Staff at South Norwood Primary School and The Crescent Primary School in Croydon, both part of The Pioneer Academy Trust, have recently welcomed their pupils’ families into school for a free Christmas Family Meal. Both schools worked in partnership with Nourish Contract Catering, with South Norwood Primary School feeding 270 guests and The Crescent Primary School feeding 200 guests.

The meals were jointly funded by The Pioneer Academy Trust and Nourish Contract Catering as part of The Pioneer Academy’s work to engage families with their child’s education and build stronger relationships with parents and carers. This provided another opportunity to bring families and the community together as guests ate a delicious Christmas meal with all the trimmings while joyful music filled the room.

After the meal, families also enjoyed exciting raffles and interactive quizzes. A visit from Santa ensured that every child also received a present after the meal as part of the festive celebrations.

The initial Christmas Family Meal originated from The Pioneer Academy Trust wanting to make sure that everyone in their school community enjoyed a Christmas meal during the festive period. It is now a fixture on the community calendar for all schools within the trust.

Lee Mason-Ellis, CEO of The Pioneer Academy, said:

“I am absolutely delighted that the Christmas Family Meal at both South Norwood Primary School and The Crescent Primary School has been a resounding success. These are fantastic occasions which really do help to bring parents and families closer together with their children’s schools, which is so important to their future education.

“It’s also just a wonderful way for all our families to celebrate Christmas together, to enjoy a great meal and some fun activities. It is always wonderful to see our children leaving an event like this so happy, and with every one of them holding onto a gift from us.”

Melody Berthoud, Head Teacher of South Norwood Primary School, said:

“It’s brilliant that we are able to provide this Christmas Family Meal at no cost thanks to The Pioneer Academy and Nourish. We have received many fabulous donations towards the hampers, which each family go home with, from local churches and community organisations”.

“It is the feel-good event of the year that everyone talks about and remembers. It’s a truly memorable community event and would not be possible without our amazing staff who give up their time to put the meal on!”

Yvonne Neeley, Governor of South Norwood Primary School, said:

“A wonderful start to the festive season. Lovely to see so many of the South Norwood family come along to enjoy the food and visit Santa!”

A parent from South Norwood Primary School said:

“Thank you for a lovely evening, you always go above and beyond for the pupils and their families! So thank you for your hard work”.

A pupil from South Norwood Primary School, said:

“I saw Santa and asked for it to snow”.

Ms Denman, Head Teacher of The Crescent Primary School said:

“It’s brilliant that we are able to provide this Christmas Meal for our families at no cost thanks to The Pioneer Academy.”

“I am grateful to our amazing staff who give up their time to make this a fun and special time.”