Rationale

Many sources of evidence increasingly shows that co-ordinated action to improve children and young people’s eating habits and levels of physical activity are effective.

require inspectors to report in each inspection report on whether the school has appropriate arrangements that encourage and enable healthy eating and drinking;
encourage schools to include in their self-evaluations how they promote healthy eating and drinking, including reporting on the quality of school meals using the agreed food and nutritional standards.

A whole school policy offers a shared vision, coherence in planning and development, and consistency in the delivery of services, curriculum messages and the supporting environment. It facilitates discussion, encourages wide engagement of stakeholders and establishes belief and ownership in the aims and objectives it aspires to.

Equal Opportunities

Dovecote Green Primary School is committed to equal opportunities for all. We value diversity, celebrate the uniqueness of every child and promote equality of opportunity for all. We focus on the opportunities in the school curriculum to teach and learn about issues of equality and diversity relating to disability, gender and race, challenging prejudice and stereotyping in school and in the wider community.

What we mean by food and nutrition

Education about food and nutrition, using appropriate methods and accurate messages, equips children with the knowledge to choose a balanced diet, the understanding of why that is important and the relationship between diet and exercise. Skills equip children not only with the confidence and competence to purchase, prepare and cook for themselves safely but also to become capable parents in the future.

Access and availability of affordable, healthy food in school sets appropriate standards and models best practice food culture and behaviours.

What we mean by Physical activity

Education about physical activity offers children an understanding of the importance of physical fitness and recreation to their health and wellbeing and explains the crucial links between diet and activity. Skills acquired through physical education enable children to take part in a wide range of sport, recreation and activities that can help to enhance self esteem, independence, enjoyment and social integration. Ready access to opportunities to engage in sport and recreation provides the basis for children to build physical activity into their daily lives. This means making best use of opportunities for physical education in the school day, after school activities including Out of School Hours Learning, and the facilities of the local community.

Background

This policy has been formulated to enable Dovecote Green Primary School to develop and maintain a shared philosophy on all aspects of food and drink. Its key aim is to develop healthy eating and drinking activities within the school that benefit pupils, staff, parents, caterers and others associated with the school.

The policy has been formulated through consultation with pupils, parents and staff, and its development must continue to be by consultation. The policy and future amendments to the policy must be communicated clearly and consistently to pupils, parents and staff.

Aims

Dovecote Green Primary School recognises the important
connection between a healthy, balanced diet and a pupils’ ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school.
The school aims to ensure that pupils are well nourished at school and that every pupil has access to safe, tasty, nutritious food, and a safe, easily available water supply during the school day.
The school recognises that it has a responsibility to ensure that all members of the school community are able to make informed choices about the importance of food and its production.
Through effective leadership, the school ethos and the curriculum, all school staff can bring together all elements of the school day to create an environment which supports a healthy lifestyle.

The school is committed to providing a welcoming eating environment that encourages the positive social and cultural interaction of pupils and teachers.
The school recognises that sharing food 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 intergenerational bonds.
The school is committed to ensuring 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.
The school is committed to ensuring that it involves pupils and parents – school nutrition action group – in guiding food policy and practice within the school, and enables them to contribute to healthy eating and acts on their feedback.
The school is committed to provision of training in practical food education for staff, including diet, nutrition, food safety and hygiene.

Basic Principles of purpose: Objectives

To co-ordinate all food and drink consumption across the school day, ensuring there is consistency
- To provide clear curriculum links on all aspects of healthy eating
- To plan for outside agency support on healthy eating activities
- To support professional development for all staff working on healthy eating and healthy schools activities
- To ensure all food messages reflect the cultural and religious diversity

of the school population

To ensure all members of the school community are consulted throughout the process

The policy will be realised through:

School Ethos
School Curriculum With support from:
School Environment
School community

1. School Ethos

We recognise the significant impact of the informal curriculum on the social and emotional education of pupils as well as their physical health and well being.
We understand and maximise opportunities for social and educational

development through the organisation and delivery of food and fitness

activity throughout the day, and promote pupil participation in decision making

We ensure that all activities and services related to food and fitness provided for pupils throughout the school day are consistent with the food and fitness content of the curriculum and appropriate national guidance and regulation.
We ensure that pupils are involved in the decision making process

relating to food and fitness activities.

