Lunches

Healthy Packed Lunches

We encourage children who bring a packed lunch to school to have a healthy, balanced and nutritious meal that gives them the energy they need to learn, play and enjoy their day. A packed lunch should include a variety of foods, such as a sandwich, wrap or other starchy food, fruit or vegetables, and a source of protein or dairy. Please provide a drink of water and avoid foods and drinks that are high in sugar, salt or saturated fat. We ask families to keep treats such as sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks at home.  Please remember that children should be able to open and manage their lunch independently, so choose packaging and containers that are easy for them to use.

Allergy Awareness

At Clarendon Federation, the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We have several children in our school community with severe, life-threatening allergies to certain foods, particularly nuts.

Anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) can be triggered by ingestion, touch, or even inhalation of microscopic food particles. To keep all our children safe, we operate an allergy-aware environment and need your full support.

How Parents Can Help

• Check the Ingredients: Please do not send any foods containing [nuts / peanuts / specific allergens] into school for breaks, snacks, or packed lunches.
• Read Packaging Labels: Check labels carefully. Avoid products that state "contains nuts" or "may contain traces of nuts".
• Celebrate Safely: We ask that you do not send in sweets, cakes, or treats for birthdays or special occasions. Consider non-food celebrations like a book donation to the class or stickers.
• Talk to Your Child: Remind your child why it is important never to share their school lunches, snacks, or drinks with others.
• Wash Hands: Encourage your child to wash their hands and face thoroughly before leaving for school, especially if they have eaten allergens at breakfast.

What to Do If Your Child Has an Allergy

If your child is diagnosed with a food allergy, intolerance, or medical condition, please follow these steps immediately:

1. Inform the Office: Contact the school administration team to update your child's medical records.
2. Provide Medication: Supply the school with two up-to-date, in-date adrenaline auto-injectors (such as EpiPens) and any antihistamines required, clearly labelled in a secure container.
3. Complete an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP): Work with our school staff to outline your child's specific triggers, symptoms, and emergency procedures.

Our School Commitment

• Trained Staff: All school staff receive regular, certified training to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction and administer emergency medication safely.
• Safe Catering: Our school kitchen works strictly with catering guidelines to ensure school meals are prepared safely and cross-contamination is avoided.
• Emergency Back-ups: The school holds spare, non-statutory adrenaline auto-injectors for emergency use.

Thank you for your cooperation and empathy in keeping Clarendon Federation a safe space for every child to learn and grow.

Free School Meals

At Clarendon Juniors we aim to support our families as much as possible. With the current cost of living crisis affecting us all, we wanted to remind our families of additional support available through the free school meals strategy from the government.

For children in years 3 and above, universal free school meals are not provided automatically with funds from the government like they were in Infants. However, they can be awarded if you receive any of the benefits detailed below.

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers 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 you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit

For the school and your child to benefit from this money we need to know that you are receiving a qualifying benefit, no matter what year your child is in.

Registering your child for free school meals means that the school gets extra money.

The government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a Pupil Premium.

For every child registered the school gets £1,385 for primary-aged pupils.

How does it work?

If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s great – they will get the free school meal (saving you more than £350 a year) and the school gets £1,385 extra.

If you don’t want your child to have the free school meals they can continue as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the school still gets £1,385 extra.

Please remember you must qualify and register for the free school meals for the school to receive the extra money even if you do not want your child to have the free school meals.

Registering for free school meals is confidential, no one will know you have registered, and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming.

If your child is entitled to Free School Meals, we will provide a packed lunch and carton of milk for them.

Please ensure that you have applied through Wiltshire Council using this link:

Free School Meals