Mealtimes & Snacks At La Petite Academy

Meal times are an integral and social part of the day at La Petite Academy. We have devised a seasonal menu, to ensure the children are able to try a variety of foods.  This is updated and reviewed twice a year taking into account the seasons, feedback from parents and interaction with the children over mealtimes. The nursery ensures that it meets all the children’s nutritional needs, as well as honouring individual and family dietary requirements. The Manager works closely with the cook to ensure we follow the guidance laid down by the Early Years Code of Practice for Food and Drink.

Menus run on a four weekly cycle and current menus are available below. These state which meals are vegetarian and which contain allergens.  If your child requires an alternative menu, we offer vegetarian, pescetarian and vegan alternatives. We provide a vegetarian menu for families who have a Halal diet.

If your child has allergies, we will work with you to devise an appropriate menu. You will need to provide us with a care plan from your GP or consultant to support us to do this. All staff have been trained to use adrenaline auto-injectors (eg Epipen, Jext) should an allergic reaction occur. 

At La Petite Academy, we use the whole day as well as meals and snacks to teach children about healthy eating and encourage a positive attitude towards mealtimes. The staff will sit with the children and support them with their knife, fork and spoon control, encouraging good manners and independence through self-serving cold snacks and cold dishes at meal times and clearing away their own plates.

Fresh fruits are served at Breakfast, Lunch and Tea Times to minimise acid attacks between meals on the children’s teeth.

The children have the opportunity to develop their independence skills such as accessing their own placemat and cutlery, pouring their own drinks, self-serving cold food and then, at the end of the meal, scraping their own plates and helping to tidy the table away.

After lunch, the Preschool group go to the bathroom to brush their teeth and clean their faces. Toothbrushes are provided, labelled and kept at nursery ready for this midday activity.

We have a qualified cook who prepares the meals each day and all staff who handle food have received Food Hygiene training. The practitioners talk to children about food in a knowledgeable and enthusiastic way.

Throughout the day, breakfast is served between 8am – 8.30am, a mid-morning snack around 10am, lunch and pudding between 11 and 12 depending on the child’s age as well as a mid-afternoon snack around 1:30pm and light tea at 3.30pm. Water is offered continually throughout the day, and milk is available at snack times.