Independent Catering

Independent Catering are a small company focussed on providing freshly prepared, healthy meals that will help your child reach their five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. They are also committed to using honest, local produce. 

Children have the choice between the main option (meat), a vegetarian option and another (e.g. pasta or potato) each day. There is a varied and well-stocked salad bar and dessert menu with a range of items which are popular with the children. 

Every Reception to Year 6 child is entitled to a free school meal each day.

All school meals have to be pre-ordered with the caterer on the day by 9.30 am.

Please ensure your child/children know to order their meal during morning registration.

If you intend to bring your child in late following an appointment, please ensure you contact the school office to pre-book a school meal.

If your child has an allergy known to the school, please go through the menu with them to make sure they can have the options available. 

Packed Lunches

We aim to ensure all aspects of food and nutrition at Bishop Ridley C of E Primary School promote the health and wellbeing of the children.

Children are not allowed to swap or share their food from lunch boxes.

In addition, we request parents not to include the following:

• Sweets or bars of chocolate
• Food containing nuts (some children in school have an allergy reaction to any contact with nuts.)
• Fizzy/sugary drinks

Eating Environment

The school will provide a safe, calm and healthy eating environment for children having a packed lunch. We do this by:

• Ensuring all children wash their hands before their meal
• Encouraging children to eat all or try to eat most of the food provided in their lunch box.
• Making sure children have the time to eat their lunch and do not rush, whilst, recognising that children also need time to play.
• Asking children to take leftovers from lunchboxes home to enable parents to see what their child has eaten.

We would like lunch boxes to reflect a healthy balanced meal. There are currently no government regulations regarding the contents of children’s packed lunches. However, the British Nutrition Foundation produced a set of guidelines recommending what should be included in lunch boxes to provide them with a healthy meal.

The recommended contents of a healthy lunch box are:

• A good portion of starchy food e.g. wholegrain roll, thick slice of bread, pitta pocket, plain cracker, pasta or rice salad.
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables e.g. an apple, satsuma, handful of cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks, mini can of fruit chunks (decanted into a plastic container), small box of raisins
• A portion of milk or dairy food e.g. individual cheese portion, pot of yogurt.
• A small portion of lean meat, fish or alternative e.g. 2 slices of ham, quorn, cheese, tuna, egg or hummus.
• A drink e.g. small carton of fruit juice, no added sugar fruit squash. Water is provided.
• One small packet of crisps, a fruit scone or portion of malt loaf, a small cake or biscuit may also be included (please avoid chocolate as much as possible).

Parents are advised to include a small, named ice pack if food is likely to spoil.

Mid-morning break

Infant children are provided with a piece of fruit at mid-morning break (as part of a Government-funded scheme). Junior children are also encouraged to bring in fruit to eat at morning break time.

Water bottles

All children are allowed to bring in a water bottle (the sports type, which will not spill) which they keep near their classroom and which are refilled when necessary. They have access to these during school, to prevent dehydration and to aid concentration.