1. Rationale Thornhill Primary School is a healthy school. We achieved Healthy School status in 2009. Healthy eating is a crucial element of this standard and as part of our continuous work towards maintaining this status we must promote health awareness throughout the school community. By working in partnership with parents, staff and governors we can provide a valuable role model to our pupils and promote healthy eating patterns. We are committed to giving all of our pupils consistent messages about all aspects of their health to help them understand the impact of their actions and behaviour and encourage them to take responsibility for the choices that they make. We believe that a healthy packed lunch can contribute to the health of our pupils and improve their performance in school and needs to be consistent with the nutritional standards provided by school meals. What we will do: We will provide somewhere comfortable, clean and attractive for your child to eat their packed lunch Your child’s lunch will be stored in the cloakroom until lunchtime We will give you as much information as possible about the nutritional standards and support you in complying with this policy Fruit and Vegetables: at least one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables each day Protein: meat, fish, egg or other source of non-diary protein (eg lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas or hummus) every day Oily Fish: tinned or fresh mackerel, salmon or sardines at least once every three weeks Starchy food: bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, potatoes or other cereals each day Dairy: Milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais or custard each day Drinks: Water still or sparkling, pure fruit juice, milk, yoghurt drinks or pure smoothest Foods to be avoided Snacks: Snacks with a high fat content such as crisps should not be included. As the nutritional standards state that foods such as chips and waffles should be served only once per week, the same will apply for crisps in packed lunches which may only be brought on a Friday. Savoury crackers or breadsticks are a healthy alternative. Please be aware that Dairylea Dunkers and Lunchables have a high fat and salt content and do not count as a healthy starchy food and should also be limited to Fridays, as an alternative to crisps. What we ask you to do: Provide packed lunches that meet the government’s nutritional standards Ask for support if you find meeting the guidelines difficult Prepare lunches in a clean, hygienic container that is washed at the end of each day. Food should not be sent in a carrier bag Send packed lunches with your child in the morning and avoid bringing them in later in the morning which can be disruptive and time consuming for staff Provide any necessary cutlery Provide an insulated bag with an ice pack during warmer weather Let us know if your child has any allergies or special dietary requirements What we ask your child to do: Leave their packed lunch in the cloakroom before going to class each day and collect it at the end of the day before leaving Eat as much of their lunch as they can Remember not to swap food with other children Contents of packed lunches We ask that all packed lunches be based on the School Food Trust’s food based standards for packed lunches and include the following:

2. Serving the Community Contact: 01946 820402 E-mail: office@thornhill.cumbria.sch.uk Web: www.thornhill.cumbria.sch.uk What can my child have in their packed lunch? Confectionary: Sweets, chocolate bars, chocolate spread and chocolate coated biscuits should not be included. Plain cakes and biscuits are allowed but should be eaten as part of a healthy well balanced packed lunch and not as an alternative to healthy foods. Meat products: Sausage rolls, pies, corned beef, sausages should be included only once per week due to their high fat content Fizzy/sugary drinks: This includes diet drinks, those which claim to be sugar free and energy drinks which can all contain high levels of caffeine and additives which are not suitable for children Special diets and allergies We recognise that occasionally some children may require special diets for medical or cultural reasons that do not conform to the national standards exactly. If this is the case, please inform us and we will seek advice in supporting you to ensure that your child eats as healthy as possible. Please be aware that your child’s preference for particular types of food over healthier options do4es not constitute a special dietary requirement and if we are concerned about your child’s diet we will seek medical advice. If your child has a food allergy, please notify us immediately. Occasionally, we have pupils who have potentially dangerous nut allergies therefore we ask you to refrain from putting nut products into packed lunches Thornhill Primary School Ehen Road Thornhill Egremont Cumbria CA22 2SJ Phone: 01946 820402 Fax: 01946 823383 E-mail: office@thornhill.cumbria.sch.uk office@thornhill.cumbria.sch.uk Website: www.thornhill.cumbria.sch.uk Headteacher: Mrs W Figes Issue 1 Created September 2012 Circulation: All parents of children eating packed lunches