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Longfield Academy Healthy Eating Policy

21st July 2006

Responsibilities
The Governors recognise the important connection between a healthy diet and a student's ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school. The Governors also recognise the role a school can play, as part of the wider community, to promote family health, and sustainable food and farming practices. The Governing Body also recognise the need to comply with Government legislation regarding food sold on the school site.

The Governors recognise that sharing food is a fundamental experience for all people; a primary way to nurture and celebrate our cultural diversity; and an excellent way in which to build friendships, and develop and sustain inter-generational bonds.

Healthy eating is an integral element of a Healthy School, and as such plays a vital role in developing and sustaining Longfield Academy as a healthy community in which to work.

The objective is to help the entire school community to improve its health through the provision of information and the development of skills that establish and maintain life-long healthy and environmentally sustainable eating habits. This will be achieved through the curriculum and wider school strategies including the food served in the school.

1. Aims

1.To improve the health of students, staff and their families by helping to influence their eating habits through increasing their knowledge and awareness of food issues, including what constitutes a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet, and hygienic food preparation and storage methods.

2.To enhance awareness of the links between personal fitness and a healthy diet, and how improvements in these lead to healthier individuals.

3.To increase students' knowledge of food production, manufacturing, distribution and marketing practices, and their impact on both health and the environment.

4.To ensure students are well nourished at school, and that every student has access to safe, tasty, and nutritious food, and a safe, easily available water supply during the school day.

5.To ensure that food provision in the school seeks to reflect the ethical and medical requirements of staff and students e.g. religious, ethnic, vegetarian, medical, and allergenic needs.

6.To make the provision and consumption of food an enjoyable and safe experience.

7.To introduce and promote practices within the school to reinforce these aims, and to remove or discourage practices that negate them.

8.To reduce wherever possible the use of resources that result in litter and promote effective recycling practices.

2. Method

1.Through the Healthy Schools Committee oversee the development, implementation, and monitoring of this policy, and to encourage a participatory approach by as many members of the community to achieve the key aims.

2.Ensure that healthier food and drink options are available through all food outlets of the school, and that they meet the highest possible standards as outlined by ‘Food in Schools Guidance'.

3.Maintain a good awareness of all national initiatives related to the provision of healthy food and seek to apply best practices where possible.

4.Involve the whole school community in guiding food policy and practice, acting wherever possible on their feedback.

5.Ensure the provision of training in practical food education, including the preparation and serving of food for appropriate staff.

6.Ensure that there is full awareness of the school policies relating to the drinking of water during the school day, and the demands of this policy can be met.

7.Develop an understanding and ethos within the school of safe, tasty, nutritious, environmentally sustainable food, through both education and example.

8.To work towards the implementation of the new Nutritional Standards for School Lunches and Other School Food, and Nutrient-based Standards for School Lunches as governed by the introduction of new legislation.

9.Create an environment, both physical and social, conducive to the enjoyment of safe, tasty, nutritious, environmentally sustainable food. This environment will seek to encourage positive social interaction between students and staff.

10.Help to promote and raise awareness of environmentally sustainable food production methods and socially responsible food marketing practices.

3. Monitoring

1.This policy will be monitored through the work of the Healthy Schools/Eco-Schools working party.

2.Progress made and issues arising will be reported to the Governor's "Students and Community Committee" annually.

3.This policy will be reviewed in the Summer Term 2008