Food Policy - Drighlington Primary School

Food Policy
Adopted: June 2008 Review due: June 2011
School Mission Statement
‘A valuable day every day’. We are a welcoming and vibrant learning community
underpinned by Christian values, in which there is a place for everyone and where our
children are inspired to achieve and to build a bright future for all.
Introduction
This policy outlines the aims, principals, strategies and achievements within the teaching
and learning of and provision for healthy eating at Otley All Saints C of E Primary School.
The policy is an integral part of the whole school improvement plans and plays a significant
role in the schools holistic approach to children’s educational, personal, social and health
development. It was developed through a process of consultation and review involving the
Healthy School Governors, senior management team, teaching and non-teaching staff,
School Council, pupils, catering staff, parents and carers. Support for the construction of the
policy was received from Liz Messenger as Healthy Eating Advisor for Education Leeds.
Rationale, Principles and Purposes
As a school, we endeavour to work pro-actively in order to establish and maintain life-long
healthy attitudes towards eating and drinking in support of a healthy lifestyle. We aim to
ensure that the schools food and nutrition policy will promote the physical and emotional
health and wellbeing of pupils, staff and visitors to the school. This may be achieved
through the following:
Teaching pupils about the balance of good health and the links between nutrition and
a healthy lifestyle;
Supporting children in making informed choices regarding food and drink;
Providing opportunities for children to apply their knowledge and understanding on
the subject of healthy eating;
Reviewing curriculum content to ensure consistent and progressive cross-curricular
teaching and learning regarding nutrition and health lifestyles;
Working alongside the catering team and lunchtime staff, to promote healthy eating
through the provision of meal choices reflecting the balance of good health;
Liaison with outside agencies in support of the promotion of healthy eating, including
whole school projects carried out in response to national initiatives;
Working with parents and carers to assist children in making healthier choices for
packed lunches;
Consulting with the wider community to identify and meet a broad range of needs
and expectations;
Encouraging good manners;
Teaching knife and fork usage and cutting.
Guidelines For the Future
At Otley All Saints C of E Primary School we recognise the need to eat more fruit and
vegetables whilst reducing the intake of fat, salt and sugar. This is reflected not only in the
food provision in school but also in our teaching of the balance of good health. It may be
further achieved though the following:

All staff and adults will support children in developing their awareness of making
healthy choices to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet;
Through the use of cross-curricular teaching, the balance of good health will be
promoted rather than labelling foods good and bad. This may involve the review of
curriculum content and targets to ensure sufficient coverage and progression;
The School Council will be involved in the decision-making process regarding food
and drink in school in order to represent the opinions and desires of the whole
school;
The Healthy Schools Coordinator and Healthy Schools Governors will work alongside
the catering team to inform parents and pupils of the range of menus for school
dinners in order to promote their nutritional balance and increase uptake of hot
dinners and in particular free school meals;
Sample menus of healthy alternatives will be offered to parents of children on packed
lunches to assist them in making healthier choices;
All food served in school e.g. snacks, celebrations, rewards and discos etc will reflect
the aims of the food policy. The school will insist that fizzy drinks and confectionary
will not be included as packed lunch items and the inclusion of crisps and chocolate
biscuits will be discouraged. The exception to this will be any treats provided by
parents for peer celebration of their child’s birthday;
Parents will be kept informed of the aims of the schools food policy for the promotion
of healthy eating and drinking.
Current Provision At Otley All Saints Cof E Primary School
Breaks
At morning break Key Stage 1 children are provided with a carton of semi-skimmed milk (£3
a term) and a portion of fruit or vegetables from the Schools Fruit and Vegetables scheme
(provided free of charge). We also encourage Key Stage 2 children to bring a fruit snack at
playtime. We encourage families to purchase fruit and vegetables from a local provider and,
if possible, to buy food that is Fairtrade in line with our Fairtrade Schools status.
Drinks
We recognise that insufficient fluid intake can have a negative effect on a child’s emotional
and physical wellbeing through reduced concentration skills, feelings of lethargy,
headaches, urine infections and reduced physical performance. It is also the right of every
child to have access to clean drinking water. As such, all pupils at Otley All Saints C of E
Primary School are taught about the importance of drinking water and are actively
encouraged to do so at regular intervals throughout the day. Children bring in individual
plastic water bottles each day, which are kept in the classroom and can be freely accessed
at all times. The bottles may be refilled from the water coolers located around the school.
For health and safety reasons, they are required to take home, wash and replace water
bottles on a daily basis. Water is provided in the hall each lunch time and at any extra
curricular activities and after school.
Hot Dinners and Packed Lunches
School dinners are regularly discussed at School Council meetings, and as a result of pupil
feedback and suggestions a variety of changes have been made. The school meals reflect
the new foods standards and promote the concept of a balanced and nutritious diet (see
attached). The catering team are enthusiastic about the new food standards and guidelines
and are keen to implement them effectively in order to promote healthy eating choices
based on the balance of good health. School dinners are provided by The Catering Agency.
Their meals are inclusive, reflect foods from other cultures and take individual dietary needs
into consideration, as does any work carried out on food and tasting within the classroom as
part of the curriculum, or within promotional or themed events in support of local or national
initiatives.

All pupils are encouraged to make healthy choices when selecting their food for lunch. We
promote our school dinners by informing parents of the range of food on offer through
menus.
On Transition Day the Nursery the parents/carers are invited to lunch in the dining room.
Parents and carers are encouraged to send a packed lunch that supports our healthy eating
vision and are being informed of the new guidelines for food standards (see attached). Fizzy
drinks and confectionary are not permitted in packed lunches. With more detailed guidelines
on healthier options, through the use of newsletters and the school website, we aim to
encourage a reduction in the consumption of salty and sugary snacks such as crisps and
chocolate biscuits.
At lunchtimes Year 6 support the lunchtime staff as ‘buddies’, both in the dining room and
on the playground.
Review
The policy will be reviewed regularly through a consultation process. The Healthy Schools
Governors and staff will coordinate the policy review and will consult with senior
management, teaching / non-teaching staff, catering staff, School Council, pupils, parents /
carers and governors. This may be done through newsletters, questionnaires, children’s
feedback in school council etc. Results of consultation and the completed action plan will
provide evidence of the achievements of targets and inform future planning.