At Diggers Forest School we recognize the importance of children being provided with healthy food options. This will ensure that children are being offered a balanced and nutritional diet and are consuming their recommended portions from each of the food groups. At Diggers we are a hands-on and busy school with lots of running and walking by providing your child with a healthy lunch box children’s energy levels will be sufficient to allow them to fully participate in the activities of their choice.
The aim of this policy is to ensure that lunch boxes meet the same criteria that the school or school meals follow, which are now regulated by national standards.
Food preparation:
- Remove any stones and pips from fruit
- Cut small round foods like grapes, cherry tomatoes and strawberries lengthways and into quarters
- Cut large fruits like melon and hard fruit or vegetables like raw apple and carrot into slices instead of small chunks
- sausages should be avoided due to their high salt content, but if offered to children these should be cut into thin strips rather than chunks and remove the skins
- Remove bones from meat or fish
- Cut cheese into strips rather than chunks
Lunch boxes should contain: Starchy foods for example pasta, bread, rice or potatoes alternatives to sandwiches may include wraps or pitta bread.
Protein foods – meat(chicken, turkey, beef etc.) fish (tuna and salmon for example) other sources of protein (chickpeas , beans or lentils)
Dairy foods- a small portion of cheese or yoghurt
Fruit and vegetables- At least one portion of fruit and/or vegetables.
The school understands that parents may want their child to have a treat in their lunch boxes and would like to suggest options such as:
- Low sugar jelly
- Plain or fruit scones
- Fig rolls
- Home-made fruit based low sugar cakes or muffins
- Fruit bars (100% fruit)
- Malt loaf
Lunch boxes should not contain:
- Nuts or seeds
- Raw eggs
- Foods high in salts
- Sugar in snacks and drinks
- Foods high in saturated fat such as biscuits, crisps and cakes
- Unpasturised milk, milk drinks and cheese
- Raw jelly cubes
- Chocolate
- Fried foods
- Fizzy or energy drinks
- Popcorn
Packaging and Storage of lunch boxes: Packaging: The school requests that where possible parents pack items in boxes or pots rather than tin foil or sandwich bags this contributes to our ethos of minimizing waste and encouraging re-use and recycling.
Storage: Fridge space is limited at the school we would therefore like to advise that parents include a cool pack/ freezer block in their child’s lunch box to ensure food does not spoil especially in warmer weather.
Mealtimes: Mealtimes will be carried out in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Staff should sit and eat with children to be positive role models to children encouraging the eating of healthy food and also promoting table manners. Where necessary staff will provide support to children for example helping to cut up food. Children will be encouraged but never forced to eat all of their food and staff members will respect children’s choice that they are full or do not wish to eat anymore
Fresh drinking water is available at all times for children to access and children will be encouraged to sit and have a drink especially during warmer weather and/or physical activity sessions. It is also recommended that children are provided with a water bottle. The school also provides children with a mid-morning snack these snacks follow guidelines set out in above policy.
Diggers Forest School requests that this policy is followed by all parents and staff plus volunteers/visitors. This is to ensure that we are leading by a positive example for the children.
| This policy was adopted on | Signed on behalf of the school | Date for review |
| January 2023 | Alex Levitt | January 2024 |