Educaterers support parents with 'starting school' nerves with school meal tips

School caterers, Educaterers, are posting a series of helpful tips and reassuring messages on their Twitter account (@educaterers) over the next two weeks aimed at parents of children who are starting school next month.

The caterers, who provide school meals for children across Warwickshire, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicestershire and Oxfordshire, want to help parents feel at ease about the school meals process and reassure them that school lunches are healthy, nutritious and delicious.

Educaterers, who have 700 fully trained, professional kitchen staff and freshly prepare meals for the schools they serve, will be sharing information about their school menus and the range of options that are available for pupils, including daily vegetarian and vegan choices.

Starting school can be a nervous time for children – and their parents – and Educaterers want to reassure parents that if their child has a medically recognised allergy or intolerance, they can receive school meals specific to their diet.

They'll be reminding parents that all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils are automatically entitled to a free school meal.

There will also be information for parents of children moving into Key Stage 2, reminding them that their children may still be eligible for free school meals and how to check.

Educaterers will also be reassuring Key Stage 2 parents that do need to pay for their children's school meals that online payment processes, such as ParentPay, are easy to set up, simple to use and convenient.

Caroline Alexander, Managing Director of Educaterers, said: "If you child is preparing to start life at primary school, we want to reassure parents that their school meals will meet all health and nutrition guidelines and that there are lots of menu options available, with something for every taste bud.

"It's an exciting time for young children and our fully trained school kitchen staff will do everything possible to make sure new pupils feel comfortable and welcome when they start next month.

"Our staff cater for the needs of thousands of pupils at all types of schools and run themed days with special menus throughout the year to make school lunchtimes fun!

"We are also launching new dishes throughout the year that are based around the growing popularity of plant-based menus.

"If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2, they'll be entitled to a free school meal, and if your child is moving into Key Stage 2 then we recommend that parents check whether their child is still entitled to make sure they don't miss out."

Educaterers serve up over 120,000 nutritious tasty meals a week in over 200 schools and colleges.

Follow Educaterers on Twitter @educaterers to receive the 'starting school' and 'back to school' information over the next couple of weeks.

If you're not on Twitter, you can find out more about eligibility for free school meals at this link.

You can find out more about Educaterers primary school meals and take a look at sample menus on their website here.