School Lunches

All children at the Infant School are entitled to a free school meal under the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme. If you want your child to bring a packed lunch instead, please contact the School Office.

Children must have either a school meal or a packed lunch consistently throughout the week—mixing between the two during the week is not permitted. If you would like your child to switch from a packed lunch to a school meal or vice versa, we require at least two weeks’ notice, as our caterer needs time to make the necessary arrangements.

Our midday meal supervisors and teaching assistants monitor all pupils during lunchtime and encourage both school lunch and packed lunch children to enjoy and finish their meals.

Our school caterer is Twelve 15. Please see below their current Spring/Summer menu.
Please note that menus may occasionally change due to supply issues.

Allergy and Special Dietary Requests

If your child has a special diet or food allergy, you must notify the school office and complete the Special Diet Request form. Twelve 15 will assess the request to establish if it is possible to cater for the pupils' needs within their Special Diet Menus.

Further information on how Twelve 15 can support your child's special dietary needs can be found here.

Packed Lunches

If you prefer your child to have a packed lunch, please pack a healthy selection of foods to provide your child with nourishment and energy.  At Thames Ditton Infant School, we encourage children who opt for a packed lunch to eat a nutritious lunch in order to stay healthy. Packed lunches should be well-balanced, and we do not permit chocolate, sweets, nuts or fizzy drinks in packed lunches.

For the safety of some of our children, our school is strictly a nut-free school.

Water

All children are encouraged to bring a water bottle, clearly named, to school. Please make sure that the bottle is washed and replenished daily. During the day, children can refill their bottles at the filtered water coolers fitted around the school.

Is your child eligible for free school meals in addition to the UFSM Programme?

In addition to the Universal Free School Meals programme, in England, pupils are eligible to receive free school meals (FSM) if their parents are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
• Working Tax Credit run-on-paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.

Pupils who are eligible to receive free school meals outside the Universal Free School Meals Programme receive additional funding to be spent in school. This may include :-

• Access to breakfast club
• Assistance with costs towards educational trips
• £15 Supermarket shopping voucher for each week during school holidays (£195 per child per year)
• Free milk from CoolMilk for each school day
• Club4 Voucher for free activities during the school holidays which include a school meal

If you think you are eligible to receive free school meals even though your child is receiving Universal Free School Meals, please click here to access our eligibility form. If eligible, a claim can be made for additional funding to support your child.