Whole-school food policy
(A suggested template for Hampshire Schools. Last updated Dec 2014).
Name of school:
Date policy approved and adopted:
Date due for review:
(Policies need revision at least once every three years)
Description of the setting:
A description of the geography and status of the setting, the age range, sex, religious, ethnic
and cultural mix of children, the family backgrounds of the children, any special educational
and health needs of the children and the role/involvement of the governors.
How the policy was formulated:
This should include membership of the working party, the process of developing the policy
and issues considered.
The policy should make reference to all the key stakeholders in the school and the way that
they have been involved in drawing up the Whole School Food Policy. This must include
 Senior leadership
 Staff
 Pupils
 Parents
 Caterers
National guidance:
Refer to relevant up-to-date national guidance.
e.g. The policy was drawn up using a range of national documents including The School
Food Plan (2013), Food in Schools toolkit (Department of Health, 2005) and Food policy in
schools – a strategic policy framework for governing bodies (National Governors’ Council
(NGC), 2005).
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The whole-school food policy covers the areas of:
School councils or school nutrition action groups (SNAGs)
Breakfast clubs
Break time snacks brought from outside school
Tuck shops
School lunches including the Universal Infant Free School Meal
Packed lunches
Vending
Water
Curriculum
After-school clubs
Delete any that do not apply to your school. Add any other relevant areas that apply.
Overall aim of the policy:
The aim of the policy should have reference to the School Food Standards and that these
will be adhered to in respect of all the menus served by the school caterer.
e.g. To ensure that all aspects of food and drink in school promote the health and well being
of pupils, staff and visitors to our school and satisfy the government standards for food and
nutrition.
Rationale
This is the school’s statement of principle about the place of food and nutrition as part of the
wider remit for developing the whole child, physically, emotionally and socially. It is also
about recognising the link between diet, attainment and behaviour as evidenced in the
School Food Plan.
e.g. As a school, we have always prided ourselves in providing the best education for the
children, within available resources. We now wish to further this ethos by continuing to
promote healthy eating patterns to the children at school and by taking a more pro-active
approach to improving the health and wellbeing of children.
Where and to whom the policy applies:
Where
The policy needs to make it clear that the school food standards apply to all food served in
the school during the entire school day and to all activities that the school arranges for the
children, including breakfast clubs, after school clubs, school trips and events.
This section could also include reference to the school’s approach to food containing
potential allergens and the relevant staff training, e.g. Epi Pens.
To Whom
e.g. All staff, pupils, parents/carers, governors and partner agencies working with schools. In
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addition, parents are requested not to send unhealthy foods (high fat and/or high sugar) into
school for pupils’ birthdays or other celebrations.
School councils or school nutrition action groups (SNAGs):
e.g. The school senior management will work with the school council to provide a
mechanism for consulting with pupils at all stages of developing or revising the school food
policy and all aspects of food in school.
Breakfast clubs:
Refer to the place of Breakfast Clubs in the School Food Plan and mention the evidence
about the importance of a proper breakfast in the achievement of potential.
e.g. A free/low cost healthier breakfast, in line with government guidelines and the School
Food Plan, for children who might otherwise go without, will be provided for all pupils who
request it. A supervised area with suitable seating and tables will be provided for pupils.
Break time snacks brought from outside school:
The fact that your policy covers all aspects of the food served and eaten in schools during
the school day means that break time snacks are limited to those admissible within the
School Food Standards
e.g. All snacks brought into school will be restricted to fruit or vegetables.
Tuck shops / Healthy Snacks Bar:
School Food Standards determine what can be served in a school tuck shop. Schools may
wish to brand the facility as something other than a ‘Tuck Shop’ as this has specific
connotations, especially for parents who think of ‘tuck’ as unhealthy confectionary.
e.g. Fruit pots, prepared by HC3S, will be on sale at break time.
School lunches:
The school and its caterer must meet the new nutritional standards for school meals and
non-school meal food provided in school. The school caterer will provide the Universal Free
School meals to all pupils in Foundation Year, Year 1 and Year 2. The school and its caterer
now must offer food from all the main food groups in its meals.
e.g. The Universal Infant Free School Meal will be provided for all children in Years R, 1 and
2 unless parents have opted out. The school has an expectation that infant aged children will
eat the free school meal. The school will provide free school meals to all those pupils who
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are entitled to them. All school lunches will be prepared following the government’s
nutritional guidelines. Special dietary needs will be met.
Packed lunches:
e.g. The school recognises the benefits of a well balanced hot school meal for children, in
the middle of the day, and would recommend to parents that this is the best option. With the
advent of free school meals for all Key Stage 1 children, the expectation is that all children in
this key stage will have the hot meal. We would expect that this remains the favoured option
beyond Key Stage 1 as it guarantees the essential nutritional intake for learning.