2. Curriculum

The school curriculum is under constant review to ensure that it offers pupils:

An understanding of the relationship between food, physical activity

and short and long term health benefits.( Science, PE)

The acquisition of basic skills in purchasing, preparing and cooking food and an understanding of basic food hygiene. (DT. Geography. SDGC)
Opportunities to examine the influences of food choices, including the effects of the media through advertising, marketing, labelling and packaging of food. ( English. SDGC)
Consistent and clear delivery of the key messages for good oral health (supported by the content and management of the food service). (Science)
Opportunities to learn about the growing and farming of food and its impact on the environment both in the classroom and outside in the countryside. ( Geography SDGC)
A well planned NC course of study in health-related exercise, as part PE and make good use of opportunities for cross-curricular promotion of physical activity and its relationship to diet and nutrition. ( PE)
An out of school hours programme which includes a broad range of

purposeful and enjoyable physical activities for pupils and staff.

Environment

The school :

acknowledges that effective management of pupils is more, rather than less, challenging during breaks, lunchtimes, before and after school, than within the classroom, and so plan and resource the supervision of pupils accordingly.
recognise the importance of the involvement of catering staff and lunchtime supervisors in planning the lunchtime provision and linking with activities available to pupils.

work with school caterers and training providers to ensure that all staff supporting pupils in making healthy choices are well informed.
offer a broad range of safe, stimulating indoor and outdoor sports, play

and recreational activities.

The school liaises with caterers so that the food service is supplied on a whole school approach and provides:

healthy, nutritious, affordable and attractively presented choices as

described in

an enjoyable eating experience which underpins the valuing of each pupil, paying careful attention to key factors such as the length of the lunch break and management of queuing;
free, fresh, water, chilled to taste, to all pupils separate from the toilet

areas;

displays and marketing materials within and around food service areas that promote the positive relationship between food and physical activity;
Procurement and menu planning of Mastercook ( our external hot meals company), recognise the importance of purchasing locally, seasonality, and environmental sustainability.
The school does not advertise branded food and drink products on school premises, school equipment or books, and will ensure that any collaboration with business does not require endorsement of brands or specific company products high in fat, sugar or salt.

The school will review and develop the out of school hours program of opportunities within food and physical activity to complement and extend those offered in curriculum time and will aim to provide:

a broad range of safe, stimulating indoor and outdoor play and recreational facilities which incorporates healthy active lifestyle activities.;
safe equipment and facilities available for recreational use and ensure

high levels of maintenance;

eye catching displays around the PE dept and public areas of the school promoting opportunities for sport and physical recreation e.g. the UAE healthy living initiative, and the positive relationship between physical activity and food;
secure storage for cycles and safety equipment;
designated motorised-traffic-free-areas outside the school at critical times to ensure the safety of cyclists and pedestrians as part of Safe

Routes to School work, through liaison with the RTA highways department;

encouragement for pupils to walk or cycle to school.

4. Community

Within its broad purpose of ‘education for life’, the school will seek to:

raise awareness of, and promote, the activities and policy of the school around food and fitness in partnership with key community and health agencies;
encourage the provision of healthy food and snacks from home through the curriculum, by giving information to parents, and in partnership with key community and health agencies;
collect, collate and provide pupils with up to date information about, and experience of, the opportunities and resources available in the community relating to food and nutrition, physical activity and sport;
investigate the opportunities for the development of gardening clubs

for pupils, parents and community interests;

develop alliances and partnerships with local providers (e.g. sports clubs)
work with, and lobby for, provision within the community of healthy food services and opportunities to be active (e.g. safe walking, cycle routes)

Using correct Language

We tress the importance of a balanced diet rather than discussing

‘good foods’ and ‘bad foods’.

We understand that a healthy lifestyle is not just about eating healthily.
In addition, we understand that these two aspects need to be supported by an environment that promotes positive emotional health and wellbeing.
Always stress the positive – ‘be healthy’, ‘get active’, ‘feel better’, ‘enjoy being active’.

Settings for Food Policy

In accordance with the aims of this policy, the following settings will apply to the food policy and provision in the school.

Tuck – Break time

All pupils are welcome to bring a healthy snack such as fruit, vegetables from home for the morning break time.

If fruit is sourced by the school should, when possible, be obtained locally. Sweets are not allowed in school except as a treat when the children are out on a trip.

Chewing gum is not acceptable.

