We currently operate a split lunch time, this means that not all of the academy students are on lunch at any one time. Our split lunch has proven popular in recent student voice surveys and has had a positive impact on student behaviour and safety. It enable’s students to be served their lunch quicker and therefore to enjoy a better quality break, creating a positive dining experience for all.

The lunch timings are as follows:

Lunch 1: 12:15pm – 12:45pm

Lunch 2: 1:15pm- 1:45pm

Our senior staff are on duty every lunchtime, as well as our lunchtime supervisors and duty teaching staff, including PE staff who run a range of sports clubs during lunch.

We teach students etiquette at mealtimes and expect them to eat their food sensibly.

Our Students also have a great range of choice in food and drinks to purchase at break and lunchtimes, these can be purchased from one of three outlets; the main dining hall, our sports café, or the outdoor grab and go pod.

We ask that glass containers, fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate are not bought into school.  We also have pupils at school with nut allergies, therefore we have a ‘nut-free’ policy. Please check foods carefully.

We are fortunate to be working with Magic Breakfast, to ensure that no student starts their school day on an empty stomach.    As part of the Magic breakfast scheme we are able to offer to all our students FREE a healthy breakfast to support their concentration and success.

All students are welcome to attend our Breakfast Club which is open from 7.45am to 8.20am every morning. Breakfast is served from 7.45am-8.10am.  The club is supervised and has lots of games and activities from table football to board games such as Chess and Jumanji.  Students are also encouraged to play outside on our outdoor Gym or with the basket balls.

We believe this positive start to the day encourages students to develop a healthier lifestyle as well as supporting friendships and developing communication skills.

Orchard Mead Academy strives to be a ‘cashless’ site. We do not wish for students to carry cash into school to pay for meals or activities. Parents/carers can pay for school lunches, trips and activities via MyChildAtSchool. 

Instructions about how to set up and log into your MyChildAtSchool account will be shared with parents/carers before your child starts school. If you top up your child’s card online it will mean that they can buy food from the restaurant using their ID cards and you will be able to see what they have purchased. If you have any questions about this, please contact the school office.

The pupil premium is extra funding the government gives to schools to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. The amount a school receives depends on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Parents are encouraged to register their children for Free School Meals, even if:

  • they do not want to eat school meals
  • they already receive universal infant free school meals.

This is in order to raise extra money for the school, which can be used towards trip support, learning assistants or after school clubs to support your child’s learning.

Please read the Medical Parents Guide here: Medical Diets Parents Guide v1 (MISSING FILE)

If you need to advise Chartwells of your child’s medical dietary needs please complete the following form: Medical Diet Request Form v1_01JUN20 (MISSING FILE)

You may also need to include evidence for the request: Medical Diet Evidence Support Form v1 (MISSING FILE)

You will then be contacted by Chartwells once a menu has been devised for you to agree, using a form like this: Medical Diet Parent Menu Approval Form v1 (1) (MISSING FILE)

You can read the Medical Diet Policy here: Medical Diet Policy v1 (MISSING FILE)

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