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Education LeedsCreating a packed lunch policyA toolkit to encourage healthier packed lunches

<< If we are to achieve things never before accomplished, we must employ methods never before attempted. >>Francis Bacon, 1618

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Education LeedsCreating a packed lunch policy



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“The aim of the policy is to offer schools a sensible approach to promote healthier packed lunches in line with the national school meal standards that restrict access to foods high in fat, sugar, and salt in schools. The packed lunch policy guidance is not mandatory, but we hope all schools will decide to put their own policy in place, in consultation with their children and young people and their families, through using the different steps and stages in this toolkit. This policy supports the Leeds School Meals Strategy, which aims to transform school food and drink and make sure all pupils have equal access to great food, which they can eat in a happy environment that promotes positive social interaction, and is delivered through the whole-school approach.” – Leeds school meals strategic partnership

Note – parent defined as those with legal responsibility to the child.

The Leeds school meals team would like to thank the Leeds healthy schools and wellbeing programme, as well as staff and pupils from the following schools, for their contribution – Bankside Primary School, Farnley Park High School, Guiseley High School, Lawns Park Primary School, Middleton Primary School, Rosebank Primary School, Ryecroft Primary School and St Theresa’s Catholic Primary School.

Welcome This toolkit was developed in consultation with teaching staff, pupils and our partner agencies.

HoMe



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HoMe > InTRoduCTIon

It provides helpful guidance developed from experience and knowledge gained from local pilot projects and good practice gathered from schools across Leeds. The toolkit also draws on national resources to provide a useful guide with advice to help set up the Leeds packed lunch policy. The school meals team have engaged with Leeds school catering providers, national and local supermarkets, and bakeries, to develop their role in supporting local communities through new product development and meal deals or promotional offers. Local partners promoting adult health or those working with families in the community are also encouraged to use this resource to promote health in the workplace to ensure a whole-family approach.

There are three sections within the toolkit.

Section 1 This section of the toolkit provides a summary of the issues faced by schools with packed lunches.

Section 2 This section offers a step-by-step guide to creating a packed lunch policy.

Section 3 The resources section consists of ‘tools’, with checklists, forms, lesson plans and references which fully develop the themes set out in section 2.

Introduction This toolkit has been designed to provide information, tips and solutions for primary and secondary schools to improve the types of foods brought into school in packed lunches.



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In September 2006, mandatory food-based standards were set up to improve the quality of school meals. The new standards were developed following research showing that children were not making healthy food choices at lunchtime, and that school meals did not meet their dietary needs. The new standards mean the food served at lunchtime has changed with:

• afallintheservingoffoodshighinsalt,sugarandfat, or made with highly processed meat;

• morefruit,vegetablesandoilyfishoffered;and• minimumlevelssetforthenutritionalcontentof

school meals.

Many of the foods that are no longer allowed to be served under the food-based standards are linked with a range of health issues affecting children and young people. These include obesity, tooth decay, anaemia, and diabetes. A long-term diet, high in salt, sugar and fat, and low in other foods such as fruit and vegetables, is likely to lead to diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.

Since the introduction of the food standards, the attention has been on the contents of packed lunches. School meals uptake in some areas has fallen, with pupils moving over to packed lunches where they can still eat favourite foods.

over the years, the contents of packed lunches have changed, and now include more convenience items which tend to be higher in salt, sugar and fat. A survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency in 2004 found that lunchboxes included more snack and convenience items instead of healthier items such as fruit or snacks that are low in sugar, salt and fat. only 51 per cent of lunchboxes surveyed included a fruit or vegetable. A further survey carried out in 2007 found that, overall, there had been no improvement in the contents of packed lunches, and that the amount of pupils having savoury snacks had decreased, but the amount of pupils having cakes and biscuits as desserts had increased (evans et al, 2007).

Article continues on next page

Section 1 – Background This section of the toolkit provides a summary of the issues faced by schools with packed lunches.



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Within the healthy eating aims, schools are required to:

• workwithpupilsandparentstoimprovethefoods brought into school; and

• offersuitableguidanceaboutpackedlunchestochildren,young people and their parents.

In January 2008, the department of Health launched its ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’ policy to encourage healthy eating. This set out how schools are expected to develop healthy packed lunch policies as part of their whole-school food policy, so that people not yet taking up school lunches are also eating healthily (dH, 2008).

This toolkit has been produced together with the Leeds healthy schools and wellbeing programme team. It supports the Leeds school meals strategy to help schools to encourage pupils and parents to make healthy changes to the contents of lunch boxes. It should be used with the

education Leeds packed lunch policy guidance document, which sets out areas for schools to be aware of and offers a range of advice to consider when creating a policy using the quick guide templates.

In the long-term, the packed lunch policy guidance aims to: encourage equality of the school food on offer; increase school meal uptake; improve health, attainment and economic outcomes; and create long-lasting change by involving and supporting families so that a positive change in eating habits will be copied at home.

Many Leeds schools have already successfully created a packed lunch policy. This is an opportunity for those schools to use the toolkit to set up their policies in line with the school meal standards.

The pilot projects have shown that it is more straightforward to apply a full packed lunch policy in primary schools. However, therearemanybenefitsforsecondaryschoolsengagingintheprocess included within this toolkit. Secondary schools may not achieve a full packed lunch policy, but the suggested steps taken will make sure that improvements are seen in wider areas of food services offered, such as the food service and dining environment, and over time gradually move towards a full packed lunch policy.

Applying a packed lunch policy can add towards the following targets and monitoring criteria.

• Ofsted.• Pupilparticipationandpupilvoice.• Thehealthyschoolsprogramme.• Reducinginequalities.• TheInclusionChartermark.• EveryChildMatters.

Healthy eating is a core theme within the national healthy schools programme. Each theme includes a number of aims that schools need to complete to gain national healthy school status.



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Section 2 – Steps to creating a policy This section offers a step-by-step guide to creating a packed lunch policy.

Figure 1 A quick guide to creating a packed lunch policyFollow these steps to create a successful packed lunch policy.

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It sets out a ‘how to’ guide with useful advice and examples of good practice. Clicking on the hyperlinks included within the text will take you to the relevant checklists, surveys and ideas which will support you throughout the document in creating your own packed lunch policy.

Thediagraminfigure1totherightshowsallthestepsneededto create a successful packed lunch policy, and will guide the reader to the relevant sections in the toolkit.

Step 3Discussion and contribution (all stakeholders)

Step 5Marketing and promotion

Step 1Project planning

Step 2Carry out a packed lunch survey

Step 4Develop a packed lunch policy

Step 6Monitoring and evaluation

Step 1 / Step 2 / Step 3 / Step 4 / Step 5 / Step 6



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Step 1 Project planningChoose a lead person and set up a group of pupils and/or staff to work on creating a packed lunch policy. Or ask the school council to look at the topic as part of their school council meetings. Include the project in your School Improvement Plan.

HoMe > SeCTIon 2 > STeP 1

The key to a successful project is careful planning. Before starting to develop your packed lunch policy you will need to think about the following.

• Whatistheaimofthepolicy?• Whatwillbetheendresults?• Howlongwillittake?• Whowillberesponsiblefortheday-to-dayrunningof theproject?

• Whatareourkeyactivities?• IncludingitinyourSchoolImprovementPlan.

Creating a packed lunch policy involves and affects the whole school community. You can begin to involve the school community in these early planning stages by setting up a working group. This working group can begin to set out a clear and shared vision for packed lunches in your school. You do not need to create a new group if you already have a health-related working group set up within school. You can use an

existing group such as your health forum or school council. or you could ask a group of pupils who bring packed lunches to school to represent pupils across the school. Pupil input is very important at this early stage of development as it helps pupils to understand the need for a packed lunch policy. You could also involve parents in this planning group.

Clear leadership is essential from the start, so a member of staff should be chosen to manage the work and lead the working group. during your planning, it is also useful to conduct an impact assessment. This is discussed further in step 3. This will allow you to consider and recognise the possible impact of your packed lunch policy, as solutions may need to be found in the early stages of the planning and working process. These may include:

• morepupilstakingschoolmealsorfreeschoolmeals;• longerqueuesforschoolmeals;• stafftimeneededandstaffingallocationduringmealtimes;

• morelitterandrecycling;• spaceinthediningroom;• behaviourinthediningroom;• seatingarrangements;and• theeffectonyouropengatepolicy.

For more information, clear guidance as to ‘what counts’ towards a healthy packed lunch such as snacks, and help with this early planning stage please, look at the School Food Trust guide to introducing the Governments food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches




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Step 2 Carry out a packed lunch surveyTo gather information about the current contents of packed lunches, the working group or school council should carry out a survey. Results should be collected and shared with the whole-school community. They can then be used to decide the aims of the packed lunch policy.


To help create a clear picture about packed lunches in your school, it is important to carry out a packed lunch survey. The survey will help to gather information about what is currently in pupils’ packed lunches. Results from the survey will help create your policy and add to your healthy schools and ofsted evidence.

Collecting this information now will also help you to assess your policy once it has been put into place. The data collected will provide a picture of what is current practice, and will act as a comparison later on when your policy is in place. To gather this information you can carry out a simple packed lunch survey. The survey can be completed in several ways.

• Pupilsfromschoolcouncilcancarryoutthesurvey at lunchtime.

