Packed Lunch/Drinks

A healthy school drinks policy should aim to encourage children and young people to choose healthier drinks such as water, milk and fluids that provide nutrients to promote hydration prevent tooth decay and improve performance. The national school food and drink reforms consider drinks sold in school but not brought from home.

The Leeds school meals strategy team have developed a drinks policy guidance document to provide schools and other health promotion settings a quick and easy guide to improve the quality of drinks brought into schools.

The guidance is aligned to the government reforms and includes a range of information to help inform class discussion, policy planning sessions and lesson plans. Its structure of three core sections include; policy background and context; benefits of healthy drinks policy and a stepped guide to develop and implement in consultation.

For a copy of the document click below:

Drinks policy guidance for schools, and health promoting settings

Leeds city wide packed lunch policy guidance and toolkit

The Leeds school meals team, working in partnership has developed a Local Authority packed lunch policy guidance. Endorsed by Chris Edwards, Education Leeds Chief Executive and Rosemary Archer, Director of Children Service for its capacity to provide an effective healthy public policy that aims to:

• Promote equality, diversity and community cohesion;
• Provide an opportunity to develop relationships with pupils and parents;
• Act as a catalyst for schools to review their whole school food policy;
• Help families make informed, healthier and affordable choices;
• Improve quality of food brought from home;
• Promote synergy across the spectrum of local stakeholders and their health promotion strategies aimed at supporting the whole family.

In the long-term it aims to promote parity of school food provision; increase school meal uptake; improve health, attainment and economic outcomes; and establish long lasting change by connecting and supporting with families where a positive change in eating habits will be reflected in the home.

The rationale for local authority policy was informed by a literature review assessing legitimacy and feasibility, together with a needs assessment informed by a city wide public consultation engaging parents, pupils, heads and key partners. The policy framework was informed by the national School Food Trust’- Food Based Standards, that removes some food high in fat, sugar and salt. The toolkit and its resources were informed by local pilots, local research and utilise a range of national resources.

All primary and secondary schools, children centres, PRU’s and SILC’s etc each received a hard copy of the policy guidance and a DVD that contains a range of documents available below.

Schools can choose to implement the policy at their discretion. A recent survey has found many schools are implementing a policy in consultation with their families as part of their Healthy Schools achievements. Other centres including PRU’s are adopting the policy; children centres are utilising the policy to help prepare families during transition from nursery to primary school; youth centres and managers are adopting the policy as guidance for healthier food provision.

In order to avoid mixed messages, and promote community cohesion, key partners have committed to utilising the policy to help inform and guide their health promotion activities in the community with families etc. To further ensure synergy across the city, the policy will be promoted in workplace health promotion activities to the whole family.

Additional support is planned through a targeted training programme to develop skills and capacity for clusters of schools with high numbers of packed lunch eaters, attendees will also include extended service, children centres, and other front line practitioners.

To access the Packed Lunch policy; toolkit and supporting documents online please click on the following links. If you would like to save these documents please make sure that you select ‘file’ and ‘save as’.

How Leeds developed a city wide packed lunch policy.
This document provides a summary power point presentation illustrating how Leeds developed a city wide packed lunch policy.

(pdf, 0.98 MB)

Packed Lunch Policy Guidance
This document illustrates the local authority policy and sets out a range of guiding principles to help inform schools. It also illustrates the School Food Trust template and a blanc template that schools can complete using the tool 20 found in the toolkit.

Packed Lunch Policy Toolkit
This document provides the step by step guide and a range of suggested tools including consultation and participation techniques;

• evaluation guides;
• validated surveys;
• games and activities;
• health and safety guidance;
• monitoring tools and techniques;
• affordable menus;
• cultural menus;
• curriculum support (lesson plans); and
• teaching material aligned to the national healthy eating model ‘eatwell’ plate

(pdf, 1.04 MB)

Evidence based rationale and public consultation findings
This document provides the full literature review and findings from the public consultation including full responses from pupils and parents that informed the content and development of the policy and toolkit.

A Strategic Policy Framework for Governing Bodies
This document describes the role of Governing bodies and their responsibility to ensure the mandatory school food standards are implemented.

There are many people involved in the provision of school food roles and responsibilities must be shared across the school. The menu planning and provision of evidence is usually the responsibility of the catering manager. The responsibility for meeting the standards lies with the school governors www.nga.org.uk.

(pdf, 3.38 MB)

School Food Trust - A guide to introducing the Government’s food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches. This guide provides schools a clear definition and guidance of what counts towards the national standards e.g. confectionery and savoury snacks etc.

(pdf, 6434 KB)

Education Leeds have also developed a toolkit to increase the uptake of ‘Free School Meals’ informed by 2 years action research across 10 inner city schools in Leeds City Council.

Local authorities are welcome to use these policies.

Real Meals - Simple Cooking: Cold Food That Tastes Great

Following the huge success of 'Real Meals - Simple cooking made easy' published last September 2008, Secretary of State Ed Balls has launched a new recipe book aimed at all Year 6 Primary school pupils. The book contains a whole host of recipes that may encourage youngsters to cook meals from scratch during the summer holidays.

Governors and local authorities may be interested in the background literature review and findings from a city wide public consultation that informed the development of a city wide packed lunch policy that aims to improve quality of food brought from home. The policy supports schools health ethos and evidence shows that where packed lunch policy is implemented, it can often result in an increase in school meal uptake. The rationale document also informed the content of the packed lunch toolkit that provides guidance to schools on implementing the city wide packed lunch policy.