Chefs in Schools
Catering
We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with Chefs in Schools to transform our catering and develop our food culture. We are refreshing our menus, with everything cooked from scratch to give our pupils fresh, nutritious and creative lunches.
Chefs in Schools was set up in Hackney to revolutionise school catering. Using professional restaurant chefs, Chefs in Schools transform school kitchens by upskilling staff so their school kitchens are run in the manner of a professional restaurant kitchen.
We recognise that food is a vital part of the school day and has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of our pupils. We believe that food education is a vital part of the curriculum and that the school kitchen has a key role to play in promoting it. By connecting our school chef with other elements of our school such as the garden, we can get children excited about what’s on their plate at lunchtime and therefore more likely to try new things.
We also believe that children have the right to enjoy and learn about fresh, nutritious food. We believe that equipping the next generation with the skills, excitement and knowledge to feed themselves and their families well, should be a central part of the education offered at Smallwood. We will cook with energy, creativity and passion, and do everything we can to share that passion with the young people in this school.
Chefs in Schools is training up the kitchen team, connecting us with new suppliers and helping us to develop fresh new menus. We look forward to welcoming you in the future so you can try the new food for yourselves.
We are looking forward to revolutionising our children’s food experience on this journey and hope that you are as excited about this fantastic initiative as we are.
The cost of a school lunch will be £2.45 per day. Our school meals will remain free for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 as well as those entitled to Pupil Premium funding.
Please note that families in Year 2 who have been entitled to Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) up until now, will not be entitled to Free School Meals from Year 3 if they are not Pupil Premium funded.
As before, our menu will be on a 2 week rotation.
Summer Term MenuPlease note that all meat served will be halal.
In order to sign up your child for a school lunch, please contact the school office
Article 24 of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child states:
‘Every child has the right to the best possible health. Governments must work to provide good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that children can stay healthy.’
FOOD
We commit to:
-
Being bold with our food and taking pupils on a journey with us
-
Using fresh, seasonal ingredients, sourced locally where possible
-
Cooking the whole rainbow
-
Cooking plant-based food for the whole school twice a week
-
Not adding refined sugars to any of our food
-
Limiting the use of frozen ingredients, using fresh at every opportunity
-
Never using packet mixes and pre-made sauces, ever
-
Not resorting to jacket potatoes or plain pasta options
-
Following the regulation on School Food Standards
-
Ensuring that packed lunches do not contain high sugar, high fat snacks and processed food and drink
-
Offering a range of fresh fruit everyday, with optional hot or cold desert alternatives twice per week
-
Sharing our passion for food, through cooking lessons that focus on real food, taster sessions and every other opportunity we can identify
CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
We recognise that the children are our customers, and commit to:
-
Making lunchtime fun, and greeting every customer with a smile
-
Encouraging our customers to be adventurous and try food that is new to them
-
Serving with pride and expertise
-
Making every plate look enticing and appetising
-
Allowing our customers time to enjoy their food and socialise with their peers
-
Creating a positive, friendly environment for our customers to eat in
-
Encouraging our school staff to eat lunch with pupils, sharing the social experience
PEOPLE
We commit to:
-
Treating our kitchen team as valuable members of the school community
-
Paying our kitchen team fairly, with the Living Wage as a minimum
-
Investing in our kitchen team, providing them with ongoing opportunities to train and learn new skills
-
Training our staff supervisors to help create a positive eating environment
Application for Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
Catering1
