Meals at Eldon

Free School Meals

From September 2014 all pupils in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 will be able to receive a free school meal. School meals in Enfield are healthy, tasty, social and fun. Choosing a school lunch for your child/children will help save you approximtely £400 per year if you take up the offer.

It is still really important that you register your child for free School meals if you child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 - to ensure the school receives extra funding for your child's education (Pupil Premium). It is still necessary to register your child for this even if you do not want your child to receive a free meal.

Please ask the school office, or call Pupil Benefits on 020 8379 5367 if you haven't completed the form.

For children in Years 3 to 6 to be entitled to free school meals you must be getting at least one of the following:

• Income Support

• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit, provided you are not claiming Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190

• Receiving Working Tax Credit ‘run-on'.

To find out if your child/children are eligible for a free school meal, and hoe to apply enquire at your school's office or phone the Enfield Council Pupil Benefits Helpline on: 020 8379 5367

Packed Lunches

A balanced packed lunch should contain:

• Starchy foods. These are bread, rice, potatoes and pasta, and others.
• Protein foods. These are meat, fish, eggs, beans and others.
• A dairy item. This could be cheese or yoghurt.
• Vegetables or salad, and a portion of fruit.

Starchy foods are a good source of energy, and should make up a third of the lunchbox. But don’t let things get boring. Instead of sandwiches give kids bagels, pitta bread, wraps and baguettes. Use brown, wholemeal or seeded bread, not white bread.

Get ideas for healthy starchy foods.

Children often like food they can eat with their fingers, so chop up raw veggies such as carrots or peppers, and give them houmous or cottage cheese to dip the veggies in. Breadsticks and wholemeal crackers are great finger foods and they can be spread with low-fat soft cheese or eaten with reduced-fat cheddar and pickles.

Replace chocolate bars and cakes with fresh fruit, dried fruit.

Vary the fruit each day and get them to try new things, like kiwi or melon.

Unsalted nuts are a great snack food for children to have at home, but it's best to leave them out of your child's packed lunch. Many schools ban nuts to protect pupils with a nut allergy.

Here are more ideas for healthy food swaps.

You could also make up a tasty fruit salad. Be inventive and encourage your children when they try something new.

Lunchbox ideas

*Information taken from NHS Choices

Healthy Habits, Healthy You!

“You are what you eat!” The sorts of foods you eat in a day actually become a part of your body. So, if you choose the right sorts of foods, you’ve got a much better chance of staying healthy. Visit the Nestle Healthy Active Kids website for more information.