In Sanary-sur-Mer, the midday break is evolving to improve children's daily lives. The Town is addressing several aspects: sound comfort, meal flexibility, activities, and individual support.
To enhance sound comfort during lunch, the Municipality has been testing silent tableware at the La Vernette elementary school since June. Initial results are conclusive, and the Town plans to extend this experiment to all schools. The company QUIET developed this tableware using innovative technology, combining tempered glass with an absorbent material. Each piece weighs only 340 grams. The plates and saucers are non-slip, twice as light, and three times more durable than previous tableware.
« It's night and day, » testifies the head chef. This new tableware reduces noise from handling and stacking, contributing to a calmer atmosphere for both children and staff. The Town is incorporating this purchase into its annual investment plan for school catering, with no increase in meal prices for families. This equipment also proves economical: in four months, only six pieces have been broken, compared to about ten daily in all schools previously. Cousteau school is expected to benefit by January 2027.
At the elementary school, students now have a more flexible mealtime slot, better respecting their schedules and allowing siblings to eat together. Initial benefits include shorter waits and a mealtime more integrated into the midday break.
Each day, about thirty voluntary activities are offered to students, led by facilitators, associations, and regular partners. Children can choose from various domains such as sports, culture, citizenship, environment, games, reading, drawing, languages, or quiet time, held in classrooms or nearby facilities.
The Town ensures that every child can have lunch in good conditions, considering specific dietary needs and support requirements, as well as sensitivity to noise or group rhythms. At the Cousteau elementary school, an inclusive dining room has been set up with tables adapted for both kindergarten and elementary students, service islands, and movable sound-insulating partitions for a calmer environment.
Terre de Cuisine, the public service delegate, prepares the meals using fresh products, cooked at the La Vernette school and distributed to the various establishments. Menus prioritize fruits and vegetables from organic farming, labeled and quality products, while favoring short supply chains.
The Municipality applies a canteen pricing system based on the family quotient, reducing the cost for lower-income families without increasing it for others. This system also supports the diverse animation program during the midday break, with funding from the Caisse d’Allocations Familiales (CAF).
School catering in numbers: an announced 85% noise reduction, 92% of enrolled children use the canteen, 45 staff members ensure supervision daily, and 30 animators and facilitators participate in activities each day.
Through these initiatives, the Town enhances children's comfort and well-being, offering a midday break that considers everyone's needs and pace.
