Willow Wood Community Primary School Food and Nutrition Statement
Why do I have to eat my vegetables? Why do I have to drink my milk? These are questions that we hear as parents and as educators all the time. Children are curious and need these questions answered through education and discussion so that they are equipped and able to make their own decisions in relation to the food and drinks they consume. At Willow Wood Community Primary School, we serve healthy meals and encourage children to choose healthy snacks. As a school we have completed the Food and Nutrition Pledge and have applied to achieve the Food and Nutrition Charter Mark to demonstrate our commitment to healthy eating.
Social and Emotional Health
Self-Awareness
Lessons about nutrition teach children the importance of taking ownership of their won health. We need to encourage children to think about how they feel physically and mentally depending on the food they eat. Exploring the mind-body connection leads to our children’s greater self-awareness and skills to make better choices to nourish their bodies and to help them to feel their best.
Social Awareness
Nutrition education serves as an opportunity to teach children about food and the relationship it has to different cultures as well as their own family heritage. This supports us to expose children to different foods and traditional practices, thus increasing their understanding and appreciation of diversity. Experiences include: trying Paneer curry when at the Hindu Temple, food tasting in Design Technology Lessons and work completed during healthy living week or culture days.
When teaching nutrition we make sure that we –
- Use age appropriate and culturally sensitive materials.
- Use meal times to teach about healthy options and snacks.
- Understand that it is recommended that we eat 5 portions of fruit or vegetables per day.
- Only allow water, milk or sugar-free juice to be served.
- Children all have school lunches which are nutritionally balanced and do not bring in packed lunches which are not.
- Offer nutrition education in a systematic way across year groups and key stages.
- Host taste tests in Design technology lessons to sample the foods of the cultures that they are learning about.
Developing Healthy Habits
We want children to adopt healthy eating habits from a young age in the hope that they continue to prefer them as they grow older. By helping children to make better food choices now, will have a big impact on their health and quality of life in the future.
See below for the United Nations Guide to Healthy Nutrition for children.
https://www.unscn.org/uploads/web/news/document/School-Paper-EN-WEB-8oct.pdf
Breakfast Club
At Willow Wood Community Primary School, we offer additional wrap around facilities for children to support both parents work and parents financially through a free breakfast club provision.
Breakfast club starts at 8am each morning and is free thanks to sponsorship via the Greggs Foundation.
Children enter via the EYFS door between 8am and 8.20am. For safety reasons children attending breakfast club MUST be dropped off and handed over by an adult to ensure children who are intended for breakfast club reach us as there will be no staff members on duty outside of school. The breakfast club is fully staffed by school staff so children are with familiar adults at all times.
The children are offered a substantial breakfast. This may consist of –
- Toast
- Cereal
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Yogurt
- Crumpets
- Fruit
School Dinners
At Willow Wood Community Primary School, our lunches are provided by Sunderland City Council. There is a winter and a summer menu, as well as theme days throughout the year. All lunches provide the children with a balanced, nutritious and healthy meal.
We do not allow packed lunches unless for religious or medical needs.
The menus for nursery and primary school children are specifically designed to provide children with the energy and nutrition they require across the school day. These are supplemented with a snack of fruit for KS1 children across the school day too. Children can choose from a selection of hot main meals (including vegetarian options) that change on a daily basis across a three-week cycle. There are also daily options of jacket potatoes, paninis and sandwiches; as well as a salad bar. They also choose a dessert and a drink.
The Sunderland School Meals Service has achieved the Bronze Food For Life Served Here Award for their primary school menus. This is a national award that sets out a series of quality standards that must be met to ensure menus are fresh, healthy, tasty and sustainable.
If you have a child in Reception or years 1 and 2, then they are entitled to a free school meal under the Universal Free School meals initiative.
Information on free school meal eligibility for parents who are in receipt of benefits can be found on the Together for Children Website or via this link –
Free School Meals – Together for Children
Families can apply for free school meals via the Family Portal –
Family Portal – Sign in (sunderland.gov.uk)
If you aren’t sure if you are eligible, please contact us on 0191 561 1417 or freeschoolmeals@togetherforchildren.org.uk and one of the team will try to help you.
Your child might be able to get free school meals if you receive any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
If your child is eligible for and getting free school meals at any time before 31 March 2025, they’ll remain eligible until this date.
Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
Please apply if you get any of these benefits – your child’s school can also get extra funding if you do. Free school meals are only available to school aged children (Reception onwards).
If your child is eligible for and getting free school meals at any time before 31 March 2025, they’ll remain eligible until this date.
Change in free school meal guidance for households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
The following groups may be entitled, subject to maximum income thresholds
- Zambrano carers
- Families who have no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
- Families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
- A subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Chen carers
- Families holding a BN(O) passport
- Spousal visa holders
- Work visa holders
- Student visa holders
- Those with no immigration status
The maximum income threshold differs based on the number of children that your family has.
Income thresholds
Annual household income thresholds for families able to work are: £22,700 for families with 1 child or £26,300 for families with 2 or more children
Please contact the free School Meals team for a self-declaration form, which should be signed and submitted with evidence of earnings or financial support.
If you are not eligible for free school meals the price of a meal is £2.20 per day or £11.00 per week which must be paid in advance. We are a cashless school and school meals therefore need to be paid via the Sunderland council Payment Link
https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/payonline
Here is the current school menu which rotates over three weeks:
Microsoft Word – Primary menu 23 24 (sunderland.gov.uk)
