Nutritious & Delicious
In St Patrick’s Academy we take great pride in offering all our students meals which are nutritious, delicious, imaginative and attractively presented. In co-operation with the School Nutrition Action Group we consistently put the emphasis on encouraging students to choose the healthier option as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Breakfast
Breakfast is available in Dining Room between 8.20am and 8.50am, comprising a selection of tea/coffee, cereals, toast, fruit juice and fruit together with a range of cooked items. There is free porridge, every morning, for all pupils at this time.
Morning Break
Morning Break is available in the Dining Room, including a healthy hot snack, homemade soup, scones, fruit, fruit juice and freshly made sandwiches.
Lunch
Lunch includes a wide and healthy variety of main/snack meals and drinks. There are daily specials available and theme days run throughout the school year. Pupils should also eat their packed lunches in the canteen. We would ask that packed lunches adhere to the school’s healthy eating policy.
Payments
Biometric Cashless System
It is recognised that the service provided in the Dining Room needs to be quick and friendly, as pupils want to get in, eat and still have time to socialise. To this end the school uses a Biometric Cashless System, with each pupil having a personalised account.
The key features of the system are:
- Pupils in receipt of free school meals are not identifiable, which can help to avoid a pupil being stigmatised.
- Pupils do not need to remember to bring a card with them to the canteen and therefore nothing can be lost.
- Costs may be reduced as there will not be the need to replace a swipe card.
- Biometric recognition eliminates the possibility of a pupil using the swipe card of another pupil to obtain food or persuading another pupil to get food for him/her.
- On average a till operator can process twelve pupils in one minute through one till.
- Pupils will be given extra credit for eating fruit and vegetables through a bonus point system which will be used in conjunction with the SNAG group to encourage and reward healthy eating.
- Detailed usage of the system per individual pupil (date and time of use) is available.
- Parents can find out how much their children are spending and what they are eating, if desired. Parents may request the system to be programmed to prevent their child from purchasing certain items, using a particular facility or exceeding an agreed daily spending limit. Pupils with allergies can be restricted from buying items that will adversely affect them.
