Etwall Primary School Food Guidance

 Why do we have food guidance?

•   To ensure that all aspects of food and nutrition in school promote the health and wellbeing of pupils, staff and visitors to our school
•   To make it clear that this school actively supports healthy eating throughout the school day because there is an important connection between a balanced diet and a student’s ability to learn effectively
•   To ensure the school plays its part in the larger community by helping to promote family health, and sustainable food and farming practices

 What do we want to achieve?

•   To ensure that every pupil has access to safe, tasty, and nutritious food, and a safe, easily available water supply during the school day
•   To ensure that every pupil has access to food that is suitable for their cultural, dietary and medical needs.
•   To ensure that the provision and consumption of food is an enjoyable and safe experience
•   To ensure that the whole school community understands that a balanced diet is recommended
•   To increase pupils' knowledge of food production, manufacturing, distribution and marketing practices, and their impact on both health and the environment
•   To increase pupil, parent and staff knowledge and awareness of food issues, including what constitutes a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet, and hygienic food preparation and storage methods
•   To ensure that food provision in the school reflects the ethical and medical requirements of staff and pupils e.g. religious, ethnic, vegetarian, medical, and allergenic needs
•   To introduce and promote practices within the school to reinforce these aims, and to remove or discourage practices that negate them

 How our Food Guidance is implemented

 School Ethos

The importance of a balanced diet is consistently communicated throughout the school day including trips and events.  Staff are strongly encouraged to participate and model balanced eating as a valuable part of daily life.

 It will be made clear that the emphasis placed on a balanced diet is to enable safe and effective learning as well as providing a foundation for good health.

 In school, we have children with food allergies, such as dairy and nut allergies.  All parents are made aware of the need for caution as their children start at the school and reminders are sent home as appropriate.  We follow allergy management advice to keep children safe in school.

EYFS and KS1

Children in EYFS and KS1 are provided with free fruit or vegetables every day in school.  This is free and is a universal entitlement with the aim of encouraging all children to develop healthy habits of eating fruit and vegetables every day.  This means that younger children do not need to bring an additional snack to school.  

 Curriculum

PSHCE, Geography, Science, Food Technology, RE and Languages may all contribute to the curriculum delivery of food education based on the principles laid out in What do we want to achieve?

Curriculum delivery will involve practical food experience delivered by properly trained staff and will be adequately resourced.

It may be appropriate for a variety of foods to be prepared and consumed within the curriculum or at a celebration.  At such times food safety principles are followed. It is recognised that eating together is a fundamental experience for all people; a primary way to nurture and celebrate our cultural diversity; and an excellent bridge for building friendships, and inter-generational bonds. The context of a balanced diet (as depicted by The Eatwell Plate) makes this entirely appropriate provided everyone’s dietary needs are met. An attempt will be made to avoid foods containing high levels of fat, sugar and salt.

Foods containing high levels of fat, sugar and salt will not routinely be used as rewards.

Birthday/Holiday Gift Food

Parents sometimes wish to give out birthday food or food brought back from a holiday. The class teacher should ensure distribution of sweets/treats will be at the end of the school day and will advise children to give them to their parents. The class teacher should check any allergies within the class.

Water

All pupils and staff have water freely available at all times and are able to refill bottles easily. Certain classrooms/subjects may wish to manage the intake of water for safety or behaviour management issues. This is acceptable as long as the principle above is fundamentally upheld.  Water bottles will be taken to the Forest School session and will be available at all times.  Additional drinks may also be provided as part of the session.

Break time

At break times our pupils are only allowed to consume fruit (fresh or dried), vegetables or other such healthy food, including crispbreads, yoghurt (tubes easier!), cereal bars, rice cakes, and oat cakes. Fizzy drinks are not allowed. Water is encouraged at breaks as well as in the classroom. This is to ensure that pupils return to the classroom prepared & refreshed for learning.

Food or drink sold or provided to the pupils during the school day is consistent with this guidance.

Lunchtime

Lunches meet the School Food Trust’s national standards. All pupils have a choice enabling them to eat healthily. Meeting the government’s food-based standards meeting one third of a child’s average dietary requirements across a menu cycle.

Pupils are encouraged to taste and eat new foods.

Staff, time and seating arrangements are sympathetic to a positive social eating environment for those buying lunches and those eating a packed meal. Children sit together whether they have a school lunch or packed lunch.

Packed lunches are monitored and the curriculum encourages a healthy balance. Pupils will usually store their lunch boxes on the dinner trolleys labelled with their class name. Pupils are encouraged to bring insulated bags with freezer blocks.

Any alterations to provision are communicated clearly after a full consultation process has taken place with staff, students and parents/carers.   Children cannot leave the school site at lunchtime. 

Staff and Visitors

Staff will be encouraged to model the food guidance.   Visitors will be offered healthy refreshments or at least a choice which contains a healthy option.

School Visits and Events

Food served at events and offered on trips will be consistent with school guidance. Guidance on packed meals will be given encouraging a healthy balanced choice.

Community Involvement

The wider community will be involved in developing and implementing this guidance. This will ensure that work is sustainable and that best practice is communicated. For example; practical healthy lunchbox advice at a parent event or school councils generated healthy snacks list issued by them to parents.

 Healthy Eating and Balanced Diets

There is an expectation that lunch boxes will contain a balanced diet.  Whilst it is not the school’s role to specify what this entails, lunch boxes and snacks will be monitored by school staff in order to work with parents on healthy eating should the need arise.

 Food Safety

As a school, we strongly advise that grapes, tomatoes etc. are cut at least in half lengthwise, although preferably into quarters depending on their size. Fruit and vegetables provided as part of a school lunch are cut accordingly.  The size and shape of grapes and tomatoes mean they can completely plug a child’s airway and the tight seal produced by the smooth surface makes them difficult to dislodge with standard first aid techniques. Grapes are the third most common cause of death among children who die in food-related choking incidents.

 Forest School

Food for Forest School sessions will be pre-prepared by staff and brought into the session in sealed containers.

Children will wash their hands prior to handling, cooking or eating any foods.

Unused, spoiled and waste food will be bagged and removed from the site at the end of a Forest School session.

 Treats and Prizes

On occasions, small food-based treats may be provided in school.  Examples of this include popcorn, biscuits or sweets at the Christmas party.  Competition prizes may also include small packets of sweets or chocolate.  Staff should ensure that all cultural, dietary and medical needs are provided for and that no child feels excluded because their requirements are not met – see below.   

 Equal Opportunities

Provision is allowed for special diets e.g. medical, cultural, vegetarian and for appropriate serving.   Free packed and cooked lunch provision will be handled sensitively.