a meal for your child at home you are welcome to do so. We ask that if you are collecting your child for them to have lunch at home, they are collected at 12:00pm (Infants) or 12:15 (Juniors) and returned in plenty of time to start afternoon lessons starting at 13:15.

Throughout the day, all Pupils will have constant access to fresh water, provided through out School water fountains. We ask for children to have wide-necked water bottles to prevent cross-contamination. School water bottles can be purchased form the School office for £2.00.

Children in Infant classes (Nursery – Year 2) will be provided with milk during morning break time. We also encourage pupils to bring along a healthy fruit snack to enjoy with their milk (please note cherries and grapes present a chocking hazard and are not permitted. Nuts are also not allowed).

In Junior classes (Y3 – Y6), our Pupils are able to bring along their own fruit to school with them to enjoy at morning break.

Place2Be is a national charity working in over 600 UK schools to improve the confidence and emotional wellbeing of children. The aim is to help children feel better about themselves and when children feel better about themselves, they are able to learn more easily and that means less worry for parents.

Place2Be works with children one-to-one and in small groups, offering regular time-tabled support for those who will benefit most. All pupils can find help with friendship issues and other worries by choosing to visit Place2Talk. Short lunchtime sessions are open to individuals and to groups.

Our MHP will always obtain consent from parents or carers before working with children.

Our MHP will routinely meet with parents to discuss their worries about their children.

There is a space used inside the school where children can go to express and think about their worries, through talking, creative work and play. Our MHP supports this process, helping children to find new ways of coping with difficulties to find new ways of coping with difficulties so they don’t get in the way of friendships or learning.

There are times when children feel especially sad, confused, fearful or angry, due to family problems such as separation or illness, or even the death of a much-loved pet. Some may become withdrawn; others may become demanding or challenging in their behaviour: that’s when having Place2Be in school is especially helpful.

To find out more please visit the Place2Be website.