Water

Plentiful drinking of water by school children has been recognised in improving behaviour and concentration. Therefore, pupils supply a plastic water bottle for which they are responsible for daily cleaning. Regular water and brain breaks are scheduled throughout the school day. Children are regularly reminded to drink water at break times. Drinking water is provided in all classrooms via a cold tap. Bottled H2O from a dispenser is available in the corridors and main grey hall

School Lunches

School lunches have undergone a thorough review by Mastercook , our contractors, to ensure that the children receive all the nutrients required for a balanced diet. At Dovecote Green Primary School we value excellence. We believe that the food we feed our pupils should reflect this.

On a daily basis, pupils are offered carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables on their plate. Every effort is made to ensure that appropriate choices are available for all pupils throughout lunchtime.

The school is committed to keeping parents and carers informed about recent and future changes to the nutritional content of school lunches, whether brought about by local or national initiatives.

The school is committed to publicising menu information received from the contractors to parents and carers. This information should be available in the school newsletter each term, in the school website, on school notice boards and on request at the school office.

Packed Lunches

The school is committed to encouraging parents to provide healthier lunchboxes for children. To facilitate this, the school will provide guidance to parents based on the food in schools recommendations of what constitutes a healthier lunchbox; this guidance should be via regular newsletters.

The school actively discourages some packed lunch foods. A list of foods considered to be in this category includes the following: Crisps, Sweets & Confectionary, Chocolate Bars, and ‘Squash’ or Added-Sugar and/or Sweetened Drinks. Alternatives to sugary foods and crisps could be a slice of fruit loaf, pack of nuts and raisins, pot of rice pudding or jelly. If crisps are included parents are asked to do so occasionally and to choose a low fat variety. Fizzy Drinks are not allowed in school, on grounds of health and safety.

The school recognises that parents provide packed lunches for a variety of reasons, including dietary requirements or intolerance, and religious observance. For this reason, no food may be swapped or shared from packed lunches. Food swapped or shared may be confiscated.

Food not eaten in a packed lunch will be taken home by the child to ensure that parents know what their child has or has not eaten. We encourage parents to include in lunchboxes those foods which are known to have a positive impact on the child’s physical development and ability to concentrate and thus learn effectively. Lunchtime staff will engage with children and chat to them about what they are eating.

The Dining Environment

The school is committed to providing a welcoming eating environment that encourages the positive social and cultural interaction of pupils and teachers. It is recognised that the physical constraints of the Main Hall mean that there will be two lunch ‘sittings’, placing limits on the length of time available for serving and eating School Dinners and eating Packed Lunches. Despite this constraint, the school will aim to provide a calm, ordered environment conducive to mutual respect and good behaviour.

It is also committed to the following:

Active help for children who find the physical process of school dinners or packed lunch difficult – for example, carrying trays, opening tubs or packets.
Encouraging all children to eat the food they have been provided with.
Equal treatment of children having School Dinners and Packed Lunches, in terms of provision and supervision.
Provision of water jugs, containing clean water.
Encouraging children to wash their hands before eating.

Celebrations & Festivals

The school also recognises that food plays an important role in celebration of cultural, personal or community milestones, such as religious festivals, birthdays or the end of term. Food given should form part of a balanced, healthy diet, at an individual teacher’s discretion.

Food in the curriculum

The school curriculum can in turn be used to enrich pupils’ experience of food and healthy eating. Schemes of work in a range will reflect the whole-school emphasis on healthy eating.

Curriculum content will focus on:

The importance of food groups and the role they play in promoting growth.
The development of strong healthy bodies.
What constitutes a balanced diet.
An understanding of cultural diversity.
The development of respect and understanding towards the beliefs and attitudes of others.
How food is produced.

Subject co-ordinators are asked to develop schemes of work, detailing the learning objectives and activities relating to Food, Nutrition and Healthy Eating.

In the foundation years, pupils will learn:

the names of fruit and vegetables
- what is a healthy meal
- how to use cutlery
- to have an awareness of, and show interest and enjoyment in cultural, religious difference
- to examine objects relating to food and find out more about them
- to use nursery rhyme and familiar stories to enhance learning around healthy food choices

In Key Stage one pupils will be taught:

to name food groups
- to know that humans and other animals need food and water to stay alive
- that taking exercise and eating the right types and amounts of food

help humans to keep healthy

to recognise likes and dislikes

how to make simple choices that improve their health and well-being
- to maintain personal hygiene
- to use familiar stories to enhance learning around healthier food.