• Theworkinggroupcanaskpupilsquestionsintheplayground after lunch.

• Pupilswhobringpackedlunchestoschoolcancompletethesurvey during class time.

Tools 1 – 5 include a range of surveys developed to help schools. These surveys can be amended so that they are appropriate for your school.

once the survey has been completed, the packed lunch working group or the school council can collect the information and produce the results. or each class can study their results in maths or IT lessons.

Tool 6 shows a template for collecting results from a packed lunch survey.

Case study 1 / Case study 2Step 1 / Step 2 / Step 3 / Step 4 / Step 5 / Step 6



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Case Study 1 – School council conducts a packed lunch survey The school council at Rosebank Primary School talked about packed lunches during their school council meeting.

HoMe > SeCTIon 2 > STeP 2 > CASe STudY 1

They considered the following questions.

• Whatchangeshaveyouseentoschooldinnersrecently?• Healthypackedlunches–whytheyareimportant?• Doyouthinkpackedlunchesarehealthyinyourschool?• Howdoyouknowandhowcouldyoufindout?• Whydoyouthinkpupilsbringinpackedlunches?

For example – cost, food safety, and cultural issues.

From their discussion, the school felt that they needed to carryoutasurveytofindoutwhatpupilswerebringingtoschool in their packed lunches. They thought about different types of survey designs and voted on which they thought was the most suitable. They talked about how they would complete the survey, and felt that a survey should be given to all packed lunch pupils. School council members from each class were responsible for collecting the surveys before their next school council meeting.




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Case Study 2 – using the results from your survey The school council members at Ryecroft Primary School completed a survey about packed lunches through their class councils.


They collected the results during their school council meeting. They noted that:

• 85percentofpupilsbringasweetenedsoftdrinkin their packed lunch;

• 61percentofpupilshavefruitorvegetableintheir packed lunch;

• 88percentofpupilsbringonesnackintheirpacked lunch; and

• 44percentofpupilsbringtwoormoresnacksin their packed lunch.

From the results, the pupils suggested a ‘water only’ policy at lunchtime. They believed that this was a good starting point for their packed lunch policy and would be simple to apply. They also suggested that all pupils bring at least one piece of fruit or vegetable each day in their packed lunch and they thought about ways in which they could encourage this.




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Step 3 Discussion and contribution (all stakeholders)Begin the discussion process with all stakeholders. Pupils from the school council can talk to class councils about packed lunches. Ideas and suggestions can be given back to the school council for further thoughts. A range of methods can be used, and this section gives some ideas. Once you have decided your main aim, you can ask the whole-school community about the draft proposal.


To encourage the types of foods in packed lunches both parents and pupils need to be onboard with any changes that are being made within school. The best way to do this is to consult the whole-school community. This consultation will lead to parents feelingconfidentandabletospeakopenly.Agoodconsultationexerciseshouldworktowardsafinaldecisionthatwillimpactthe people who are involved. Consulting pupils and parents offers you the opportunity to explain what you want to gain and why. It also gives you the chance to look at some of the issues or barriers which may currently prevent parents from providing healthier packed lunches. These may include cost, special diets, and cultural diversity.

As well as consulting pupils and parents, you should involve other stakeholders, such as teaching staff, governors and catering staff.

Why consult with pupils and parents about packed lunches?Because this is a very important part of bringing about change. A good consultation exercise will:

• offeryouthechancetoexplainwhatyouwanttogainandwhy, which will develop pupils and parents knowledge and understanding;

• gainagreaterunderstandingoftheneedsofchildrenandyoung people and families;

• allowchildrenandyoungpeopleandfamiliestorecognisethat their views are valued, which will result in more confidenceandcompliancewiththepolicy;

• allowchildrenandyoungpeopleandfamiliestodevelopanunderstanding of how decisions are made and how they can encourage them;

• createbetterserviceswhicharemoreopentochildrenandyoung people and families needs; and

• encourageparentsandpupilstogetinvolvedintheir school community.

Who will carry out the discussions?discussions can be carried out by a variety of groups within your school such as:

• thehealthyschoolsforum;• foodandnutritiontaskgroup;• schoolcouncil;and• healthypackedlunchtaskgroup.

Where packed lunch policies have been created successfully, pupils have been involved with the discussion process, and the school council have been involved in driving forward both the pupil and parent discussions. This has led to the changes being made quickly.


Case study 1 / Case study 2 / Case study 3Step 1 / Step 2 / Step 3 / Step 4 / Step 5 / Step 6



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What discussion methods can be used?Tool 7 outlines methods for consulting with pupils and parents. The ideas are offered as a guide, and include activities and methods which can be used with the whole-school community.

Tool 8 shows a suggested questionnaire for parents which can be sent home for them to look at and provide their views on packed lunches. Schools can choose all, or sections of the questions included.

Tools 9 and 10 show more general surveys for secondary schools, and cover school meals and the dining environment.

When should I run a discussion exercise?If you would like to ask stakeholders questions as part of your consultation exercise rather than collecting answers through a survey, you will need to chose a time when there are people around to talk to. There are many opportunities within school to run a consultation exercise with a variety of people, such as:

• parentsevenings;• healthfairs;• lunchtimeorbreak-time(forpupils);• sportsdays;and• afterschoolwhenparentsarewaitingtocollecttheirchildren.

It may be possible to link with outside agencies to help you carry out your discussion exercise these could include your school nurse, extended services co-ordinator, or early years or community development workers from your local healthy living centre.

Tohelpinvolvepupils,adisplaycouldbecreatedwithleafletsand example packed lunches. Taster sessions showing items could be held, which could be included within a packed lunch. This offers an opportunity to develop people’s understanding about the importance of healthier packed lunches as part of a balanced diet, as well as gaining feedback from them. It is also an opportunity to work together with your catering provider. They could provide a display about the school meals service, promoting hot meals as well as packed lunches.

As part of the discussion process, you should talk about your plans with other schools in your extended service cluster. This will help you to create similar policies and makes sure that equality is the same between schools in the same cluster. It also provides stability for pupils leaving primary school and moving up to secondary school.






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AssessmentIt is important to be aware of the possible issues that may arise from the packed lunch discussion. It is important that you are prepared to sort out the issues raised in a positive way. For example, your discussion with pupils and parents will help youtofindoutwhypupilsbringpackedlunchestoschool.These may include:

• issuesinthediningroom;• queuesforschoolmealsaretoolong;noise;• packedlunchandschoolmealpupilshaveto

sit separately. and• culturalconcerns

If any issues are raised, work with your catering provider to discuss new systems in the dining room.

Medical and special dietary needsThe standards do not apply to children and young people with clinically diagnosed special dietary requirements. Parents of children with clinical conditions should be encouraged to ask their dietician for advice. You should relax your school policy for children with clinical health issues.

open gate policySecondary school pupils may have the opportunity to go offsite at lunchtime. This means they can buy food from outside of school.

Cultural appropriate menus and ingredientsWhere this is highlighted as an issue, it is very important that you get support from your catering provider about the procurementspecification,trainingforstaff,andtraceabilityof food items. If possible, visit the food preparation areas withconcernedparentstoinstillconfidenceintheschoolmeals service. Reassure families through a clear statement in your whole-school food policy and evidence of your catering providerprocurementspecifications.

CostParents may not be able to afford school meals and may feel they can provide a packed lunch for a lot less. The school meal is often the cheaper more convenient and healthier option. This could be looked at in classroom activities.

Food hygiene and safetyParents may be nervous about providing a lunch box containing high risk foods due to lack of cold storage places within school. To reassure parents, it is important that you identify cool storage areas for packed lunches. For more information about food safety and hygiene, go to: http://www.food.gov.uk.

Free school mealsTools11and12showaleafletandletterforparentsprovidinginformation about free school meals. use these where pupils havebeenidentifiedasbeingeligibleforfreeschoolmeals.

Communicating your discussion findingsCommunicatethefindingsfromyourconsultationexerciseto stakeholders such as parents, pupils and governors. You could do this through your school website or newsletter. It is important participants see the results of your survey.




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Case Study 1 – Consulting pupils and parents Rosebank Primary School conducted a consultation exercise with pupils and parents during their parents evening.


A packed lunch display was set up in the main hall of the school which included:

• displayboardsshowingpicturesofhealthypackedlunches,and example recipes; and

• adisplaytablepresentingexamplelunchboxideasandrecipeideas for parents to take away with them.

Pupils were invited to take part in activities. They were encouraged to design their own healthy packed lunch. A graffitiwallwasdisplayedforpupilsandparentstohavetheirsay about how they thought packed lunches could be made healthier in their school. Staff members were available to answer any questions and to ask parents questions such as:

• “Whatdoyoufeelstopsparentsfromprovidinghealthypackedlunches?”

• “Howdoyouthinkwecansolvetheseproblems?”• “Whichfoodsdoyoufeelshouldbediscouragedwithinpackedlunches?”




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Case Study 2 – Consulting with your catering provider Guiseley High School talked with their catering provider to explore how they could work together to encourage healthier packed lunches.


The catering provider designed a packed lunch menu which is served along with their hot meals menu. The packed lunch includes a sandwich, a pudding, a drink and a piece of fruit. This menu was launched in the summer term and was priced at the same price as a school meal.

By offering this service to pupils and parents, the school aims to have more pupils staying in the school grounds and eating a school lunch, making sure that pupils eat a healthy balanced meal which meets the school meal standard.




