School Dinners
St Mary's is very proud to have achieved the Healthy School's Gold Award and this is reflected in the high quality school lunches we provide for all our students.
School dinners
We are able to provide wonderful 'home cooked’ lunches at St Mary's which ensures that all our pupils are provided with a health and well balanced meal during their school day. We provide fresh, tasty and nutritious food using locally sourced organic produce that provide real value for money. We know the importance of variety and aim to ensure our children have access to abundant fruit and vegetables. We are a nut free school.
Seasonal and Organic
All our freshly cooked school lunches provide on average, one third of a child’s daily nutritional needs. Our 3 week menu cycle uses over 50 recipes.
We use free range and organic produce and all our beef, lamb and chicken are all traceable back to the farm. Our pizza, bread, pastries, cakes and sauces are all homemade, using organic flour. Our menus always include, sustainably sourced fish, organic dairy products and fresh seasonal fruit. Over 90% of the dishes on our menu are freshly prepared each day from raw produce using seasonal fruit and vegetable. Meals contain no food additives, or hydrogenated fats or GM ingredients. We make and bake fresh bread daily, organic flour is used when making our dough.
Value for Money
All children in state-funded schools in London are eligible for free school meals. This could save you up to £475 per year per child!
Free school meals
You may be entitled to Free School Meals if you meet certain criteria, please click on the link below to find out if you qualify.
Visit your local council website on more information and how to apply.
Food theme days and weeks
During the course of the year we also have a number of celebration and themed events influencing our school meals. Themes such as National Pizza day, National Vegetarian Week and World Pasta Day are interwoven with other more well-known celebrations such as Pancake Day, Black History Month, Christmas and Chinese New Year. For other national events such a royal wedding we have even been known to have good old fashioned street party!
Packed Lunch
Packed lunches
As an alternative option to a cooked meal, parents may provide their children with a packed lunch.
Variety is important - ensure your packed lunch is balanced by following the steps below.
Have you included...
The Basics – a portion of carbohydrates to boost energy levels. Examples: different types of ‘bread products’ such as pitta, wraps, granary bread, bagels, baguettes, crackers, rice and pasta.
Fruit and Vegetables – try to include at least two portions. Examples: carrots, peppers, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, other salad vegetables, dried as well as fresh fruit.
Tasty Sandwich Fillings - Examples: cold meats, canned fish, hummus, eggs, cheese, salad etc
Dairy Food – try to include one portion. Example: yoghurt, fromage frais, cheese.
A Drink - water.
Packed lunches need to be packed in a traditionally designed lunch box (no carrier bags, heart-shaped boxes or similar) and labelled clearly with the child’s name. Our trolleys are designed to accommodate a certain number of the ‘traditional style’ (square/rectangular) lunch boxes. Packed lunch boxes must not contain glass bottles, fizzy drinks or sweets. We aim to be a healthy school and we want to instill this in the children. The midday staff monitors this closely and if these items are found in a packed lunch box, parents will be contacted immediately.
Please remind children that they must not share food with others due to allergies and intolerances.
A week's notice is required to change from school dinner to packed lunch or from packed lunch to school dinner. Please note that due to the size of our school, children must have packed lunch every day or school dinner every day. This is to ensure there is as little waste as possible. We are passionate about sustainability and reducing food waste.
Shared Lunches
Our Special Assembly Lunches
At St Mary's we are delighted to invite parents of those children whose class is leading our whole school Friday assembly to join us for a school lunch on that day. As a Cathoic school, we serve fish on a Friday. These events have proved very popular and has made assembly day even more special for the children and their parents. We endeavour to give as much notice as possible so that parents can plan for the day. Parents must purchase a school meal which provides an ideal opportunity to talk to your child, alongside their friends and discuss their special assembly day.
Support and Help
Emergencies help
We know that sometimes families are faced with unexpected difficulties during the school holidays, or when the school is closed. During these times families can contact the school on school@st-marys-pri.waltham.sch.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can to provide support and guidance on a family’s particular need.
Alternatively, you can find information on getting support with food and financial problems on the Waltham Forest Council website.
Food Statement and Lunch Menus
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Menu - Spring Summer 2026 | [pdf 1MB] |
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Food Statement 2025-2026 | [pdf 373KB] |
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