Packed Lunches

Children may bring a packed lunch as an alternative to a school dinner. We recommend that you include a cool pack in your child's lunch box as they are stored in warm classrooms/corridors during the day.

Children are encouraged to bring a healthy packed lunch in a named lunch box or bag. Whilst it is the parents’ choice as to what they put in their children’s lunch box, we do encourage a healthy mix and we do not allow children to eat sweets, chocolate or drink  fizzy drinks as part of their lunch.
 

Getting ideas and inspiration for what to include in your child’s lunchbox can be a difficult task.  Healthy eating is simply about getting a better balance and eating a wide variety of foods.  All foods provide energy and nutrients and it is achieving the correct intake of those nutrients that is important for health.  Variety is the key to a healthy diet, so try not to offer the same foods on consecutive days.  By including a broad range of different foods, a much wider variety of nutrients will be eaten.  The ‘Healthier Lunchbox Checklist’ helps to explain what ‘a healthy mix’ means in terms of getting a good balanced meal in a lunchbox.
 

Healthier Lunchbox Checklist:

Have you included…?

• A good portion of starchy food: e.g.  thick wholemeal bread, chapatti, pitta pocket, pasta or rice salad?
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables: e.g. an apple, a satsuma, handful of cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks, fruit chunks or small box of raisins?
• A portion of milk or dairy food: e.g. individual cheese portion or pot of yogurt?
• A portion of lean meat, fish or alternative: e.g. ham, chicken, beef, tuna, egg salad?
• A drink: e.g juice, milk or water.
   

  Please note that we are a NUT FREE school so please do not send any nuts or products containing nuts (such as peanut butter or cereal bars with nuts) into school with your child.
   

The following links contain some useful information on healthy packed lunches:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/childhealth6-15/Pages/Lighterlunchboxes.aspx