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Case Study 3 – discussing with parents Middleton Primary School developed a survey for parents and carers which was sent home to collect their views about packed lunches.


due to the small number of replies, the school began to think about other ways to make sure that parents were asked about the planned changes to packed lunches. The school had an active parents group which met each week for a coffee morning.

The healthy school link teacher attended this group and asked the parents questions about packed lunches. The packed lunch working group was responsible for collecting the information and using it when preparing and creating their packed lunch policy.




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Step 4 Develop a packed lunch policyNow that information has been gathered from the consultation process, the policy can be created.


once you have completed your packed lunch survey and discussions, the working group can create a packed lunch policy which meets the needs of your school. It is important to thinkaboutthefindingsfromyoursurveyanddiscussionstomake sure that your policy will be useable and that it becomes an important part of your schools culture.

To support the development of your policy, please refer to the education Leeds packed lunch policy guidance document which contains useful templates for the policy structure. The templates will help you to create a clear and brief policy in line with the school meal standards.

The school council should continue to be involved at this stage to make sure that the policy is written in a pupil-friendly way.

For useful descriptions, please look at the School Food Trust website: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

once you have developed your packed lunch policy, it is important to carry out a review of your whole-school food policy to make sure that the two policies are in line with one another.





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The whole-school approach A whole-school approach is required to encourage pupils and parents to make changes. Clear, reliable and correct messages need to be given to the whole-school community about healthy eating within school. When making changes to packed lunches, it is important that the whole-school day is thought about – not just lunchtime. The whole-school day needs to provide reliable information to pupils about healthier eating and drinking, to make sure there is a full commitment within the school community. There are ten elements to the whole-school approach.

• Leadership,managementandmanagingchange.• Policydevelopment.• Curriculum-planningandworkwithoutsideagencies.• Teachingandlearning.• Schoolcultureandenvironment.• Givingchildrenandyoungpeopleavoice.• Provisionofpupilsupportservices.• Staffprofessionaldevelopmentneeds,healthandwelfare.• Partnershipswithparentsandcarersandlocalcommunities.• Assessing,recordingandreportingchildrenandyoung

peoples’ achievement.

Things to consider• Haveyoureflectedthemessagesgiveninthecurriculumthroughoutschool?

• Ishealthyeatinginformationcommunicatedtoparents?• Isyoursnackpolicyinlinewithyourpackedlunchpolicy?• Arepupilsandparentsregularlyaskedaboutissues

relating to healthy eating, such as school food, the dining environmentandthecurriculum?

• Howareotherstakeholderssuchasgovernorsinvolvedinschoolfood?

For more information about the whole-school approach click www.healthyschools.gov.uk

Schools may use the School Food Trust ‘at a glance’ pack lunch template to display and promote their packed lunch policy. Youshouldincludeyourfinalpolicyinyourwhole-schoolfoodpolicy document. display it in school, such as in the reception or dining area, upload it on your website, and send it home to update families.




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Case study 1

Step 5 Marketing and promotionFeedback gained from the discussion process will also help you to develop a plan for how you will market and promote your packed lunch policy. This section gives you some ideas and activities.


Talking about packed lunches within school helps children and young people to gain an understanding about how important healthy eating is. It also helps them to understand the packed lunch policy itself. A number of activities can be carried out with class groups or with the whole-school.

Tool 13 outlines a number of ideas and activities which can be used to raise the interest of packed lunches and your policy.

Tool 14 gives ideas for classroom-based activities.

Communicating your packed lunch policy to pupils and parents is a major step in making sure that the whole-school is aware of the policy. This can be done in a number of ways.

Your whole-school food policyA whole-school food policy is a shared and constant developing document for all stakeholders (pupils, teachers, parents and governors) that are involved with your school. It communicates a common vision about the culture, status and role of all aspects of food within your school. The aim of a whole-school food policy is to develop healthy eating and drinkingactivitiesinyourschoolthatcanbenefitpupils,staff,parents, caterers, and others linked with your school.

It is important to include information about your packed lunch policy within your whole-school food policy. As with your packed lunch policy, it is important that all stakeholders, including governors are involved and have been asked about their views when developing a food policy for your school. For more information about the governors role in your whole-school food policy, please refer to governors’ strategic policy framework.





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Case study 1


Make parents aware of your whole-school food policy by:

• providingacopyofyourwhole-schoolfoodpolicytoparents when their children join the school;

• showingyourpackedlunchpolicyattheparentsmeetingsand providing information about school meals (you could invite parents into school to eat a school meal with their children);

• workingwithyourcateringprovidertoruntastersessionsfor parents at events, such as parents evenings, so that they gain an idea of the quality and type of foods on offer at lunchtimes; and

• includingdetailsaboutyourwhole-schoolfoodpolicyinyour school prospectus.

Tool 15 shows whole-school food policy templates which can be used as guidance when writing your food policy.

Tool 16 shows an example hand-out prepared for new parents about food and drink within school.

Newsletters and websiteupdate parents regularly about school meals and packed lunches through letters, your school newsletter, your website orleaflets.Thinkaboutmakingaregulararticleintheschoolnewsletter to offer ideas for healthier packed lunches. offer recipes for parents so they can add a range of food items to lunchboxes.

Communicate the school dinner menu to parents on a regular basis so parents are aware of what is being served at school.

Tool 17 shows a selection of letter templates which can be adapted to communicate your packed lunch policy to parents.

Support for familiesWhen creating a packed lunch policy, it is important that all families feel supported and encouraged to make positive, gradual changes. Any changes made to the types of foods which can be brought into school should be made slowly. Families need to be kept up-to-date at each step of the process to make sure that they understand why the changes are taking place, and to allow them to give feedback at suitable times along the way.

It is important to bear in mind that we are aiming to gain small changes. There is not an expectation that parents will have to provide expensive items in lunch boxes. We are aiming for them to provide a healthy balanced lunch box for their child. We should be encouraging small steps which are in line with the school meal standards.

When introducing your packed lunch policy, give families a copy, making it clear what items are discouraged in packed lunches.

Tool 18-19 provides information for parents such as packed lunch ideas and recipes.

Tool 20 will enable you to create your own ‘at a glance’ policy template.

Tool 21 shows how the school packed lunch policy sits with the national ‘eatwell plate’ model.

More ideas can be downloaded from websites such as the School Food Trust, Food Standards Agency and the British nutrition Foundation. However, it is important to check that the foods they suggest are in line with your policy.




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Case study 1

Case Study 1 – Communicating with parents Ryecroft Primary School held a packed lunch competition during their inclusion week to help support their new packed lunch policy.


each class talked about the policy and then took part in an activity to design a healthy packed lunch. The pupils voted for which design they wanted to put forward for the whole-school competition. each class displayed their design in the dining room and pupils voted for which the winning design should be. The winning class received a prize.

To show the policy to parents, the school council wrote a letter which was sent home with pupils.




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Case study 1 / Case study 2 / Links

Step 6 Monitoring and evaluationPlan and apply ideas for checking your packed lunch policy. Continue to collect data using surveys to monitor the impact of the policy. Create gradual change and provide evidence of impact assessment for your Healthy Schools and Ofsted criteria.


It is important that you build in time to monitor and evaluate time to make sure that you explore how successful your policy has been. encourage your working group to talk about how you feel it would be best to keep an eye on your packed lunch policy. Pupils need to be fully-involved in this. Make sure pupils can develop creative ways to track progress and help to keep up the momentum. These could include:

• doingapackedlunchsurveyonaregularbasistotrackprogress;

• keepinganeyeonpackedlunchestowatchforcompliancewith your policy;

• keepingrecordsofalltheactivitiesyouhavedonewithinschool to encourage healthier packed lunches;

• usingatimelinetoobservehowpackedluncheshaveimproved as a result of these activities; and

• writetoparentstocommunicatetheschoolpackedlunchpolicy to promote a healthy school ethos.

Pupils and parents need to feel supported in making positive changes to packed lunches. The policy should not be a punishing measure to families. Monitoring should be carried out through suitable and sensitive methods without the removal of foods. The monitoring of packed lunches should not be the responsibility of your catering staff. However, you could agree a monitoring method with school members. For example, involving pupils who have been trained. use your school assemblies and website to support positive messages about healthy food. At the same time, recognise that pupils have their own free will and may choose foods which are discouraged within your policy, and that these can be eaten at home as part of a balanced diet. Avoid sanctions about these situations by focusing on positive messages that reflecttheschoolshealthculture.

Tool 22 contains a template for ideas for monitoring in your school.

Tool23showsexamplerewardcertificatesforhealthyeatingwhich can be given to pupils for making healthy choices.




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Case Study 1 – Packed lunch reward systems At St Theresa’s Catholic Primary School, pupils bringing healthy packed lunches are recognised and celebrated.


Year 6 monitors and lunchtime supervisors watch out for pupils who have examples of healthy, balanced lunches. Pupils who are chosen have their photographs taken with their lunches, and this is used to create a display in the entrance hall. This can be viewed by pupils and parents, which helps them to gather ideas for healthy packed lunch items. This has proven to be a simple yet clever method of encouraging pupils to bring healthier packed lunches.

