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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…
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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
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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.