From September 2014, all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are encouraged to eat a school meal which is provided free of charge. We encourage all pupils in Foundation and KS1 to take the school meal and refrain from bringing in a packed lunch from home as we are certain that even pupils who can be fussy eaters at home are likely to try a wider range of foods when they are eating alongside their friends in a lunch hall environment.
We expect and promote good manners during lunchtime and are well supported by a team of lunchtime supervisors who provide a caring and supportive environment for all pupils. Our dining hall is a dedicated space and provides a spacious, bright and clean environment for your child to enjoy their lunchtime experience.
Children are given a choice of different meals: hot traditional meal, hot vegetarian options, jacket potatoes, sandwiches and of course, desserts as well as cheese and crackers!
Parents of pupils in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) who are not entitled to Free School Meals can opt to take a school meal for their child. All meals must be paid for in advance via the Arbor App. Please note that we cannot maintain an offer of a school meal to pupils where debt arrears have exceeded TWO WEEKS. Parents will be asked to settle the debt so that pupils can continue to enjoy a school meal. A school meal is £2.40 per day for your child at Oakwell Rise.
Parents can, of course, opt for their child to bring a packed lunch from home. Packed lunches must not contain sweets, chocolate, fizzy or energy drinks of any kind and pupils with these products in their lunch box will be encouraged to save them for home.
Additional Snacks are available during the course of the school day. Children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are provided with fresh fruit or vegetables each day. Small cartons of milk are available daily for all children who wish to partake. There is a termly charge for milk, but milk is provided free of charge to families in receipt of ‘Scheme of Aid’ or for pupils under five years in their first term in school.
Children are encouraged to bring water bottles to school containing water only.
To make an application for free school meals, please visit: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/children-families-and-education/schools-and-learning/free-school-meals/. Please ask at the school office if you would like our assistance.
All up to date menus are posted in the school notice boards and are available from the school office.
Oakwell Rise Primary Academy is proud be in partnership with Magic Breakfast, providing healthy breakfasts to our pupils so that they are settled and ready to learn. We recognise that school mornings are busy in any household and the time to sit and eat a healthy breakfast can – all too often – run out, with children often choosing not to prioritise eating over the need to do other things before leaving for school. A child who hasn’t eaten since the previous tea time is a HUNGRY child, even if they don’t recognise it!! We are well aware of the impact of hunger on a child and are fully committed to ensuring that no child is too hungry to learn.
Magic Breakfast provides Oakwell Rise with nutritious breakfast food to ensure children start their school day in the best possible way. Breakfast gives children the energy needed for the busy school morning, enabling them to focus on their lessons.
Food choices include toast, bagels, a range of cereals and juice each day, with ‘hot’ breakfasts being offered on Friday Feast days – porridge, beans on toast, spaghetti on toast and occasionally waffles and pancakes…. We know that children are much more likely to eat foods they wouldn’t try at home in the company of their friends – so breakfast club is especially suitable for your child if they are a fussy eater!
Here at Oakwell Rise, the vast majority of pupils attend Breakfast Club from 8am every morning. As well as eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast with their friends, children enjoy the wide range of activities which are available each day, and enjoy checking in with warm and welcoming adults who are keen to engage them in some good fun before the formal school day begins. From 8.30am, pupils move into their classroom where learning officially begins. Children are eager to be the first to arrive in class each morning and learning begins swiftly with set routines allowing us to get going with classroom learning half an hour earlier than most schools. We actually offer a range of interventions for pupils between 8.30 and 9am – opportunities for pupils to catch up or get ahead with learning for the day ahead.
With opportunities to play and be social, build relationships with key adults, participate in early bird sporting activiites AND get ahead with learning – Breakfast Club is so much more than eating breakfast!
Pupils can arrive and be served at Breakfast Club all the way up until 8.55am, and we ask parents to build Breakfast Club into the daily routine and consider 8am the new normal start time for school.
For more information on the Magic Breakfast initiative please visit the Magic Breakfast website https://www.magicbreakfast.com.
