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FOOD SCHOOL POLICY

School communities are increasingly becoming places where healthy habits and good manners can flourish. The responsibility for teaching children healthy habits, good manners, growing food and table etiquette does not fall only on teachers though.

A healthy school community involves all partners and sends children the same message in the home, school, and community. Children who attend a healthy school with superior ethics can make informed, healthy decisions that affect their own lives and the lives of their families.

It doesn’t take a lot to create a healthier school. Some changes could include:

• Incorporating healthy eating and physical activity across the curriculum in fun and creative ways

• Teaching learners and staff to apply good table etiquette, cleaning after them and not walk around with food. All meals are to be eaten at a table with proper utensils and using a napkin.

• Creating partnerships with the broader community, for example local food growers, sporting clubs, library etc.

• Providing professional development opportunities for teachers and other support staff to teach and promote healthy eating and being active.

Schools can encourage good nutritional habits by:

• Developing a whole school food policy

• Involving pupils and parents in guiding food policy and practice within the school, and enabling them to contribute to healthy eating, and acting on their feedback

• Offering healthy foods in school canteens

• Providing clean, cool water fountains

• Assessing the food provided at the school canteen and vending machines

• Providing parents with information on healthy food choices and active living

• Developing a school vegetable garden

• Offering regular snack breaks for students to eat fruit and vegetables

• Allowing students to bring their water bottles into the classroom with them

• Providing a welcoming eating environment that encourages positive social interaction.

• Developing a whole school physical activity policy, which encourages all staff and students to be physically active, then implement, monitor and evaluate it for impact

• Providing a school environment that encourages being active, for example adequate playground facilities, access to equipment, walking paths etc.

• Providing secure bike racks or storage to encourage students and staff to ride to work

• Scheduling more physical education and physical activity

• Involving students in decisions about the school environment

• Including students when deciding the type of physical activity to be undertaken, making them more committed to participation

• Providing parents/carers with the opportunity to be involved in the planning and delivery of physical activity opportunities

• Ensuring that adequate time is spent on developing fundamental motor skills.

Positive modelling by school staff is important to support healthy eating and physical activity policies and actions. It helps to show leadership and commitment that others, such as students and parents, can be inspired by.

Teachers are in a good position to act as positive role models for students, parents and the community. As a teacher, you know that students watch what you say and do very carefully. Any difference between your words and your actions is picked up quickly. This can be frustrating, but keep in mind that students learn by watching and copying the behaviour of others.

A teacher who makes healthy choices – including healthy eating and regular physical activity – can have a good influence on the health of students, others and most importantly, yourself.

Schools and teachers can model healthy eating and being active at school by:

• Packing a healthy lunch and taking the time to eat it

• Providing healthy snacks at school and staff functions (staff meetings, parent-teacher interviews, etc.)

• Using non-food rewards (pencils, skipping ropes) instead of lollies and sweets

• Walking rapidly during yard duty

• Joining in the activities during physical education classes, recess or lunchtime

• Using public transport for school excursions – it is often cheaper and you can get in your physical activity for the day

• Taking activity breaks during classes

• Supporting physical activity opportunities during and after school

• Sharing your physical activity interests with students.

We encourage parents and staff to always eat at tables. Keep the environment clean and please follow the advice above. When you model healthy habits, your own health improves.

By choosing to eat healthy foods and be physically active, you will find that you are more alert, have more energy, smile more, remember more and generally feel better about yourself.