The policy will recommend foods that would form part of a healthy school lunch as well as
those foodstuffs which are banned. The school should probably make the point within this
policy that facilities for refrigerating packed lunches do not exist and parents should
understand this. It could also refer to the fact that the School Food Plan acknowledges that
only 1% of packed lunches contain the proper nutritional balance for a child.
The Children’s Food Trust have a template for a packed lunch policy and suggested wording
which schools may like to use.
http://www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/assets/packed-lunches/example_template_packed_lunch_policy.pdf
Vending:
e.g. Any vending machines will only serve food and drink that satisfy the School Food
Standards.
Water:
e.g. The school will encourage pupils to drink at frequent intervals throughout the day. Pupils
will be allowed sports bottles on desks unless health and safety rules forbid it. Pupils will
have easy access to fresh drinking water throughout the school day.
Curriculum:
e.g. Compulsory lessons in cooking will be provided for all children until the age of 14, as
required by the Department for Education.
The school will include work associated with healthy balanced diets in its curriculum.
As part of the work that children do for sciences, Food Technology, Citizenship and
Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE) they will be taught….
The school’s provision with be guided by the ‘Core competences for children and young
people aged 5 to 16 years: A framework of skills and knowledge around food, diet and
physical activity’ (2014) as made available via the Change4Life website:
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http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/pages/schools-partners.aspx
The school will enlist the help of its school caterer/ registered nutritionist or dietitian/ other
relevant professionals to help promote healthy eating habits. The school will also arrange for
advice and assistance about Universal Infant Free School Meals and healthy eating issues
to be provided to parents, if there is sufficient interest.
Unhealthy foods (high fat and/or high sugar) will not be used as rewards for pupil or class
achievements. The school will use a range of non-food rewards for this purpose.
In certain circumstances, the school may choose to allow foods to be eaten in support of the
teaching of food from different cultures/ times.
After-school clubs:
e.g. The food and drink provision at the after-school clubs will be in line with school policy.
Fresh fruit, vegetables and bread rolls will be available. Chilled water will be available.
NB: If the school has a cookery club or growing club, mention should be made of them here.
The Dining Environment
Describe the arrangements for children to sit down and eat, enjoy a social occasion, learn
dining etiquette and receive encouragement to eat a healthy, balanced meal in line with
school policy. This part of the policy should detail the way in which lunchtime is structured to
give a quality lunchtime experience for the whole school as part of the whole school
approach.
e.g. The school believes that lunchtimes are an integral part of the school day where the
social aspect of sitting and eating together plays an important role in children’s development.
We believe that lunchtimes should foster the caring, friendly ethos that governs everything
that we do. The school will provide a clean, sociable environment, indoors and out, for
children to eat their lunch. In doing so, the school requests/expects children adhere to the
following rules……
The school will reward pupils for good meal time etiquette and good behaviour.
To encourage good behaviour and social interaction during the meal time….
Staff support and training:
Describe induction and training for all staff, especially about nutrition, food hygiene and
health and safety. Make particular mention of training for support staff around school food
and concerning the establishment of the whole school approach to school food.
It is recommended as good practice that at least one staff member has a Food Hygiene
Qualification (Level 2) if the school is running cooking clubs. Training can be accessed
through either the school meal provider, e.g. HC3S, or a local college.
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The Teachers’ Cooking Guide on the Change4Life website contains information about
setting up and using an area in school for cooking, together with the practical hygiene
routines for use in this area. http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/pages/schools-partners.aspx
All staff will be aware of the need to provide positive roles models.
Assessment, monitoring, evaluation and reviewing:
How will the healthy eating be monitored and assessed?
e.g. This policy will be monitored and reviewed periodically by [? the Healthy Schools lead
for healthy eating / the Healthy Schools manager / the PSHE lead ], school council, SNAG
and the governing body. All reports on the Whole School Food Policy will be published in the
school’s newsletter and on the school website
Referral and external support:
e.g. The school will link with the school caterer HC3S to ensure high-quality cooked meals,
which meet the School Food Standards, are available. The school will seek the support of a
range of agencies, including registered nutritionists, oral health nurses and registered
dietitians, Hampshire Healthy School team, to enhance the taught curriculum.
Involvement of parents/carers:
How will the school consult with parents about the food policy?
Linked policies:
e.g. food technology, PSHE, science, PE, Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural (SMSC)
Dissemination of the policy:
How will the policy be made available? Will there be staff training about the policy? Will there
be a parents’ evening? How are governors involved? How will pupils be informed; will there
be a pupil-friendly version?
Signed:
Role:
Dated:
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