All Primary School pupils in Wales are entitled to have a free school meal every day under the Welsh Government UNIVERSAL PRIMARY FREE SCHOOL MEALS offer. Reception to year 6 children having hot dinners have a choice of two meals. In addition a choice of sandwiches, jacket potatoes, salad and fresh fruit is also on offer each day.
Mrs Price cooks the school dinners and has been awarded 5 STARS by WCBC Environmental Services for food hygiene standards. The standard of food is excellent with a healthy choice of foods on offer. A vegetarian choice is always available. Please ensure that school is aware of any allergies/ medical conditions that your child may have so that the kitchen staff can cater for your child’s dietary needs.
Pupils may alternatively bring a packed lunch, if they wish. Drinks should be cold and should be kept in a reusable plastic bottle. For health and safety reasons, cans and glass bottles are not permitted in school.
Please note, school meals are organised and provided by the Local Authority. As a school, we are the facilitators and therefore, we do not have access to pupils’ school meal accounts.
Any concerns or queries, should be directed to the relevant department in the Council.
Please go to www.parentpay.com to log on to your child’s account and view the menu.
Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM) | GOV.WALES
Wales Healthy Schools Programme
At St. Mary’s, we are proud to be part of the Wales Healthy Schools Programme, a national initiative aimed at promoting the health and well-being of all children, and take a holistic approach to health and wellbeing activities..
Through this programme, we focus on creating a positive environment that encourages healthy habits in every area of school life. This includes:
- Healthy Eating: Promoting nutritious meals and snacks.
- Physical Activity: Encouraging regular exercise and active play.
- Emotional Well-Being: Supporting mental health and fostering a caring school community.
- Health Education: Teaching children the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices.
Welsh Government Guidance for parents regarding healthy drinking and eating in primary schools
We believe that if a pupil is happy, safe and secure and they enjoy a wealth of health and wellbeing experiences, they will become successful learners, healthy, confident individuals, ethical, informed citizens and enterprising, creative contributors. We welcome the support of our families as we endeavour to promote healthy lifestyles.
As a Healthy School, the governors and staff are all fully committed to supporting pupil and staff well-being and promoting healthy living. All classes have P.E. sessions each week either in the school hall or in the outdoors. Daily meditation takes place in all classes after lunch, and all children have the opportunity to learn and play in the outdoors.
Children have access to drinking water throughout the day and are encouraged to bring a refillable bottle to school. Children in Early Years are provided with a healthy snack each day and children in Years 1-6 are encouraged to bring fruit for snack each day. Juices, fizzy drinks are not permitted in school.
Our proactive pupil voice groups organise enjoyable and worthwhile health and well-being days and weeks and in 2024 the theme was ‘Your Voice Matters’, All children enjoyed participating in a range of class-based and collaborative, cross-phase activities to support their understanding of the importance of expressing their views and ideas. Favourite activities included a ‘Break the Rules’ day and ‘Express Yourself’ dress up day.