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St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School Good Practice Packed Lunch, Snacks and Drinks Guidelines These Guidelines apply to all pupils and parents providing packed lunches to be consumed within school or on school trips during normal school hours. AIM OF OUR PACKED LUNCH GUIDELINES To ensure that all packed lunches brought from home and consumed in school provide pupils with healthy and nutritional food that is similar to the food we serve in school, which is regulated by national standards. This is for the health and wellbeing of the children, while being fair and equitable to all. Through these guidelines, we aim: To make a positive contribution to our pupils health and wellbeing. To promote good learning and positive, calm behaviour through a balanced and nutritious lunchtime meal for all pupils. To promote consistency between packed lunches and the food provided in school. To work towards Government Guidelines as inspected by Ofsted. DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES The guidelines were formulated following consultation with the following: Pupils and Staff and the School Council. The School Leadership team. The Full Governing body. Catering team. SOURCES OF ADVICE The guidelines were drawn up reflecting advice from a range of national agencies and documents, including information from the Food for Life Trust, School Food Trust and the Food in Schools Toolkit. THE SCHOOL OFFER We will provide facilities for pupils bringing in packed lunches and ensure that fresh drinking water is readily available at all times. The school will work with pupils via the School Council to provide attractive and appropriate dining room arrangements. The school will continue to work with parents to advise them as to the standards listed below. Wherever possible we will ensure that packed lunch pupils and dinner pupils will be able to sit and eat together. PACKED LUNCHES The school advocates the benefits of a well balanced school meal for the children in the middle of the day and would recommend to parents that this is the best option. Where parents decide to send in a packed lunch from home, the school fully recognises their right to provide food for their child. However, the school asks parents to note the following recommended guidelines set out by the School Food Trust: A CHILD’S PACKED LUNCH SHOULD INCLUDE: Every Day At least one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables. A portion of protein, either meat, (such as chicken, ham, pork or beef), or fish (such as tuna or salmon), or egg, or another source of non-dairy protein (e.g. lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, hummus). A carbohydrate food such as bread, wraps, pitta bread, pasta, rice, noodles, breadsticks, crackers, rice cakes, or potato salad. Wholegrain bread, pasta, etc is ideal. A portion of milk or dairy food such as lower fat milk, cheese, yoghurt or custard. A drink of still water, fruit juice (max 150ml), semi skimmed milk, a yogurt or milk drinks, or a smoothie (max 330ml and 45%+ fruit of vegetable juice). At least once every three weeks Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines or mackerel. In line with the School Food Trust and schools which provide packed lunches, we also ask that PACKED LUNCHES DO NOT INCLUDE… × × × × NUTS- due to allergies, we are a NUT FREE SCHOOL Confectionery / Sweets. Salty or fatty snacks, such as fried crisps. Fizzy drinks, or sugary drinks eg Lucozade Sport The following foods should only be included occasionally (no more than twice a week): Deep fried products. Foods that include pastry. Manufactured meat products, such as sausage rolls, meat pies, corned beef and sausage. See the table of “healthy swaps” below for some ideas of healthy options that are encouraged in a school packed lunch: Instead of… Chocolate Instead of… Fried Crisps, or Salted nuts Try these Healthy Swaps – from the Change for Life website Chunks of melon, strawberries, grapes, or whatever you have to hand. Look out for fruit that’s in season, it’s likely to be cheaper. Dried fruit – how about just a few pieces of mango, banana, pineapple, cranberries or raisins? Don’t forget, a small handful is about the right amount of dried fruit for kids. Low fat fruit yoghurt. A handful of dry, reduced sugar cereal with a few raisins or sultanas. Try these Healthy Swaps – from the Change for Life website Baked crisps Pumpkin and sunflower seeds Pitta and lower fat dips like salsa or reduced fat hummus Rice cakes with lower fat cream cheese and cucumber Muffins, Cakes, Bagels, Pastries, Biscuits Celery sticks filled with lower fat cream cheese Homemade popcorn (without sugar or salt) Unsalted rice cakes, corn cakes or oat cakes Fruit, fresh or tinned (in juice) Cut up vegetables Wholewheat biscuits Rice cakes Sugar free jelly Low fat, low sugar yoghurt There are many more ideas and a wide choice of suggested packed lunch menus on the Change for Life website at: http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/healthy-lunchbox-picnic.aspx SPECIAL DIETS AND ALLERGIES Parents must be aware of the total ban on nuts in school due to serious allergies. We also recognise that some pupils may require special diets that do not allow for the standards to be met exactly. In this case we urge you to be responsible in ensuring that packed lunches are as healthy as possible. For reasons of allergies we ask that pupils do not swap food items. LITTER AND WASTE We will provide a bin for any wrappers, packaging and refuse at the end of a packed lunch (eg fruit peel, apple cores etc.) We politely request that tables and chairs are left clean and tidily and all uneaten food is taken home so that parents are aware of what their child has/ has not eaten. DRINKS AND SNACKS All children are encouraged to drink water which is freely available in the school. We participate in the free school milk scheme, which is available to all children on request, either at break time. We run a healthy tuck shop which is well supported by the school kitchen, and kindly supervised by a member of staff with children helpers. We encourage children to select fruit at break times and encourage the eating of fruit and vegetables at lunch. This helps the children to work towards their 5 A DAY. REVIEW AND EVALUATION: FOLLOWING THE GUIDANCE We do ask parents to follow these nutritional guidelines which are based on Government advice, which is also followed in the preparation of our School Meals. Importantly, as children who have school dinners follow these guidelines, we request that all packed lunch eaters to do the same. Children bringing a packed lunch are able to sit with their friends or siblings, and if such guidelines are ignored, this does make it difficult to encourage other children to eat the school’s healthy options. Staff on duty, midday supervisors and catering staff are responsible for monitoring the contents of packed lunches. Our emphasis will be on rewarding and recognising good examples of healthy lunches with incentives for the children. The school may communicate with parents as necessary if the contents of packed lunches are not consistent with these guidelines. They will advise parents as to which elements of the packed lunch will need to change. Any general issues arising from these guidelines will be raised with pupils via the School Council, and serious concerns will be highlighted to the School Leadership team. In cases where children are persistently bringing foods that are not in line with the guidelines, their parents/carers will be asked to either order their child a school dinner or to take them home for lunch. LINKS TO OTHER POLICIES The guidelines are relevant to and therefore complement the School Food Policy. They also link into the curriculum learning in Food Technology and Science. COMMUNICATING THE POLICY We will share a copy of the guidelines with all new pupils and parents/ carers. We will regular make reference to the guidelines via the school newsletter. The guidelines will be available on the school website.