In Key Stage two pupils will be taught:

to use a wide range of methods to communicate data in an appropriate and systematic manner
- that life processes common to humans and other animals include

nutrition, movement, growth and reproduction

the functions and care of teeth
- about the need for food for activity and growth, and about the importance of an adequate and varied diet for health
- about the ways in which living things and the environment need

protection

what makes a healthy lifestyle, including the benefits of exercise and healthy eating
- school rules about health and safety.

Healthy eating will be taught as a cross curriculum activity, elements of which will be included in science, literacy, numeracy, PSHE, DT, IT, RE and physical activity. Healthy eating will also be covered as part of topics studied in geography and history.

Food beyond the curriculum

The link between cultivation and consumption is often difficult to make for children, who are used to picking products off a shelf and never enquiring about their origins. Our garden project, encourages children to grow their own vegetables and fruits, which they can cook and eat cook on the premises.

Settings for fitness policy

There is a named person in the school who leads policy and practice development on physical activity within the school and is known to all staff in that role
A planned, sequential curriculum provides cognitive content and learning experiences in a variety of activity areas such as basic movement skills; physical fitness; rhythms and dance; games; team, dual, and individual sports; tumbling and gymnastics; and aquatics.
Clear monitoring procedures are in place to review and amend the policy
Parents/carers, children/young people were/are actively involved in the development and review of the policy and can describe their involvement (questionnaire)
The curriculum for PE includes health related fitness

Children and young people can access a range of activities that add up to a minimum of 2 hours structured physical activity each week
Our Inclusion Policy refers to how it is addressing the needs of all its children/young people with reference to physical activity ( not yet in place)
Children and staff are aware of the extra-curricular physical activity opportunities that are available to them
Children say they are consulted about what types of physical activities they would like to be offered to them. ( school council?) The school can specify the activities that have been introduced, influenced and adapted as a result of consultation
We have a system in place to monitor the increase in participation of pupils in physical activity ( club monitoring)
We are engaged with representatives from the Safe Routes to School programme and School Travel Plan (STP) Scheme. We have a School Travel Plan in place.
Parents/carers have received information regarding the School Travel Plan via newsletter articles/letters etc.
Throughout the school year there is a planned promotion of walking and cycling to school
Pedestrian and cycle skills training are available for children/young people and staff
There is a planned annual programme of CPD for appropriate staff. Staff involved in providing physical activity for pupils can evidence that they have received appropriate training/CPD.
The school operates an appropriate visitors’ policy, which

addresses risk management and relevant training/qualification.

Staff are aware of the opportunities they have to increase their levels of physical activity

Partnership with parents and carers and pupils

The partnership of home and school is critical in shaping how children and young people behave, particularly where health is concerned. Each must reinforce the other. This is not always easy but our school is well placed to lead by example.

Parents, carers and pupils must be regularly updated on food policy settings through school and class newsletters, and consulted on a regular basis.

During out of school events, eg community days etc., the school will encourage parents and carers to consider the Food Policy in the range of refreshments offered for sale to the children.

For example:

We engage children and parents/carers in the changes being made to school food, and highlight the potential benefits of these changes (e.g., improved health, concentration and behaviour).
We help families understand that school meals are only a Get

parents involved in the development of their school’s active travel plan;

Arrange activities for children and young people and families to do together, such as vegetable growing clubs, sports afternoons.
Ensure behaviour and rewards policies in schools do not use food as a reward or treat and encourage parents to adopt similar policies e.g., a family trip to a skating rink rather than fish and chips;

Role of the Governors

Governors monitor and check that the school policy is upheld and are responsible for developing this policy in consultation with the school community.

The governing body will nominate one or more individual governors

to take specific responsibility for the Food and Fitness Policy.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Evaluation of the progress made by the school in implementing and sustaining the Aims and Objectives of this policy will be made by the Governors

A member of staff will be responsible to the governing body for the coordination and management of the policy.
SLT will ensure that there is adequate training and resources for staff involved in the delivery of the aims and objectives of the school’s Food and Fitness Policy.
SLT will take advantage of the existing national and local initiatives and resources
Progress will be monitored at regular intervals by SLT and governors.

Updates on school food and fitness actions will be included in the

Annual Report to parents.

Communication/dissemination of the Policy

The policy will be disseminated in the following ways:

School Prospectus
School Web Site
On display as a handout the School Foyer –
Staff Meetings

_ Signed Designation Headmaster Review Date

Healthy Schools Policy