Pupils in Woodeaton are encouraged to learn about food at an early age, to lay the foundations for choices they make later on in life. Current headlines about childhood obesity strengthens our belief that all pupils need to have a healthy start in life and an awareness about portion sizes, physical activity and diet.

Pupils in our school are educated about healthy eating and exercise through talks at the dinner table, Circle Time, Food Technology, Science, P.E and PSHCE lessons.

What’s on the menu?

A set weekly menu can be viewed either via the above link or on the noticeboard outside LHo’s classroom. It may be subject to change. The menu is planned to take into account popular foods, the time of year and dietary considerations. Meals are freshly prepared and cooked daily by our catering staff on the school premises.

Meal times are an important aspect of our school day with an hour a day spent in our dining rooms. Woodeaton is fortunate to have three dining rooms, and two further rooms available for select pupils, including pupils from The Nest. Pupils are free to choose the tables they sit at – over the course of the academic year, table groups often remain the same. Pupils are not restricted to sit with their form tutor or form group which increases pupil’s abilities to interact with other pupils in the school who they may not encounter during lesson time.

During meal times, pupils are encouraged to develop their table manners and etiquette, such as:

• Using cutlery to eat their meals
• Keeping their mouth closed when chewing
• Taking time to enjoy their meal and not rushing
• Sitting at a table and engaging in appropriate conversations

All pupils are encouraged to eat, and try new foods, at all mealtimes – breakfast and lunch. Woodeaton starts the school day at 8:20 before all pupils and staff make their way to the three dining rooms for breakfast. Breakfasts always consist of water, cereal, toast, yogurts and a range of jams and spreads. In addition to these, there are also different food stuffs available depending on the day. Details of the weekly food menu can be found on the link under What’s on the menu?.

Woodeaton follows the School Meals – healthy eating standards with all meals prepared on site to ensure that all our pupils and staff have access to healthy, balanced diets.

Some pupils in our school may want bigger portions or ‘seconds’. While we are delighted that they have a healthy appetite, the portions served in our school ensure that they are equal and are in line with the recommended daily allowances. Our menus fully comply with food standards on nutrition and portion size. They contain at least two portions of fruit and vegetables per meal and every meal is served with vegetables and salad as standard. A cracker basket, with a cheese board, is also available at the end of every meal.

Special events

There are two special events throughout the school year where parents/carers and special guests are invited to spend time in our school. The first of these is the Christmas lunch where the whole school and guests enjoy an early Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

The second is the Awards afternoon in July where, weather permitting, we enjoy each other’s company outside with a glorious buffet presented by staff.

Cost

The cost of a two-course meal at Woodeaton is £2.30 per day. You can pay for your child’s school meals by Parentmail +Pay. 

Free school meals are available to pupils whose parents/carers are claiming:

• Income support or
• Income based job seekers allowance or
• Income-related employment and support allowance or
• Support under part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999 or
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit or
• Child Tax Credit but who are not entitled to working tax credit and whose annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) does not exceed £16,190 or
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit or
• Universal Credit