We are constantly educating children on the benefits of a balanced and healthy diet. We are a Healthy Eating School and lunches are provided from our own in school kitchens. We ensure our menu is balanced and varied with dishes from around the world. We try to encourage children to try new things and experience new tastes with regular celebratory meals. Parents and grandparents are invited in to experience lunchtimes with their children and sample the school dinners. We also teach food hygiene and healthy eating across the curriculum with food technology, diet and health taught in a range of areas. 

A healthy diet is essential for maintaining and protecting children’s health, for ensuring they perform to their full potential during the school day (both academically and physically) and for their growth and development.

Our aim is to help them establish a healthy lifestyle that, we hope, will continue into adulthood. Proper nutrition is essential for good health and effective learning.

The benefits of Healthy Eating include:

• Helps young people develop, grow and do well in school
• Prevents childhood and adolescent health problems such as obesity, eating disorders, tooth decay and anaemia
• May help prevent health problems later in life, including heart disease and cancer
• Establishing healthy eating habits at a young age is critical because changing poor eating patterns in adulthood can be difficult
• Sitting down to a meal with other children is an important part of a child’s social education
• Stabilize their energy.
• Improve their minds.
• Even out their moods.
• Help them maintain a healthy weight.

Consequences of Unhealthy Eating include:

• Hungry children are more likely to have behavioural, emotional and academic problems at school
• Research suggests that not having breakfast can affect children’s intellectual performance
• Poor eating habits and inactivity are the root cause of overweight and obesity. The percentage of young people who are overweight has almost doubled in the last twenty years
• Eating disorders are extremely common among young people
• 76% of teachers believe overweight school children are bullied more than any other group.

Below are useful links for more information on ways to support children and school with healthy eating.