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Year 4 trip to Mountfitchet Castle

On Thursday, year 4 visited Mountfitchet Castle. They had the best day looking round the world’s only Motte and Bailey castle reconstruction that has been built on its original site. The children enjoyed learning how the soldiers lived in the ‘Bailey’ part of the site and tried on chain mail, explored different workshops they had to make pots, metal work or tools, practised jousting on a wooden horse and seeing how they collected water. Sadly some didn’t behave and ended up in the prison or were put into the stocks – all for fun of course! It was fascinating seeing some of stone remains from the original 12th century castle and you could easily imagine what life must have been like 1000yrs ago. There was also a toy museum on the site, housing the world’s largest collection of toys from the Victorian age to the 1990’s. The children loved this and recognised many older toys they had seen in their homes that belonged to their parents or grandparents. Well done year 4 for enjoying your day and a great way to enhance our learning of the period completed earlier this year.

Picnic lunch

On Tuesday 16th July the children will have a picnic lunch on the field. If they are having a school dinner the menu choices for that day will be:

• Pizza pitta, sweetcorn and wedges or Tomato pasta and a cookie
• Please note, there will be no other choices available.

2024-25 Pupil voice

Darlinghurst Academy

Children’s Healthy Lunchbox and Snack Policy

Why

As a Healthy School, Darlinghurst Academy is committed to encouraging and developing positive attitudes towards food and a healthy diet. Promoting a healthy life style is part of our curriculum and we recognise the importance of offering pupils the opportunity to make informed choices about what, when, and where they eat. As an academy we know that food not only provides essential nutrition but also that lunchtime experiences are important in supporting friendships and sharing positive values, attitudes and experiences with each other.

As members of the Junior Governors Team we have been involved in designing this policy, taking ideas and information from the children that we represent. Our ideas recognise how balanced nutrition contributes to our health, happiness and general well-being.

The Junior Governors

What we want to achieve

• - To improve the health of the whole school community by helping to encourage improved eating habits through better knowledge and awareness of food issues including what makes up a healthy diet.
• To ensure all pupils eat well in the academy and that they have access to safe, tasty and nutritious food and a safe, easily available water supply during the school day.
• To ensure that food in the academy acknowledges the ethical and medical needs of our community e.g. religious, vegetarian, medical and allergies. At Darlinghurst we have children who have allergic reactions to nuts, some of which are life threatening, and for this reason we are a NUT FREE school. We know that a list of children with food allergies is available to kitchen staff.
• To introduce and promote practices within the academy to reinforce these aims and to remove or discourage practices so that unhealthy food is not brought into the academy.

We recognise the importance of Keeping a healthy body and mind, being well and taking a mindful minute. It’s good to be green!

Snack suggestions

We, the Junior Governors have come together and have suggested that the following items are suitable for a healthy snack at play time. This list is not complete and many other things may be appropriate that we have not recorded below but the criteria we have suggested means that the foods are all healthy.

As an Eco-school, we also recognise the importance of snacks in natural wrappers like oranges or bananas but also shared the importance of a reusable, sustainable pot.

• Fruit: bananas, apples, grapes (halved), strawberries, mixed berries, mango slices, satsumas, pineapple sticks, orange quarters, melon slices, pomegranate, plums, peaches, fruit salad etc

• Cucumber sticks
• Pepper strips
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Sweetcorn
• Sugar snap peas
• Olives
• Pickles
• Carrot sticks
• Fruit winders
• Fruit bars
• Dried fruit (small amount as fresh is better)
• Banana chips
• Malt or fruit loaf
• Rice crackers
• Plain popcorn
• Cheese
• Cream cheese and crackers

Curriculum

We recognise education on healthy eating as a whole-school issue, and we believe that teachers provide opportunities to teach us about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, as well as good physical and mental health; these all form an important part of our academy’s curriculum. They are taught through the Science, PE and RSHE Curriculums and in our Mindful Minute sessions after lunch

Birthdays, special events and school parties in class are also times where food provides a sense of celebration and sharing. On these occasions foods other than fruit or vegetables may be offered, but we are mindful that this is an “occasional” treat and not “every day food”.

Packed Lunches/treats: Chocolate, sweets, biscuits, crisps, and cakes are actively discouraged as everyday snacks in school or as part of lunch boxes. However, we recognise that it is always nice to have treat so we have introduced “Treat Tuesday” when an unhealthy snack is acceptable. However, chewing gum and fizzy and energy drinks are not permitted on the school premises or while the children are representing the academy.

Monitoring and Evaluation a

This policy has been created by children for the whole school community. The effective implementation of this policy will be monitored by the Junior Governors and Inclusion Leader, Principal and Vice Principal. The policy will be evaluated annually taking into account the views of the whole school community, particularly those of pupils.

At Darlinghurst Academy we like to encourage pupils to develop healthy eating habits. By providing a delicious and nutritious snack and packed lunch, or by choosing school dinners for their child, parents will be helping to ensure that they experience a balanced day of learning.

Fizzy and energy drinks are not acceptable while at school.

Please save treat food for home time.