Healthy Snack Guidelines
Most children require a snack at morning break to keep them going through the day.
We encourage children to bring in healthy snacks full of vitamins and minerals containing no added salt, fat or sugar. Many of these will help contribute to their five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, keep them alert and help them concentrate in class.
It can be hard during the week to think of suitable items for them to bring in to school so have put together some guidance for parents below.
Providing snacks in a small, named, recyclable container is ideal. These snacks should be packed into your child's school bag, rather than their lunch box, as lunchboxes are delivered to the hall each morning at registration and are not accessible during morning break.
Children in Nursery, Reception and KS1 have a daily snack of fruit or veg provided for free by the government, so additional snacks for these ages are not required.
If you are intending to send in healthy snacks with your child please limit them to the list below:
- Vegetable sticks such as celery, cucumber, peppers or carrot
- A piece of cheddar cheese or Babybel
- A breakfast/cereal bar (check labels carefully as many do contain nuts)
- Yoghurt tubes and pouches
- A piece of fresh or dried fruit such as pineapple, mango, kiwi, plain raisins, apricots, blueberries, banana slices
- Carbohydrate based snack such as bread sticks, plain pretzels, banana bread, malt loaf, oat/rice cakes, crackers or small pitta breads
- Homemade snack such as flapjacks or other oat/whole grain based snack.
All of the above must be nut free items and should be carefully checked by you, to ensure this.
We are aiming for a common-sense approach, with the key being to keeping it healthy. Break time snacks should not consist of chocolate, sweets, chewing gum or crisps.
Richard de Clare has pupils who are severely allergic to a range of nuts therefore we cannot allow any nut products to be eaten as a break time snack or as a part of packed lunches.
We hope that with your help, we can encourage the children to develop healthy eating habits that become a normal part of everyday life.
Further information and ideas about healthy snacks can be accessed on the NHS website by following this link: https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/food-facts/healthier-snacks/