ParkwoodSchool Lunches
School lunches are free, as a result of the London Mayor's pledge. Find out about our lunches below:
Family Dining
At Parkwood, we’ve embraced a family dining approach to enhance the lunchtime experience for every child.
Family dining brings children of all ages together at shared tables, encouraging older pupils to support younger ones and helping to build positive relationships across the school. It’s a way of fostering a sense of belonging and community—values that are central to life at Parkwood.
Rather than the traditional canteen model where children queue for food, family dining allows pupils to sit down straight away and enjoy a sociable, relaxed meal. Children dine alongside staff, sharing conversation and good food in a calm and respectful environment. Mixed-age seating makes lunchtime a more inclusive and civilised experience.
Meals are served directly to the table, with older children taking on the role of servers. These pupils receive training to ensure they serve safely and confidently, and they are always supervised during service.
This approach gives every child the chance to connect with others, enjoy nutritious food, and experience lunchtime as a valued part of the school day. Each table is served a hot meal, accompanied by bread and salad, with dessert following afterwards.
Our dedicated catering team prepares healthy, varied, and delicious meals, catering for all dietary needs and allergies. To make sure our menus reflect what children enjoy, we work closely with the School Council to review and shape future meal options.
Children who bring packed lunches also eat in the hall, so that everyone shares the same lunchtime experience—reinforcing our commitment to togetherness and inclusion.
See below for an example of a school menu and our Whole School Food Policy should you wish to provide snacks or a packed lunch for your child.
Example Menu Whole School Food Policy
The school is able to cater for children with allergies. It is a nut free zone due to the allergies of current students. If your child has a food allergy and you are concerned about their safety at school, please make an appointment with the Head teacher who will be able to help with your concerns.
If you think your child may be eligible for Free School Meals, please come to the school office where our staff will be able to help. Alternatively, follow this link to the Hackney eligibility criteria to find out more.