Food in School

Marlborough is very proud of our own in-house School Kitchen.  Our school chefs, Ruth Clark and Kay Patterson, prepare healthy and exciting menus and run a friendly kitchen. Our cooks work closely with the school helping to oversee our whole Food in School Policy and linking with classes to develop food awareness and skills in curriculum activities.  You can keep up with the latest news from the kitchen by visiting the Kitchen section on this website. 

Ruth and Kay are available should you wish to catch up with specific needs and you can always contact them at kitchen@marlborough.cornwall.sch.uk.


Healthy Eating

We believe that helping children to develop healthy lifestyles is a significant part of primary school life. Aspects of healthy eating are taught to children in class topics. Indeed, Marlborough has taken a lead in developing relationships with some of the local chefs and restaurants, children regularly joining in demonstrations to the public at the Oyster Festival or other events.

Through our school meals service we aim to support healthy and happy eating habits. There is a choice of menu each day ensuring that all dietary needs can be met and enabling children to enjoy favourites, try new recipes and taste unfamiliar food.

School Meals

School meals are provided free of charge to all Infant Children and at a cost of £2.35 for Juniors. If you are in receipt of Universal Credit or Child tax Credit with an annual income of less than £16,190 you qualify for free school meals for your junior child(ren) also.  Application forms are available from the office and administered with complete confidentiality. If you can, do apply as other support may be available to you.

Table Manners

It is not just what we eat, that makes for healthy eating habits, but how we eat too.  There can be a temptation for children to rush their meal because they are keen to join friends for play.  The youngest children are therefore supervised carefully and helped in making their meal selections.

We do try to help children to develop good table manners and the correct use of cutlery, but lunch-time supervisors’ duties are demanding and time limited, and it is of enormous help when parents can encourage good table manners and prepare children for eating socially.


Guests at Lunch-Time

Due to Covid restrictions we are unable to invite guests in for lunch. Once restrictions have been lifted parents are welcome to join the children for a school meal.  Please simply let the school office know at the beginning of the week.  The cost of a meal for adults is £3.55.

Juniors Packed lunch 

Junior children who do not wish to take a school meal may bring a packed lunch.  Please include food you know your child enjoys and check that you send an appropriate quantity as children can often bring far more than they can manage.  We send lunch boxes home with all the cartons, wrappings and peel etc to help parents monitor how much their child is eating. 

We recommend that packed lunches mirror the national school food standards to provide a balanced midday meal that should include:

  • a (fist sized) carbohydrate portion for energy (such as bread, pasta rice or potato)
  • protein (a palm sized portion of, for example, chicken, egg, bean salad, fish pâté) 
  • a dairy portion (eg size of two fingers of cheese, a cup of milk or yoghurt)
  • vegetables
  • fruit

Please note that chocolate, confectionary and high fat and sugar content products are not permitted.  Further ideas for healthy options are provided by clicking the Healthy Lunch Box link below.

Lunch boxes and drinks containers do need to be robust and clearly marked with your child’s name.  Plates are provided so that children can eat together at table, but a serviette or paper towel may be helpful and do please pack a spoon for any yoghurt provided.

Because meals are provided free for infant children, the implications this has for the school's resources and our educational aims for healthy lifestyles, we can only allow for juniors bringing in a packed lunch.  Any infant child not wishing to take up the offer a free school meal will need to be collected from the school site for the lunch period (12:00-13:00).

Allergies

The school must be informed of all food allergies.  The kitchen can cater for all dietary needs, but we also need to be aware of allergies among children who only eat food from home as this may have an implication for lunch-time seating arrangements and also of course during cooking classes.  Currently, in recognition of some specific needs, Marlborough operates a nut free policy.


Tuck

Reception class children enjoy a daily social Snack Time when they are offered milk or water to drink and fruit or a healthy alternative to eat. At times we will cook things to eat at snack time, or on occasions celebrate different festivals and cultures with traditional food.  In these cases we may lapse briefly from our normal healthy routines!   

All infant children are provided with fruit and vegetables for break and juniors can bring in a snack of fruit or veg to help keep up their energy levels.