Case study 1 / Case study 2 / LinksStep 1 / Step 2 / Step 3 / Step 4 / Step 5 / Step 6



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Case Study 2 – Monitoring your packed lunch policy At Bankside Primary School, the school council together with the health forum agreed rules for packed lunches.


The health forum included representatives from the lunch catering service, parents, pupils, teachers and the headteacher.

Assemblies were held by the school council to make the whole-school aware of the need for healthy food and lunches. Letters were sent home to introduce the healthy food policy to parents, and to explain why parental support is needed.

Members of the school council stayed after school for parents evenings. They had a stall with suggestions for healthy packed lunches and provided examples of food that were being discouraged.Parentswerealsogiveninformationleafletsto support the suggestions made by the pupils. The parents evening was also attended by catering staff who discussed school dinners with parents.

‘Happy lunchtime helpers’ were introduced at lunchtimes. Pupils were given a job description and invited to complete an application form to become a happy lunchtime helper. If they were successful they were invited to an interview with members from the school council.

The ‘happy lunchtime helpers’ encourage pupils to drink water, supervise queuing and praise healthy packed lunches. If a happy lunchtimehelperfindsanyfoodsthatarenotencouragedbythe schools food policy, they complete a form (designed by them) which is sent to the parents suggesting alternatives.




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Links HoMe > SeCTIon 2 > STeP 6 > LInkS

Useful resources and websitesSchool Food Trust www.schoolfoodtrust.org.ukFood in Schools www.foodinschools.orgFoodafactoflife www.foodafactoflife.org.ukFood Standards Agency www.food.gov.ukSMART Lunchbox www.smartlunchbox.org.uk5 a day www.5aday.nhs.ukBritish dental Health Foundation www.dentalhealth.org.uknational Healthy Schools www.healthyschools.gov.ukThe Leeds School Meals Strategy www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmealsHealthy Schools and Wellbeing Programme www.educationleeds.co.uk/healthyschoolsThe British nutrition Foundation www.nutrition.org.uknational Governors Association www.nga.org.ukLeeds Initiative www.leedsinitiative.org

BibliographyCommunity nutrition Group and the Food Standards Agency (2004) School Lunch box Survey 2004 evans, C, and Cade, J (2007) Packed Lunches in Primary School in the UK

Click here to see the education Leeds packed lunch policy full rationale document.




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http://www.foodinschools.org

http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk


http://www.smartlunchbox.org.uk

http://www.5aday.nhs.uk

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk

http://www.healthyschools.gov.uk

http://www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmeals

http://www.educationleeds.co.uk/healthyschools

http://www.nutrition.org.uk

http://www.nga.org.uk

http://www.leedsinitiative.org




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Section 3 – Resources The resources section consists of ‘tools’, with checklists, forms, lesson plans and references which fully develop the themes set out in section 2.

HoMe > SeCTIon 3

Gathering data – surveys – step 2 The following surveys and audits have been developed and used by schools within the pilot project. The surveys can be used as they are, or adapted for your school.

Tool 1 Lunchbox surveyTool2 Whatisinyourlunchboxtoday?Tool 3 Packed lunch surveyTool 4 Lunch survey – food brought into schoolTool 5 Survey for secondary school pupilsTool 6 Template for collecting the results from a packed

lunch survey

More examples of packed lunch surveys can be found at: www.healthylunch.org.uk

discussion and contribution – step 3The following ideas and activities are given as a guide to help schools to fully-involve their whole-school community.

Tool 7 Methods for discussing with stakeholdersTool 8 Survey for parentsTool 9 School meals surveyTool 10 dining environment surveyTool 11 Free school meals and school clothing

allowance formTool 12 Three easy steps to getting free school meals

Marketing and communication – step 5Ideas, activities and templates to help schools market and share their packed lunch policy. The templates can be used and changed as required.

Tool 13 Ideas and activities for marketing and communicationTool 14 Ideas for classroom-based activitiesTool 15 Food policies in briefTool 16 Home-school agreement

Tool 17 Letter templatesTool 18 Guidance for parents and carersTool 19 Packed lunch suggestionsTool 20 Create your own school ‘at a glance’ packed lunch

policyTool 21 The ‘eatwell plate’Tool 22 MonitoringTool23 Awardcertificates

More letter templates can be found on the School Food Trust website at www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

Monitoring and evaluation – step 6example documents to support the monitoring and evaluation of your packed lunch policy. They are given as guides which can be developed within your school.

Tool 22 Lunchtime monitoring templatesTool23 Lunchtimeawardcertificates

Toolkit on next page

Toolkit



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http://www.healthylunch.org.uk





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Section 3 – Toolkit Click on the relevant tools below

HoMe > SeCTIon 3 > TooLkIT

Tool 1Lunchbox survey

Tool 7Methods for discussing with stakeholder

Tool 13Ideas and activities for marketing and communication

Tool 19Packed lunch suggestions

Tool 20Create your own school ‘at a glance’ packed lunch policy

Tool 22Monitoring

Tool 21The ‘eatwell plate’

Tool 23Award certificates

Tool 14Ideas for classroom-based activities

Tool 15Food policies in brief

Tool 16Home-school agreement

Tool 17Letter templates

Tool 18Guidance for parents

Tool 8Survey for parents

Tool 9School meals survey

Tool 10Dining environment survey

Tool 11Free school meals and school clothing allowance form

Tool 12Three easy steps to getting free school meals

Tool 4Lunch survey – food brought into school

Tool 5Survey for secondary school pupils

Tool 6Template for collecting the results from a packed lunch survey

Tool 2What is in your lunchbox today?

Tool 3Packed lunch survey

All tools open up in a new pdf window for you to print or save to your computer

Toolkit



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27

School meals team names and contact details

Rosemary Molinari (nee Denison)School meals strategy adviserPhone: 0113 224 3779Mobile: 07891 279922email: [email protected]

Elaine ThorntonSchool meals development managerPhone: 0113 224 3785email: [email protected]

Kate DrummondSchool meals project assistantPhone: 0113 224 3779email: [email protected]

www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmeals

Contacts HoMe > ConTACTS



Section 1summary

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http://www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmeals

Bread, rice, potatoes and pasta

Fruit and vegetables

Meat, fish, egg

and beans Fats and

sugars

Milk and dairy foods

Tool 1Lunchbox survey


Question

What fruits or vegetable are in the lunchbox?

Question

What does the lunchbox contain from this group?

Question

What type of starchy foods are in the lunchbox?

Question

What type of drink is in the lunchbox?

Question

What types of dairy foods are in the lunchbox?

Question

What foods are in the lunchbox from this food group?

Page 1/1 > Tool 1

Tool 2What’s in your lunchbox today?


Question

What type of drink is in the lunchbox?

Page 1/1 > Tool 2

Tool 3Do you know what a healthy packed lunch policy is?


Question

What do you think of the idea?

Draw your packed lunch here...

Page 1/1 > Tool 3

Tool 4Lunch survey – Food brought into school


1. Does the lunch contain any of the following starchy foods:

4. Does the lunch contain a source of calcium?

6. What type of drink is included with the lunch?

7. Describe any other products included in the lunch for example: Dairylea Lunchables:

3. Does the lunch contain a source of protein?

2. Does the lunch contain any fruits or vegetables?

5. Does the lunch contain a snack for example: chocolate, crisps, cereal bars, cakes and biscuits?

a) Bread

b) Rice

c) Potatoes

d) Pasta

e) Other

a) Cheese

b) Yoghurt

c) Milk

d) Other

a) Sweeteneddrinke.g.fizzydrink, fruit juice or squash

Description of the drink:

b) Unsweetened drink e.g. milk or water

a) Ham

b) Chicken

c) Beef

d) Egg

e) Beans

f) Lentils

g) Pork

h) Other

a) Yes

Please list what the lunch contains:

b) No

a) Yes

Please list what snack:

b) No

Page 1/1 > Tool 4

Tool 5Survey for secondary school pupils


1. Do you bring a packed lunch to school? (circle one)

4. How often do you go out of school to buy something to eat? (circle one)

5. Please indicate which of the following you bring in your packed lunch (circle all that are relevant)

3. How often do you bring in a packed lunch? (circle one)

2. If you bring a packed lunch into school, please could you explain why?

If you have circled a drink please indicate the type of drink you bring to school:

If you have circled a snack please list the type of snacks you bring to school:

Yes

Every day

(5 times a week)

Every day

(5 times a week)

Starchy food such as bread

or pasta

A source of protein such as cheese or

chicken

One or more portions

of fruit or vegetable

A source of calcium such as yoghurt

A drinkA snack such as crisps or

biscuits

No

4 times a week

4 times a week

3 times a week

3 times a week

2 times a week

2 times a week

Once a week

Once a week

Never

Never

Sometimes

Page 1/1 > Tool 5

Tool 6Template for collating the results from the packed lunch survey


Year

Instructions for use: Use this form to help collect the information gained from your packed lunch survey. Under each heading add up the results for each of the food groups and then use this figure to work out the percentages and the average.

