Healthy Eating Policy

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Policy details

• Date created - 07/06/2024
• Date approved - 25/05/2024
• Next review date - 07/06/2026
• Policy owner - School Business Manager

Introduction

Our school is dedicated to promoting healthy eating and helping pupils to make informed food choices. This will be achieved by a whole school approach to food provision and food education as documented in this policy.

Aims

The main aims of our school food policy are:

• To provide a range of healthy food choices throughout the school day and in line with the mandatory School Food Standards
• To support pupils to make healthy food choices and be better prepared to learn and achieve
• To ensure a consistent approach to healthy eating across the school community including pupils, staff and parents/carers

Nut free school

In our school community we have staff and pupils who have serious food allergies, particularly nut allergies which could be life threatening.  As a result, we strive to be a ‘nut free’ school.  Parents or carers of children who are on special diets for medical or religious reasons, or who have allergies, will be asked to provide as much information as possible about which foods are suitable or foods which must be avoided. This information will be displayed in the school lunch hall, classrooms and the staff room.

1. School Lunches and Snacks
2. Rewards and Celebrations
3. Other Information
4. Monitoring and Review

School Lunches and Snacks

School Lunches

School meals are provided by City Catering and served in the dining hall. The school meals meet the mandatory requirements of the School Food Standards.

School meals are planned on a 3 week cycle and always contain a meat/fish and vegetarian option. The school meals menu can be found on our school website.

Packed Lunches

We aim to support pupils to have a balanced lunch to best prepare them for learning in the afternoon. Packed lunches should aim to include:

• Some starchy foods such as bread (sliced bread, pitta bread, wraps, bagels), pasta, potatoes, couscous; wholegrain is best.
• 1 portion of fruit and 1 portion of vegetables or salad
• Dairy food such as cheese or yoghurt
• Meat, fish, or another source of protein such as eggs, beans and pulses, hummus, falafel
• Oily fish once every 3 weeks e.g. sardines or salmon

As a treat you may wish to include one of these items per day:

• Cake bar
• Crisps
• Biscuit

Packed lunches should not include:

• Fizzy / highly sugared drinks in cartons, bottles or cans
• Energy drinks
• Chocolate-coated products / sweets / confectionary  
• Chocolate spread as a filling for sandwiches  
• Chewing gum  
• We are a nut-free school, which includes peanut butter and chocolate-spreads, because of the life threatening risk to pupils and staff who have severe allergies.

The school provides fresh water for all pupils throughout the school day so there is no need for packed lunches to include a drink. If you wish to send a drink, it must not include fizzy pop or energy drinks, including ‘Prime’.

Portions

No child is made to finish all the food that they are offered because we know that appetites vary from person to person. However, we do actively encourage the children to ‘try a little bit more’ if they can to ensure that they are not hungry later on in the day.

Waste and Disposal  

The school will, within reason, send any uneaten packed lunch food items back home. The rationale for this is that parents can also monitor what their child has consumed during the day and then raise any concerns over their child’s food intake with the school.  

Storage

The school will provide places for lunchboxes / bags to be stored but this is not refrigerated. In warmer weather, packed lunches may keep better if they are sent in insulated bags / with an ice pack.

For further ideas on how to have a healthy, balanced diet and to help you decide what to put in your child’s lunch box, please visit:

• https://www.nutrition.org.uk/putting-it-into-practice/make-healthier-choices/healthy-packed-lunches/
• https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/
• https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/whole-school/whole-school-approach/healthy-lunchboxes/

Snacks

All children in KS1 and Reception receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable everyday as part of the Government’s School Fruit and Vegetable scheme. As children move up into KS2, if they wish to have a break time snack, they can bring in something from home. Below are guidelines from the NHS and Change4life on healthy snacks. We ask for your support to help us adhere to these guidelines.

Some ideas for Healthier Break Time Snacks are below:

• Chopped up fruit/ vegetables
• Breadsticks/ crackers
• Malt loaf, tea cakes, fruit breads

Please do not send your child with:

• Nuts
• Fizzy drinks
• Sweets
• Chewing gum

Drinks

We are a water only school, with the exception of the free milk entitlement and one cup of squash served by City Catering at lunchtime only. Water is available around the school whenever needed.

School trips

Where children bring a packed lunch along to school trips, these lunches must adhere to the same food and drink guidance described above. Children who are entitled to free school meals may request a packed lunch to be provided by City Catering.

Rewards and Celebrations

The school actively looks for alternatives to food items as rewards for good behaviour or achievement, though food may be used and made clear that these are occasional treats.Where possible the school will purchase Fairtrade products.

Birthdays, and special events such as Christmas parties in class are also times where food contributes to a sense of celebration and sharing. On these occasions foods other than fruit or vegetables may be offered, but the staff will remind the children that this is an ‘occasional’ treat and not ‘every day food’.

For celebration events, we welcome a variety of foods from different cultures, for children to try. Class teachers will provide parents/carers with lists of celebration food before any events and may ask for contributions to ensure that we have a wide variety of food choices available.

The school recognises the importance of celebrating birthdays and special occasions. As such, it will use discretion if children wish to share individual items on these days. As an alternative to sweets/ chocolates, parents are encouraged to donate a book to the school for birthdays. The story can then be shared with the class and donated to the school library with a label inside detailing who donated it and for what reason.

Where food is sent into school, this must be sealed and ingredients clearly labelled. These items must not contain any nuts due to the serious allergies within our school.

Other Information

Curricular and extra-curricular activity

Food and nutrition is taught at an appropriate level throughout the school in science, PSHE and Design Technology (cooking and nutrition).

At times, there are also opportunities for our pupils to attend after-school clubs to support the teaching of food and healthy eating and include e.g. cooking and gardening.  Any staff involved in delivering cooking sessions and clubs have achieved relevant qualifications in Food Safety and Hygiene.

Special dietary requirements

The school does everything possible to accommodate pupils’ specialist dietary requirements including allergies, intolerances, religious or cultural practices. Individual care plans are created for pupils with food allergies, please keep us updated of any changes for your child.

Expectations of staff and visitors

The school expects staff to contribute to and support this food policy across the school day. Staff and visitors will be expected to model good practice behaviour around food and drink and in line with the policy, when in the company of pupils.

Teaching staff are welcome to purchase a school lunch and are invited to sit with pupils in the dining hall.

Parents, carers and family members

Our relationships with parents/carers is very important and we aim to support them with information and advice around food, so that they are best prepared to make healthy choices for their families.

Coffee mornings, events and food related family learning workshops are delivered throughout the year for family members to attend.

Monitoring and Review

We fully respect individual parent’s food choices for their children and understand that there are many different needs and tastes. However, if snacks or lunch boxes regularly fall short of the expectations in this policy, we will send a reminder home to parents. We want to work with parents to educate our children about healthy dietary choices so that the children, through the understanding of a balanced diet, will develop a greater appreciation of a healthy lifestyle.

The school will also support parents to access Foodbank and Pantry service provisions. Please speak to a member of the pastoral team who will be happy to help you with accessing these services.

The school will use opportunities such as assemblies, new parent meetings, INSET days and Healthy Lifestyle activities in school to promote this policy as part of a whole school approach to healthier eating.

All school staff, including teaching, pastoral, catering staff will be informed of this policy and will support its implementation.