At Nightingale Primary School, our meals are provided by our catering partner, The Pantry
Children can have a school meal every day or a combination of school meals and packed lunches. This provides families the freedom to tailor their choices to the individual needs and preferences of their child. Parents can view the weekly menus, book and pay their child lunches online via their child’s account.
We know that a healthy lunch is essential for good learning and evidence shows:
Children are better prepared for learning if they eat well
Children make more progress if they have eaten the right nutritional lunch
Eating lunch together is an important social occasion and the children learn vital social skills
The cost of this tasty and nutritious meal is currently £2.80. Children in Years R, 1 and 2 are entitled to receive a free school meal under the Universal Infant Free School Meal system. Children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 have to purchase a Pantry Catering meal unless they are eligible for Free School Meals. If you feel your child may be entitled to Free School Meals, you need to apply via the Hampshire County Council website which can be found by clicking here Free school meals application. All meals must be paid for until we have confirmation of your eligibility and unfortunately, this cannot be backdated.
FOOD ALLERGIES & INTOLERANCES
The Pantry Catering can meet the needs of all children, including those who have a food allergy or intolerance. Please log onto your Pantry account to add details and they will ensure your child is allocated an adapted menu.
Once registered, you can see your child’s individual menu and update medical evidence details whenever you need to.
THE PANTRY SPECIAL DIET MENUS
Special diet menus are developed for pupils that cannot safely eat from the main menu due to a medical condition, such as severe or complex allergies. Special diet menus may also be allocated to pupils who have medical conditions of which nutrients like fat, carbohydrates and protein need to be measured e.g., for PKU or cystic fibrosis.
MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR A SPECIAL DIET MENU
For a special diet menu to be provided, medical documentation MUST be given. If medical documentation is not provided, the parent can use The Pantry online ordering system to “self-manage” their child’s meal orders. If a child does have medical documentation for their medical condition, but the parent prefers to utilise The Pantry online ordering system, they must sign a waiver form to indicate their acceptance to “self-manage”. For pupils who have allergies outside of the 14 Major Food Allergens, such as an allergy to apples, and do not have medical documentation, the parents must continue to order their child’s lunch via The Pantry online system. The parent can request ingredient lists for the foods provided, however as there could be supplier changes, these are only valid from the date and time that the ingredient list is given to the parent. Ingredient lists and nutritional information about the food served can be requested from The Pantry nutrition team at any time e.g., carbohydrates present within the meals.
MEAL CHOICE ON SPECIAL DIET MENUS
Our nutritionists will develop a special diet menu using the exact details provided from the medical documentation and any other information that is recorded when the request is submitted. Any further requests for personalisation of special diet menus not backed up by medical documentation may be rejected or not able to be upheld. The Pantry does not treat cultural or religious diets, veganism or vegetarianism as a special diet as our menus offer a diverse range of foods to cater for pupils to eat a healthy balanced meal daily.
OPERATIONAL SAFETY
Management of special diets involves many factors, however ensuring that our pupils are given a safe lunch is our first priority. Due to the complex nature sometimes involved in ensuring this, it is not always possible to offer more than one choice of safe meal per day for pupils on special diet menus. Due to complexities, it may be necessary to amend the meal choice for a customer without notice, ensuring the meal continues to be aligned with the medical information provided. This decision is solely based on what is operationally safe to provide. If we deem that the complexity of the special diet request is too high, this impacts the ability to provide a safe meal for the pupil, the request may be rejected or items changed. Special Diet Menu Policy (SDMP08122023) Unit 6 Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge, UB8 2FX The Pantry endeavours to inform parents if there are ingredient changes that affect the 14 Major Food Allergens present in the menu, or if they affect special diet menus. This may not always be possible, and a safe decision may need to be made without notice. Special diet menus are exempt from government school food standards; however, we do make every possible effort to ensure special diet menus fit within this guidance.
SEVERE ALLERGIES AND MENUS
Schools must discuss with The Pantry any requests for catering for severe allergies, if this should result in allergens or ingredients being removed/excluded from the standard school menu. Provision may be unrealistic and therefore have an impact on the variety of dishes available for the whole school. If this is the case, this must be included in the contract between the school and The Pantry. The Pantry will not intentionally use nuts or any product containing nuts as an ingredient within our food offers.
THEME DAYS & SPECIAL DIETS
Whilst The Pantry are passionate about inclusion for all pupils, safety is our first priority, and if there are complexities involved in developing a safe theme day special diet menu for a pupil, the pupil will be offered an alternative meal instead, aligned with the medical documentation that we hold provided it has been provided with enough time to make changes to the meal choice for the kitchen team
FUSSY EATERS & BEHAVIOURAL CONDITIONS AFFECTING DIET
Diet related medical documentation must be provided for a special diet menu to be made e.g. food aversions or autism. On some occasions, managing a child’s food preference at site level may be more applicable. On such occasions, this must be agreed with the parent, the nutritionist, the operation manager, the kitchen staff and the school.
ARRANGE A SPECIAL DIET MENU
The process below indicates how the special diet meal will be developed. 1) Make an account with The Pantry. 2) Upload medical documentation. 3) Nutritionists at The Pantry will be in contact to inform the parent that a new special dietary menu has been uploaded to The Pantry online account. This will become active from the Monday of the following week. 4) In order for the pupil to have lunches prepared for them, it is essential for the parent to book the “special diet meal” button on online account. 5) Once the pupil approaches the lunch servery, they will be identified by The Pantry team and given their special diet meal in a foil tray for safety.
HEALTHY PACKED LUNCHES
If you choose to provide a packed lunch for your child, please click here to read our suggestions for a healthy lunchbox and guidelines as to what should be included and what must be avoided. Why not visit www.nhs.uk/change4life/pages/healthy-lunchbox-picnic.aspx for a two week menu filled with nutritious ideas.
PAYING FOR YOUR SCHOOL LUNCH
Please log on to your Pantry account to pay money into your account for school meals. Meals must be paid for in advance.
CONTACT
Website:- The Pantry
FAQ – The Pantry FAQ
EMail: – office@thepantrycatering.co.uk
Tel:- 02088137040 Mon – Fri 7am – 4.30pm