Year

Reception and Yr 1

Class 2

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

Class 6

Percentage

Reception and Yr 1

Class 2

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

Class 6

average

drinks

sweetened

unsweetened

none

Starchy foods such as bread, pasta and rice

Starchy foods such as bread, pasta and rice

Protein foods such as meat, fish or pulses

Protein foods such as meat, fish or pulses

Fruit & Vegetable

Fruit & Vegetable

Dairy foods such as yoghurt

Dairy foods such as yoghurt

Snack item (1)

Snack item (1)

Snack item (2 or more)

Snack item (2 or more)

Chocolate products

Chocolate products

Crisps

Crisps

Page 1/1 > Tool 6

Tool 7Methods for discussing with stakeholders


Questionnaires and surveysQuestionnaires and surveys can help to gather information from a lot of people quickly. Lots of questions can be used such as:

Closed questions• Doesyourchildtakeapackedlunchtoschool?

yes no

• Doyoufeelyourchild’spackedlunchishealthy?

yes no

• Whatisyourfavouritefoodinyourpackedlunch?

• Whatisyourleastfavouritefoodinyourpackedlunch?

• Doyouthinktherearefoodsthatshouldnotbeallowedinlunchboxes?

yes no

Open questions• Whydoyoubringinapackedlunchorwhydoyougiveyourchildapackedlunch?

• Whatdoyouregularlyincludeinyourchild’spackedlunch?

• Whatfoodsdoyouthinkshouldbediscouragedinpackedlunches?

• Whyshouldthesefoodsbediscouraged?

Boxes and stickers (pupils)This method can be used as another option to the questionnaire ideas above and is more suitable for gaining information from younger pupils.Thisactivityinvolvesgivingpupilsquestionswithpossibleanswers,thepupilsusecolouredpensorstickerstoselecttheiranswer.Questions may include:

• Doyoutakeapackedlunchtoschool?

yes no

• Doyouhavefruitorvegetablesinyourpackedlunch?

yes no

Suggestion box (parents and children)Asuggestionboxcanbeusedforthewholeschoolcommunitytoofferideas,bringupproblemsoraskquestionsaboutpackedlunches.Usingasuggestionboxcanencouragepupilstoputacrosstheirviewsandquestionsinsecretwhichmaybemoreappealingtothosewhodonotwanttobeknown.

Page 1/2 > Tool 7

Focus groupsFocusgroupscanbeusedwithmanygroupsofpeople,parentsandchildrenincluded.Forfocusgroupstobesuccessfulitisimportantthat those involved provide their true opinions to the questions asked.

Thetypesofquestionsusedaresimilartothoseopenquestionsusedwithinaquestionnaire.Openquestionsneedtobeusedtoallowforconversationtodevelopbetweenthoseinvolved.

Afocusgroupwillrequirealeadpersontoleadtheactivitywithanothertowriteideasonaflipchart,thiscouldbeanothermemberofstafforapupil.Yourfocusgroupcouldbecarriedoutwithaparentsgroupalreadysetuporwiththeschoolcouncil.Focusgroupsallowschools to develop a greater understanding of the problems faced by pupils and parents and gives the chance to ask and investigate some oftheseproblemsfurther.Examplequestionscaninclude:

• Doyourchildrenhavepackedlunchesorschoolmeals?

• Whydoyourchildrenhavepackedlunches?

• Whatdoyoufeelisahealthypackedlunch?

• Doyoufeelyourchild’sorownpackedlunchishealthy?

• Howdoyouthinkwecanmakepackedluncheshealthierwithinschool?

• Whatdoyoufeelpreventsparentsfromprovidinghealthypackedlunches?

• Howdoyouthinkwecanaddresstheseissues?

• Whichfoodsdoyoufeelshouldbediscouragedwithinpackedlunches?

Problem wall/solution tree/graffiti wallThismethodcouldbeusedwithinaschooltogiveallstakeholdersanopportunitytoinputtheirideasincludingpupils,teachersandparents.Thiswouldalsobeasuitablemethodofdiscussionateventssuchasparentsevenings.

Dining room activityThisactivitycanbeusedtogainfeedbackfrompupilsaboutthediningroominparticular.Askpupilstodrawaplanofthediningroom;usinghappyandsadfacesforprimarypupilsandcolouredpostitnotesforsecondarypupils,encouragethemtothinkaboutandwritedownthethingstheylikeanddislikeaboutthediningenvironment.Oncetheyhavecompletedthis,askpupilstothinkaboutwhattheycan do to improve the areas they dislike so you can start to develop a plan for your dining room.


Page 2/2 > Tool 7

Yes

Yes

No

No

Don’t know

Don’t know

Yes No Don’t know

Tool 8Parents Survey


1. Does your child take a packed lunch? (circle one)

4. Would you like some ideas and suggestions for healthy packed lunches? (circle one)

5. Doyouthinkthatsometypesoffoods(forexamplecrisps,sweetsorfizzydrinks)shouldbediscouraged or not allowed in packed lunches? (circle one)

3. Wouldyoulikesomeadviceaboutwhatmakesupahealthybalancedpacked lunch for your child? (circle one)

2. If your child takes a packed lunch, please could you explain why?

6. Ifyes,whichtypesoffoodsshouldbediscouragedornotallowedinpackedlunches?

Yes No Sometimes

Dear Parent/Carer

Asyouknowourschoolisdedicatedtodevelopingthehealthandwellbeingofallchildrenandstaff.Thistermtheschoolcouncilislookingathowwecanimprovepackedluncheswithinschool.We’dliketoknowwhatyouthinkaboutpackedlunches;we’retryingtofindouthowtheycouldbeimprovedandwhatwouldencouragechildrentoeathealthypackedlunches.Pleasereturnthecompletedquestionnaireby(date)totheschooloffice.Wewouldliketothankyouverymuchforyourhelp.

About packed lunches –pleasecircleonebox

Page1/1>Tool8

Below are some statements that other pupils have made about claiming for free school meals. Please circle one box that best matches how you feel claiming for your free school meal.

agree

agree

agree

agree

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

agree not sure disagree

Tool 9School meals survey


1. What do you think of the school meal service at your school in general? Please circle one box only.

4. The free school meal allowance is enough for me to get plenty to eat

5. I feel embarrassed claiming for my free school meal

6. The school encourages me to take my free school meal

7. I worry other pupils might tease me about having a free school meal

3. I feel comfortable having a free school meal

2. Are you entitled to free school meals? yes no

If yes, please go to question 3 If no, please go to question 10 (next page)

I like them a lot

I quite like them

I don’t like them very

much

I don’t like them at all I don’t know

Page 1/4 > Tool 9

9. In your school you have a cashless system; do you think this will encourage you to have free school meal?

9a. If yes please could you explain why?

9b. If no please could you explain why?

9c. Is there anything else that would encourage you to take your free school meal more often? If so, please comment below.

Yes Not sure no

Page 2/4 > Tool 9


8. Claiming for a free school meal is easy

agree

agree

agree

agree

agree

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

14. They don’t serve the type of food I like to eat

15. The food costs too much

16. There are not many vegetarian options

17. There are not enough options for my special diet requirements (e.g. dairy free, gluten free)

18. I get a chance to say what I think about the food

Page 3/4 > Tool 9

The food servedThese are statements that other pupils have made about their school meals. Thinking about your own school – please circle one box under each statement to show how much you agree or disagree with it.

agree

agree

agree

not sure

not sure

not sure

disagree

disagree

disagree

10. The food tastes good

11. The portion sizes are too small

12. The food looks nice


13. There is plenty of choice

/4 > Tool 9

a. Being served quickly

b. Having somewhere to sit

c. A clean dining room

d. Helpful staff

e. Having enough time to eat

f. Being able to sit with my friends

g. The food tasting good

h. Portion sizes being big enough

i. The food looking nice

j. Having plenty of choice

k. Having the type of food I like to eat

l. Being a price I can afford

m. Having vegetarian options (contains no meat or fish)

n. Having halal options (This is the food that Muslims are allowed to eat)

o. Having kosher options (This is the food that Jewish people are allowed to eat)

a wider range of food

healthier food

less queuing time

cheaper prices

more helpful staff

a nicer dining room

more seating

food being more clearly labelled

bigger portions

being able to taste the food before buying it

chance to win prizes

theme days

other (please describe below)

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

very important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

quite important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

not important

20. This question asks you how important each of the following are for you – please circle one for each.

21. Which of the things listed below would make you choose a school meal more often? Please tick all that apply

19. If you have any other comments to make about the food served at your school please write them here.

22. Is there anything else that would improve the school meals in your school? If so, please comment below.

agree

agree

agree

agree

agree

agree

agree

agree

agree

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

not sure

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

disagree

Tool 10Dining environment survey


1. There are often long queues to be served at lunchtime

8. The dining room is very noisy

2. The dining area is a nice place to be9. It is clear what is on offer every day

3. The seating area is often overcrowded10. If you have any other comments about your

school dining room please write them here

4. I have enough time to eat my lunch

5. The seating area is messy

6. The staff are not very helpful

7. I get to sit with my friends

Page 1/1 > Tool 10

Your school dining room (or canteen)These are statements that other pupils have made about their school dining rooms. Thinking about your own – please circle one box under each statement to show how much you agree or disagree with it.

Tool 11Free school meals & school clothing allowance form


Page 1/1 > Tool 11

Leeds benefit service together with social services & Education Leeds, providing extra help for foster parents & family carersDo I qualify for help?If you have one or more school-age children in your long-term care and you receive financial support from social services you can now claim both free school meals and school clothing allowance for them as long as you receive one of the following benefits:

• Income support, guarantee credit, income-based job seekers allowance and child tax credit ONLY where your annual taxable income does not exceed £15,575 (this figure will be shown on your tax credit award letter). If you get any amount of working tax credit you do not qualify for help.

