Lunches and Snacks
Children may bring in a healthy packed lunch and we are proud to offer a range of nutritious and tasty meals, full of fresh ingredients, prepared by Hampshire County Council Education Catering team here at Denmead Junior School in our own school kitchens. (The kitchens also cook for the Denmead Infant school) Find out more about them, click here.
Children order their lunch in class at morning registration. We follow the Hampshire 3-weekly menu, serving a mix of British classics and foods from around the world plus daily vegetarian options which cater for many different tastes and requirements. Children can also enjoy occasional fun themed menus and seasonal picnic and jacket potato options.
Meals cost £3 (from 5th June 2023) and are payable in advance by cash or using the online system. Families in receipt of benefits may be eligible for free meals – please check with the office.
What's for lunch today?
CURRENT MENU
If your child requires a special diet for school lunches, you will be able to register online from 1st July. Please see the following guides for more details:
Pay for lunch now - Scopay Link
Snacks
During the morning break, year 6 pupils along with the school kitchen, sell a number of snack items, including fruit, milk and freshly baked bread. This is a cash-only service, and 75 pence will buy you a snack and a drink. Alternatively, you are welcome to provide your child with fruit or vegetables as a healthy mid-morning snack. Please see the link below for the full price list:
Water
Children should bring in named, refillable water daily for use in classrooms. Drinking fountains are available on the playground at lunchtime, and children also take their bottles outside.
Nut allergies
At any time, there are a number of children in school who have a nut allergy, so we ask that you do not include nuts of any kind in your child’s snack or packed lunch.
Lunchtime Zones
At Denmead Junior School, we recognise that a happy and safe lunchtime is one that is well organised and has lots of activities to engage our children. It should also promote respect, active bodies and minds and help to teach social skills. Our Year 6 Lunchtime Zone Leaders, who apply for their roles at the start of the year, meet every Friday with a member of SLT to plan the six-zoned activity areas for the following week. These include activities such as assault courses, streetball, swing ball, basketball, large Connect4, parachute games, colouring, Den Building and much more. The zone leaders use each Monday assembly to share the upcoming zone activities for the week with the whole school. They are responsible for setting-up, leading and packing away their zones every lunchtime. The zones are available every day and are supported by a member of SLT and the dinner staff. All the resources used for the lunchtime zones have been purchased with money raised by our PTA.
Lunchtime Therapy & Lunch Club
Not all children enjoy being outside every lunchtime, so every day our ELSA runs Lego Therapy and a lunchtime club in the school library and Hub. Children can use the Lego, play a range of board games and jigsaws such as Dobble, Chess, Uno, read books from the library or colour and draw. There are also Chromebooks available for Doodle Maths and spelling games. This is a popular choice for many and it is also a lovely opportunity for many children to have a quiet and safe place to talk and play with our ELSA and our guinea pigs.
