At St. Sidwell's we try to encourage children to lead healthy lifestyles and to help them to understand the importance of a balanced diet and sufficient exercise. We achieved the Healthy School Community Award in July 2007 and Healthy Schools Plus in July 2011. We look for your support in continuing to meet the standards by providing healthy food options for your child.
Drinking water is known to promote healthy bodies and alert minds and we encourage children to drink regularly during the school day. For health and safety reasons, parents are now asked to take responsibility for washing water bottles, but bottles or tops can be bought at a very reasonable price from the school. Children should bring their water bottle to school every day.
Hungry children find learning more difficult! We encourage them to eat a piece of fruit during morning play to keep their stamina up for the rest of the morning. Children in Foundation and Key Stage One are provided with a free piece of fruit each day, funded by the National Health Service. They are encouraged to also bring an extra piece of fruit for later in the day. Children under the age of 5 are additionally provided with a small carton of free milk.
Older children are encouraged to bring a piece of fruit or vegetable (carrot, celery etc) to eat during morning play (NOT biscuits, crisps or chocolate). Please support us in these efforts to develop healthy eating habits.
Children may bring a packed lunch for their mid-day meal, or you may buy a school dinner which is cooked on the premises. There is a wealth of evidence now about the effect of food on children's behaviour and concentration. We therefore ask you to please consider carefully what you provide for your child each day if they bring a packed lunch. Sweets are not allowed, but we also discourage chocolate bars and an over-reliance on processed snacks. Please also avoid nuts as we have a number of children with nut allergies and need to minimise the risk of them coming into contact with any form of nuts. Sandwiches and fresh fruit are ideal, providing the right kind of energy for your child to make the most of their afternoon in school.