How do I get free school meals?You can claim free school meals if you have any children in your care who attend school full-time. This includes those in the sixth form, those attending pupil referral units and specialist inclusive learning centres and those below reception age who have full day nursery places. We will notify the schools of your entitlement, all you need to do is advise them when you want to start taking them.

Carers who qualify for free school meals can also get school clothing allowance. Again, the child(ren) must be attending school full-time but they must also be of reception age or above and be below sixth form age. We send out one school clothing allowance cheque per child per year. They vary in value from £20 to £37.50 each, depending on the child’s age.

How do I fill out the form?Complete the questions on both sides of the sheet, making sure that you give us the following details: - your name, address and daytime telephone number, details of yourself and your partner including both your national insurance numbers, and details of all children under your care, including which schools they attend. Please do not include your own children here. Next, tell us which of the qualifying benefits you receive. In most cases, we will have proof already so you won’t need to provide any documents unless we ask you to. Finally, read and sign the declaration at the end of the form.

Where do I send it?Once you have filled in the form, you can return it to us in the prepaid envelope provided, or post it to the following address:

Leeds Benefits Service, Selectapost 15, 2 Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 2LE

Or you can hand the form in at any of the one-stop centres below.

• Aireborough (Micklefield House, New Roadside, Rawdon),

• Armley (2 Stock’s Hill),

• City Centre (2 Gt George St),

• Dewsbury Road (190 Dewsbury Road),

• Garforth (1-5 Main Street),

• Halton Moor (Neville Road),

• Morley (Town Hall, Queen Street),

• North Seacroft (Irford House, Seacroft Crescent),

• Osmondthorpe (81A Wykebeck Mount),

• Otley (8 Boroughgate),

• Pudsey (Town Hall, Robin Lane),

• Rothwell (Civic Buildings, Marsh Street),

• South Seacroft (90-95 Moresdale Lane),

• Wetherby (24 Westgate).

If you need help staff at these centres can help you fill in your form.

Will my other benefits be affected?If you have already applied for and are receiving housing or council tax benefit these will not be affected. You will automatically be considered for free school meals and school clothing for your own children if you are receiving these benefits.

If you have any questions or you need help to complete the form, please phone 0113 224 3929 or 0113 395 1721 during normal office hours.

Tool 12Three easy steps to getting free school meals


Page 1/1 > Tool 12

Information from the Leeds school meals team working together with Leeds benefit service.Am I entitled to free school meals?If you are a parent, guardian or foster carer who has children in full-time school education and you get one of the following benefits:

• Income support, income-based job seekers allowance, guarantee credit, or

• If you are over 16, still at school and claiming income support in your own right then the answer is yes, you are entitled to free school meals.

You are also entitled if you come under any of the following:

• If you get child tax credit only and your annual taxable income is £15,595 or less.

• If you are a full-time student.• If you work less than 16 hours a week.• If you are unable to work due to disability.

If you are not sure what your taxable income is please call the inland revenue helpline on 0845 300 3900.

Are you living with your own parents or close relatives, or just staying with friends? If yes, you are still eligible for free school meals for your children but you will need to fill out an application form and mark on it that it is for education benefits only. Call into any one-stop centre or call Leeds benefit service (LBS) on 0845 127 0113.

Make a benefit claim with Leeds benefits serviceIf you are already getting help with your rent or council tax, getting free school meals for other children, or if you are a registered asylum seeker there are no forms to fill in. Leeds benefit service will automatically award free school meals for any children starting school or going up to high school and will also let the school know in writing. If you do not hear from Leeds benefit service immediately, please call them on 0845 127 0113.

The final stepOnce you have been told you qualify, please contact the school and tell the secretary that you would like your child to start taking free school meals. They should already have the details and there is no need to tell anyone else. Schools are able to give you sample menus, so if you would like one please ask at reception. Free school meals are good for your children and great for you.

Criteria for free school meals entitlement correct at publication October 2008.

Tool 13Ideas and activities for marketing and communication


Page 1/1 > Tool 13

Competitions• Designahealthypackedlunch–pupilsareprovidedwithanimageofanemptylunchbox.Askpupilstodesignahealthypackedlunch.Thewinnerofthecompetitionwillbethepersonwhocreatesthehealthiestpackedlunch.Thewinnercouldreceiveaprizesuchasanewlunchbox.

• Healthyeatingquiz–canbedoneinmanydifferentways,asawrittenquizforpupilstotakehome,thiscouldincludemoredifficultquestionsasthepupilsmaybeabletoresearchtheanswers.Aquizcouldalsobedoneintheclassroomwiththewinnerreceivingarewardsuchasastickerorextragoldentime.

Curriculum linksTeachingchildrenabouthowimportantahealthybalanceddietiswillencouragegoodfooditemstobeplacedinpackedlunches.Baseallteachingonthe‘eatwell’plateand5adaymessages.

Useboththeoryandpracticalbasedsessionstohelpsupporthealthyeatingmessages.Clickhereforexamplelessonplansandactivities.

Tryandkeepawayfromtellingpupilsaboutyourpersonalbeliefsinfood.Whentalkingaboutfoodandnutrition,keepmessagessimpleandalwaysrefertothe‘eatwell’platetoensureclearandreliableinformationispassedontopupils.Itisimportanttorememberthatnofoodisa‘bad’food;themessageshouldbethathighfat,sugarandsaltfoodsneedtobeeateninsmallamountsandfoodssuchasfruit,vegetablesandstarchyfoodsneedtobeeateninlargeramounts.

PostersPosterscanbedesignedbypupilstopromoteyourpackedlunchpolicy.Or,winningdesignsfromcompetitionscanbeusedtomakeposters.Thesecanbedisplayedaroundschoolorsenthometoparents.

Whole school events• Assemblies–Anassemblymaybeusedtoexplaintheimportanceofahealthypackedlunchaspartofachild’sbalanceddiet.

• Healthy picnic day–demonstratetopupilsdifferentitemswhichcanbeincludedinahealthypackedlunch.

Other ideas• Contactandmakelinkswithlocalrestaurants;invitechefsintoschooltoruncookingdemonstrationsforpupilsandparents.

• Contactlocalsupermarketstosponsoreventssuchasfoodtastingforpupilsandteachers.Askifitwouldbepossibletovisitthesupermarketandhaveatourlookingatdifferentitemstoputinlunchboxes.

• Linkwithyourcateringprovidertoexplorewhatactivitiestheymightbeabletosupportwithinschool.

• Visityourlocalshopstolookatwhattypesoffoodsareavailableforlunchboxes.Comparedifferentretailersforcostandthetypesoffooditemsavailable.

• Encouragepupilstotalkwiththeirparentsandcarersaboutthelunchesthattheytaketoeatatwork.Explorehowthewhole familycanmakechangestotheirpackedlunchesthereforechangingfamilyhealth.

Key MessagesThe ‘eatwell’ plate:havingabalanceandvarietyoffoodsinthedietisimportantforhealth.Aimingforthisbalanceeveryday isasensiblewayofapproachinghealthyeating,althoughitisnotnecessarytoachieveitateverymeal.Choosingdifferentfoodsfromwithineachfoodgroupisalsoimportantasthisaddstotherangeofnutrientseaten,aswellasvarietytothediet.

5 a day:Eatingavarietyofatleast5portionsoffruitandvegetablesadaycouldlowertheriskofdiseasessuchasheart disease, stroke and some cancers(WHO1990).

Forfurtherinformationpleasegoto:

Food Standards Agency www.eatwell.gov.uk

The ‘eatwell’ plate www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/eatwellplate

5 a day www.5aday.nhs.uk

Tool 14Classroom based activities


Page 1/2 > Tool 14

Topic

Year

Healthy packed lunches

5 or 6

Learning Objectives

Structure Key discussion points Time taken

Lesson Outline

Resources required Teaching and learning strategies

By the end of the session pupils will:• State three foods from each food group that could be put into a packed lunch.• Design a healthy meal using the ‘eatwell’ plate as a guide.• Produce a design of their healthy packed lunch to be used as part of a display for their health week/parents evening.

Introduction to the session

Choosing foods to make a healthy lunch

Design a healthy lunch activity

Summary

15 minutes

15 minutes

20 minutes

10 minutes

• A short discussion to introduce the pupils to food and why we need to eat healthily. Why do we need food? Why is it important to have a healthy diet? What types of food do they enjoy eating?

• Whole class to be shown the ‘eatwell’ plate using the poster and floor mat. Discussion about each of the food groups.

• Give pupils different examples of foods and ask them which food group they would place them in.

• Each pupil to note the correct number of portions for each section.

• In pairs or groups pupils to list the items that could go into a food group suitable for a cold meal.

• Put together a class list, using floor mat and models wherever possible or create a board list.

• Pupils to decide what their design is going to be made up of using the class list and share ideas.

• Pupils to start to design their healthy packed lunch

• Give a summary and talk about the main points from the session asking pupils to show their designs to the rest of the class.

• ‘eatwell’ plate floor mat or poster• Food group flash cards• Materials such as paper, card and pens for pupils to draw their

meal ideas.

