School meals
Welcome to our healthy, tasty and nutritious school meals page.
School meals are a great way to be sure your child is eating a healthy and well-balanced meal during the school day.
Waltham Forest Catering's school lunch bunch ensure that tasty school lunches, on average, provide one third of a child’s daily nutritional needs.
View the School Meal Strategy (224KB PDF file) and the School Meals Strategy Action Plan 2011-2014 (25KB PDF file)
What's on the menu?
Waltham Forest Catering ensure there is an excellent, wide variety of tasty school lunches every day of the week, including Caribbean, Asian, Mediterranean, and traditional dishes, so there is sure to be something for everyone's taste.
Our lunches consist of a main course and dessert made fresh on the premises each day, freshly baked bread and seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables.
Primary schools (serviced by Waltham Forest Catering)
Waltham Forest Catering provide school lunches to all of the primary schools except Davies Lane Primary, The Buxton Primary Phase, Hillyfields Community School, St Patricks Primary, Mission Grove Primary, Acacia Nursery and Church Hill Nursery.
Download the primary school menus - primary school menus - Summer term 2013 (149KB PDF file)
Secondary schools (serviced by Waltham Forest Catering)
Waltham Forest Catering provides school lunches to Connaught Girls, Leytonstone, George Mitchell, Holy Family Technology College, Norlington Boys and Willowfield Schools.
Download an example of the secondary schools Summer 2013 menu (27KB PDF file)
School meals newsletter
Download the Summer Term 2013 primary school meals newsletter (1.4MB PDF file)
Value for money
School lunches offer great variety, great taste, and great value, as well as being healthy and nutritious.
For £2.05 or less in some schools you can get a tasty two course meal. You can pay for your school meals in the way that is most convenient for you – weekly, by term, or half-term. Please discuss arrangements with your school office. Many children will qualify for free school meals, (please see below).
- Price may vary in some schools depending on school policy
Do you qualify for free school meals?
Free school meals are school lunches which are provided each school day to eligible pupils for no charge.
Free school meals are now administrated by the Benefits Service, making it simpler to apply.
For information on whether your child is eligible for free school meals and how to apply download the Free school meals leaflet (865KB PDF file) or visit the free school meals page.
Nutritional standards for school lunches
The nutritional standards mean that school meals must contain the set minimum and maximum levels of nutrients to provide the optimum nutritional balance.
School meals meet the Government's rigorous nutritional standards, which have been put in place to make meals healthier and give children what they need to develop, grow and lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
You can find everything you need to know about the new nutritional standards and what you can do to help your children by visiting http://www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/the-standards
Remember, school meals are a great way to be sure your child is eating a healthy and well-balanced meal during the day, so don’t miss out and apply now.
Try these recipes at home
School meals can take care of children eating well at school, but what about at home?
If you are finding it tough to introduce healthy eating at home, try making these simple recipes for your family. These healthy, tasty and nutritious recipes are an example of what can be found on our school meal menu.
- Garlic and lemon chicken (151KB PDF file)
- Banana loaf (151 KB PDF file)
- Creole style chicken (576KB PDF file)
- Moroccan lamb tagine (676KB PDF file)
- Thai beef stir fry (575KB PDF file)
- Carrot cake (740 KB PDF file)
- Vegetable and pepper fusilli (606KB PDF file)
- Vegetable and chick pea curry (607KB PDF file)
Change4Life
Waltham Forest Council is in support of Change4Life. In order to maintain a healthy weight we need to both eat better and move more. Many families are making changes that will help them live healthier and longer lives. Eating nutritious school meals every day will help towards achieving a healthy eating habit for the future. Visit the NHS Change4life website or call 0300 123 4567 for more information.
Change4Life Pack
The Change4Life Pack (1.3MB PDF file) has been designed by NHS Waltham Forest as part of the Change4Life programme. It aims to help parents with advice and support to get our kids moving more and eating better. For more information contact the community dieticians on 020 8430 8096.
Some of these documents are in PDF format. To view them you may need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Contact us
If you would like to write to us then please use the address below:
Waltham Forest Catering Service
Environment and Regeneration
Silver Birch House
Uplands Business Park
Blackhorse Lane
Walthamstow E17 5SD
Tel 020 8496 3000
About Waltham Forest Catering
Waltham Forest Catering is the council's in-house school meals provider and is the largest provider of school meals in Waltham Forest. We produce approximately 12,500 meals a day to 62 school sites.
Our highly qualified and experienced team of managers, cooks and catering assistants work together to ensure that our meals meet the highest standards and that a high quality service is provided.
At Waltham Forest Catering we recognise the link between the food children eat and their behaviour and performance. We aim to ensure that children are provided with meals made with fresh, high quality ingredients, which they enjoy eating.
We are committed to healthy eating and do this by providing a balanced choice of meals daily. Our menu planning takes careful consideration of current nutritional advice, popular dishes, the diversity of our community and the availability of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables.
Our School Meals Strategy, supports our aim to encourage more children and young people to choose healthy school meals and increase the number of them benefiting from having a tasty and nutritious school lunch.
Download a Eat Better Do Better (224KB PDF file)
Meal prices
We provide varied balanced nutritious meals to pupils and school staff. For £2.05 or less in some schools, you can get a tasty two course meal.
This price reflects value for money, and compares favourably with prices charged in other boroughs for school meals.
Your child may also qualify for free school meals.
Why not visit us?
Why not visit your child's school dining room (by prior arrangement with the school) so you can see for yourself the quality of the meals provided.
To book a school meal, please see your school office or for more information, please contact our catering manager.
We look forward to seeing you.
