CATERING

School Meals

At St. Michael’s we firmly believe that a healthy diet is important for children’s development and a good lunch will ensure that they are able to focus and concentrate during the afternoon. We encourage the children to sample the different foods as we recognise that some may be new to the children.  All the Midday Supervisors encourage children to eat/try ‘a little bit’ of the food so that they can experience new tastes.

At St. Michael’s parents can choose between a cooked meal or a packed lunch from home for their children.

Harrison Catering Menu March 2026

Harrison Catering, an outside catering company has now been appointed as the borough-wide contractor with the Local Authority from September 2023. 

All of our school lunches are all cooked on the premises from fresh ingredients. There is a choice of hot and cold food and always a vegetarian option. Children can have salad and fresh fruit with every meal and our lunches conform to all the food standards and nutritional recommendations. All children eat together in the school hall and are provided with water.

We understand that some families may wish to change their child’s lunch arrangements - alternating between school lunches and packed lunches, on a termly basis. To help us ensure that all children receive their preferred meal and that our administrative processes remain accurate, we require you to notify the school office in writing before the start of each term if you wish to make a change. 

As the school provides additional funding to support the ‘universal infant free school meal’ and the Mayor of London's KS2 ‘free meals’ schemes, timely notification is essential to help us manage these resources responsibly and ensure we can continue to offer high-quality meals for all pupils.

Harrison Food Allergy Form

Our caterers are committed to ensuring that the food that they provide complies with the needs of all children. They acknowledge that there are occasions when their menu/meals need to be adapted to cater for those children who have allergies and dietary needs.

All pupils requiring special diets must be registered with Harrison Catering who will only process requests that are supported by medical evidence. Please note any supporting documentation must be in an official capacity from the child’s GP /dietician or paediatrician in order to be accepted.  This is in line with Allergy UK guidelines, advice from the NHS and the British Dietetic Association.

• Harrison Food Intolerance and Allergy Information

Parents are asked to complete the form which is on the above link and return it to school, addressed to Harrison Catering.  We will ensure that the information will be passed onto them.  

General Packed Lunch Information

At St. Michael’s our aim is to ensure with your help our children eat a sensible and balanced diet. We are a national healthy school and would encourage parents to prepare packed lunches. As we have children who suffer from severe nut allergies we ask that you do not include: any items containing nuts or sesame seeds.

We operate a strict no-nut and no sesame seed policy (Although sesame seeds are classified as seeds and not nuts, the proteins in sesame seeds may resemble proteins in certain nuts and may trigger an allergic reaction in children who have a nut allergy). 

The school also recognises that some pupils may require special diets that do not allow for the standards to be met exactly. In this case, parents are urged to be responsible in ensuring that packed lunches are as healthy as possible. For these reasons, pupils are also not permitted to swap food items.

Please click on the link below for some healthy packed lunch suggestions.

NHS Packed Lunch Ideas