• Small group and whole group activity• Individual worksheets

Evaluation and reflection

What went well:

Even better if:


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Topic

Age of pupils

Tuna pasta salad

Can be adapted for any year

Session aims

The session has been designed to:• Encourage children to try new foods; • Strengthen healthy eating messages;• Teach children basic food hygiene and knife skills; and• Encourage ideas for packed lunches.

Equipment Ingredients Resources

Resources required

• Chopping board.• Knife.• Mixing bowl.• Spoons.• Plates.

• 5 a day poster and postcards.• Laminated recipes for children

to follow.• Recipe sheets for children to

complete after the session.• Worksheets.

• Cooked pasta, sweet corn, tuna, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes and salad cream.

Structure Key discussion points Time taken

Lesson Outline

Introduction to the session 10 minutes

10 minutes

5 minutes

15 minutes

15 minutes

• Introduce the activity.• Ask the pupils what they need to consider before they start the

activity. Explain the importance of washing hands before handling food. Also, explain that if any food is dropped on the floor it should be thrown away.

• All pupils to wash their hands.• Split children into groups around the tables.• All children to wear an apron.

• Take the pupils through each of the ingredients that will be used to make the recipe. Use this time to talk about:

• What counts towards their 5 a day (e.g. fresh, frozen, canned, fruit juice)

• The ‘eatwell’ plate• Allow the children to try any ingredients they haven’t eaten before.• Talk to the group about the equipment they will be using. • Take this opportunity to talk about the importance of good knife

skills and how care must be taken with sharp knives.

• Show the class how to make a pasta salad

• Give each table a tray of ingredients. Allow them time to use the recipe to guide them on how to make the pasta salad.

• Wash all equipment• Give out the recipe sheets for the children to complete.• Talk with the class about their like, dislikes and so on.• Use the other worksheets as required.

Evaluation and reflection

What went well:

Even better if:

Tool 15Food policies – in brief


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Who you are?a. School name.b. Authors.c. Consultation group.

Statement of principles and ideas:d. Healthy eating.

e. Goals of fruit, vegetables, fats, salt etc.

f. Include simple statement about foods not to be served or brought onto premises. This may be cans and confectionary in the first instance.

g. Different foods available at meal and snack occasions.

h. Targets for numbers of diners such as:

i) total meal numbers. ii) uptake free school meals towards an ideal of all those entitled. iii) statement regarding pupils leaving site at lunch-time (secondary

issue).

i. Whole school occasions– rewards, sponsorship etc.*

j. Inclusive – cultural, age, special diets.*

k. Fair trade, organic, local.*

Financial statement: (more relevant for secondary schools) i) overall ‘profit intention’.

ii) subsidy of specific items.

iii) cross subsidy from breakfast to lunch for example.

iv) income from vending and special events.

What you are currently doing, for example?l. breakfast – open to whom.

m. break – items served, cost to whom etc.

n. drinks provision – what , where , when.

o. lunch time including packed lunches.*

p. dining room environment including menus across school.*

q. opportunities for after school.

r. involving adults.

s. Curriculum.

What you are aiming to achieve?t. review ‘food in school’ areas plus any in 3 above that are relevant,

own specific needs and ideas.

How will you do it?u. set priorities.

v. involvement of school council and health forum.

w. action plan to give focus, clarity, delegation of activities.

How will you inform and disseminate it to the school community*

How and when will you review?x. Date.

y. what will you gather as evidence.

z. who will you inform.

Print it, frame it, celebrate it, and use it!

*Required for Leeds advanced healthy schools award

Tool 16School statement: Commitment to families


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With special thanks to Queensway Primary School for sharing the following information.

Healthy food and drink home : school agreementIn terms of food and drink the following measures operate at our school:• Wewillworkwithpupilstoprovideattractiveandsuitablediningarrangementsforpupilshavingaschoolmealorpackedlunch.

• Theschoolwillensurethatfree,freshdrinkingwaterisreadilyavailableatlunchtimesforallpupils.

• Wherepossibletheschoolwillensurethatpackedlunchpupilsandschoollunchpupilswillbeabletosittogether.

• Theschoolwillworkwithparentstomakesurethatpackedlunchesfollowtheschoolfoodstandards.

• Asfridgespaceisnotavailableinschool,pupilsareadvisedtobringpackedlunchesininsulatedbagswithfreezerblocks,thiswillstopfoodfromgoingoff.

• Beawareofnutallergies.Werecommendyouvisitthewww.allergyinschools.co.ukwebsiteforcorrectandreliableinformationonmanagingallergiesinschools.

• Allpupilsareprovidedwithawaterbottleatthebeginningofterm.Thisshouldbetakenhomeeachdayandcleaned.Pupilscanfilltheirwaterbottlesatschool.

• Onlyfruitandvegetablescanbeeatenatbreak-time.

• Ourschoolispartoftheschoolfruitandvegetableschemewhichgivesaportionoffruitandvegetablestopupilsinreceptionandkeystage1.

• Wealsorecognisethatsomepupilsmayrequirespecialdietsthatdonotallowforourpolicytobeexactlymet.Inthiscaseparentsareaskedtotelltheschoolandtoberesponsibleforprovidinghealthypackedluncheswhichfitwithyourchild’smedicalcondition.Forthesereasons,pupilsarenotallowedtoswapfooditemsatlunchtime.

• Familieswithconcernsregardingculturalsuitabilityshouldcontacttheschooltoseeksupport.

• Familiesarewelcometovisittheschooldiningandkitchenareas.

• Theschooliscommittedtoworkcloselywiththecateringprovidertoensureourschoolfoodmeetstheneedsofallourfamilies.

Tool 17New packed lunch policy Letter templates


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On this and the next page you will find a series of three letter templates for you to use.

Template 1

Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s),

As part of our commitment to being a healthy school, we carried out a lunch box survey. As a result of this survey we found most children were provided with a healthy packed lunch, however a lot of children were found to be bringing drinks in that were not classed as healthy.

School council along with the support of senior management have decided that from September 2008, children bringing packed lunches will no longer be required to bring drinks, school will provide water on the tables like we do for children having school meals.

The work that we have completed on packed lunches has linked us to the new Education Leeds packed lunch policy, for more information please go to the school meals website at www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmeals

Thank you for your support

School council

Template 2


We, on the school council thought we would write to you about healthy lunchboxes. Our discussion group have noticed that some children are bringing in unhealthy food at lunchtime, such as sweets and fizzy drinks.

Part of being a healthy school means healthy eating. We would like to ask you not to send in sweets or fizzy drinks in your child’s packed lunch from now on. Cooled water is available in school at all times and fresh fruit, which is a healthy alternative to sugary snacks, is on sale in our tuck shop at break-time at a cost of 20p per piece.

The work that we have completed on packed lunches has linked us to the new Education Leeds packed lunch policy, for more information on this please go to the school meals website at www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmeals

Thank you for your support.

Yours faithfully,

School council

Template 3


As you will be aware our school meals have improved a lot recently. We have introduced the new school meals standards and have worked very closely with our catering provider to improve the standard of the food served. As a school we are also working towards the Leeds healthy school standard. As part of this we are working towards a whole school approach to healthy eating, this includes packed lunches. After much discussion with pupils, parents, governors and our school cooks, we have decided to introduce a policy for packed lunches. This will help your children to eat well and ensure that all pupils are following the School Food Trust guidelines and national standards.

Please find attached a copy of our new policy. This will be started from _________. As well as our new policy, please find attached some guidance and examples for healthier packed lunches.

The work that we have completed on packed lunches has linked us to the new Education Leeds packed lunch policy, for more information please go to the school meals website at www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolmeals

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me,

Kind regards,

Additional letter templates can be found on the School Food Trust website at www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/content.asp?ContentId=510

Tool 18Guidance for parents and carers


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When packing a lunch try to include foods from each of the four main food groups: • Bread,cerealsandpotatoes;• Meat,fishandother;• Milkanddairyfoods;and• Fruitandvegetables.

Use the boxes below to help pick suitable foods.

Bread, cereals and potatoesCarbohydratefoodsprovideuswithenergy.Thesefoodsincludebread,pasta,riceandpotato.

Foodswhichcanbeincludedinapackedlunchinclude:

• Pittabread,wrapsandbagels• Slicebread,breadrolls,andbaguettes• Pasta,riceorcouscous,• Englishmuffins• Breadsticksorcrackers

DairyDairyfoodscontaincalciumwhichhelpstokeepbones andteethstrong.Foodswhicharesuitableforpacked lunchesinclude:

• Cheese• Yoghurt• Cottagecheese• Cheesespread

Meat, fish and othersSmallamountsofproteinfoodsshouldbeincludedinpackedlunchessuchasmeat,beansandeggs.Thesecanbeusedtomakesandwichfillingsoraddedtosalads.

Foodswhichcanbeusedinpackedlunchesinclude:

• Chicken• Turkey• Eggs• Fishsuchastunaandsalmon• Chickpeas,lentilsandbeans• Ham• Beef

5 a DayWeshouldaimtoeat5portionsoffruitandvegetableseachday.Trytoincludeatleast1vegetableorsaladitemand1fruititeminyourchild’spackedlunch.

• Driedfruitsuchasraisins,apricotsanddates• 100%fruitjuiceormadefromconcentrate• Vegetablessuchascarrotsticks,celeryorsweetpeppers

www.5aday.nhs.uk


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Suggested suitable snacks:Avoidsnackswhicharehighinsalt,sugarandfatforexamplesavourysnacksandconfectionary.Theseproductsprovide‘emptycalories’whichchildrenfilluponbutdonotprovidetheimportantnutrientstheyneedforhealthyphysicalandmentaldevelopment.Insteadwhynottrypackingoneofthefollowinginthelunchbox:

• Asmallbagofplainpopcorn• onesliceoffruitloaforfruitbread• Breadstickswithcheesespread• Afruitmuffin• Carrotcake• Scones• twoplainorfruitbiscuits• Choppedcarrot,celeryandsweetpepperswithadipsuchashummus

• Apacketofraisins• Minipotofjellywithfruit• Asmallsliceofflapjack• Asmalltubofmixednuts,seedsanddriedfruits

Drinks:Trytoswapfizzydrinksforalternativessuchasmilk,fruitjuice,smoothies,yoghurtdrinksorwater.Fizzydrinkscanaddtotoothdecayduetotheirhighsugarcontentandcanalsocausespillagesatlunchtimeduetotheirexplodingnature!Includesmallcartonsofmilkandfruitjuiceorasmallbottleofwaterinthelunchboxinstead.

Yourschoolisnowofferingwatertoallpupilsatlunchtimesoyoumaynotneedtopackadrinkatall.

Trytoavoidanythingthatsays‘drink’onthelabelforexamplefruitdrinkorfruitjuicedrinkasthesecanbeverysugaryorcontainlots ofadditives.

Tips:• Seasonalfruitandvegetablesareoftencheaperandmorenutritiousthanfruitandvegetablesboughtoutofseason.

• Encourageyourchildrentopacktheirownlunch.Helpthemtopickhealthychoicesthatarefuntoeat.Iftheypickandpacktheirlunchthemselvestheyaremorelikelytoeatit.

• Duringthewintermonthssendhomemadesouptoschoolinaflask.• Ifyourchildwon’teatbrownorwholemealbreadwhynottryusingasliceofbrownbreadandasliceofwhitebreadtomaketheirsandwiches.

• Alwaystrytopackavarietyoffoodseachweekinapackedlunchtokeeplunchtimeinteresting.

• Ifyourchildrenwon’tgiveupfizzydrinkswhynotuseareusablebeakerandmixfruitjuicewithsparklingwater.

• Takecarewiththenumberofitemsoramountoffoodyouputinthepackedlunch.Itisbetterthattheyeateverythingupthangetfeduphalfwaythroughandwastefood.

Packed lunch safety:• Acoldpackorinsulatedlunchboxcanhelptokeepfoodcool,appetisingandsafe.

• Useasmallicepackorgelpacktokeepyourlunchboxcool.Or,freezeacartonoffruitjuiceandpopthisinyourlunchboxbeforegoingtoschoolinthemorning.

• Avoidputtingwarmfoodintothelunchboxasthiswillcausetheothercontentstobecomewarm.

• Somesandwichescanbefrozeninadvance;thiswillnotonlysavetimeinthemorningsbutwillalsokeepthecontentsofthelunchboxcooluntillunchtime.

• Keepthelunchboxinthefridgeuntilyouarereadytoleaveinthemorning.

• Eachnight,afteruse,washlunchboxescarefullyinwarmsoapywater.• Askforaccesstoschoolfridgesandcoolroomstostorepackedlunches.

Sandwich fillings:Trytoincludeavegetable,saladorfruititemwithsandwichfillingstogiveaboosttoyourchild’s5aday,forexample:

• Tuna,sweetcornandcucumber.• Hamandlettuce.• Salmonandcucumber.• Chicken,lettuce,cucumber.• Eggandcress.• Peanutbutterandapple.• Cheeseandcucumber.

Tip: Avoidusingtomatoinsandwichesasitmakesthebreadgosoggyandcanbecomenotverytasty.

Useavarietyofbreadstokeepthelunchinterestingforexamplechangebetweenbreadrolls,pittabreadsandwraps.

Other options available:Whynotpackoneofthefollowinginaplasticcontainerandincludeitasanotheroptiontosandwiches:

• Tunaandpastasalad.• Minipizzamadewithatoppingofavarietyofvegetables.• Roastedvegetablesandrice.• Chickensaladwithachunkoffrenchbread.• Vegetablecurrywithrice.

Tip: Don’tforgettoincludeafork(ifneeded)

Cultural provisionForvariousculturalideaspleaselookatwww.healthylunch.org.uk

Thesiteofferssuggestionswhichcanalsobetranslatedintovariouslanguages.

Tool 19Packed lunch suggestions


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• Chickenandcucumberinawholemealroll• Crackersandcheesespread• Portionofgrapes• Fruityoghurt• Water

£0.97

• Hamandlettucesandwich• Apple• Smallsliceoffruitloaf• Yoghurt• Water

£0.90

• Lentilandvegetablecurrywithchapatti• Apple• Yoghurt• Water

£1.05

• Eggandcresssandwich• Satsuma• Fruityoghurt• Portionofraisins• Water

£0.80

• Tuna,sweetcornandpastasalad• Cucumbersticks• Satsuma• 2fruitbiscuits• Water

£0.98

• Wrapwithcheeseandmixedbeans• Carrotsticks• Asmallbunchofgrapes• Water

£0.99

• Wrapwithcucumberandtunamixedwith smallamountofmayonnaise

• Apple• Fruityoghurt• Portionofraisins• Water

£1.04

• Cheeseandcucumbersandwich• Portionofgrapes• Yoghurt• FruitSquash

£0.91

*averagepricesacrossthreestores;Asda,Tesco&Sainsburys(June2008)

Tool 20Click here to Create your own school ‘at a glance’ packed lunch policy


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Enter school name:For a balanced packed lunch select these healthier foods and drinks:

Avoid including these foods in packed lunches:

Fruit and Vegetables

Oily Fish

Starchy Food

Milk and Dairy Food

Drinking Water

Healthier Drinks

Snacks

Confectionery

Meat Products

Meat and Alternatives

†Be aware of nut allergies. Refer to the school policy on nuts or visit www.allergyinschools.co.uk for more information

Enter school name:

For a balanced packed lunch select these healthier foods and drinks:

Avoid including these foods in packed lunches:

Fruit and Vegetables

Oily Fish

Starchy Food

Milk and Dairy Food

Drinking Water

Healthier Drinks

Snacks

Confectionery

Meat Products

Meat and Alternatives

†Be aware of nut allergies. Refer to the school policy on nuts or visit www.allergyinschools.co.uk for more information

Tool 21The ‘eatwell plate’


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Fruit and vegetablesAny fruit and vegetables can be included, try to include at least one portion a day.

Foods high in fat and/or sugarSmall amounts of food high in fat and/or sugar can be eaten in a balanced diet, but should not be included in packed lunches. We ask that they are eaten outside school.

Drinks high in fat and/or sugarSchools may choose to implement a ‘water only’ policy. To meet standards fresh drinking water should be available at all times and all fizzy drinks including sugar-free and diet should be barred.

Bread, rice, potatoes, pastaAll varieties of starchy foods are acceptable, try to include wholegrain when possible.

Milk and dairy foodsTry to include dairy food every day.

Meat, fish, eggs, beansEither meat, fish, eggs or another source of non-dairy protein should be included every day.

The eatwell plateUse the eatwell plate to help you get the balance right. It shows how much of what you eat should come from each food group.

Fruit and vegetables

Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta

and other starchy foods

Meat, fish, eggs, beans

and other non-dairy sources of protein

Milk and dairy foods

Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar

Tool 22Lunchtime monitor forms


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With special thanks to Bankside Primary School for sharing the following information.

Example advert for lunchtime helpers:

Dinnertime helperCan you help at lunchtimes?

Would you like to help make our lunchtimes happier times?

Are you calm and caring?

Do you know the importance of being a great helper?

Would like to help children in the dining hall?

• Liningup(2needed)

• Servingwater(2needed)

• Packedlunches(2needed)

• Totalnumberofchildrenneeded12(6toworkeveryotherweek)

Closingdate:

Interviewsheldweekbeginning:

Lunchtime helper application form:

Name: Class:

Date:

Whydoyouwanttobealunchtimehelper?

Whatdoyouthinkalunchtimehelpersroleshouldbe?

Whydoyouthinkitisimportanttomakelunchtimesahappytime?


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Lunchtime helper interview questions:

Name: Class:

Date:

Ifachildhasapacketofcrispsintheirlunchboxwhatwouldyoudo?

Ifyouseeachildwhoisupsetatlunchtimeandisn’teatingtheirlunchwhatcouldyousaytothechild?

Ifachildhasn’teatentheirlunchandaretakingittothebinwhatwouldyoudo?

Lunchtime helper contract:

SchoolName:

I: fromclass:

Agreethatasahappylunchtimehelper

I:

• Shallmodelmybestbehaviouratalltimes;• Shallbepositiveandencouragechildrentofinishtheirlunches;• Willacknowledgetheirhealthychoices;• Willhelptosortoutchallenges;and• Shalltellthelunchtimestaffofthechallenges.

Signed:

Date:

Tool 23Award examples


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Healthy Packed Lunch Award

Presented to

for bringing a fruit or vegetable in his/her packed lunch everyday for two weeks

Signed

Date


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Healthy Eater Award

Presented to

for eating a fruit or vegetable everyday for two weeks

Signed

Date

education leeds toolkit - cornwall healthy schools

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