Day-to-Day Snacks and Drinks

Healthy Breaktime Snacks at Bloxham

At Bloxham, we encourage children to enjoy healthy snacks at breaktime. Fruit and vegetables are always the best choice, but we know families sometimes like to provide an alternative. To support children’s health, energy and concentration, and to avoid high sugar or salty snacks, here are some suitable ideas.

What to Avoid

• Crisps, sweets, chocolate bars, and cakes

• Biscuits, pastries, and other high-sugar snacks

• Sugary cereal bars (often higher in sugar than they appear)

• Processed snacks – although products like Fridge Raiders and similar products may appear healthy, they contain high levels of salt. A small piece of plain chicken breast or other freshly prepared food is a much better option.

• Nuts of any kind (due to allergies)

Great Alternatives to Fruit and Vegetables

• Plain rice cakes or corn cakes – try wholegrain varieties for extra fibre

• Breadsticks – unsalted and plain

• Mini pitta bread or small wraps – can be eaten plain or filled with a small amount of low-fat cheese spread

• Oatcakes – choose plain, low-salt options

• Cheese portions – such as cheese sticks, cubes or triangles (keep portions small)

• Plain popcorn – air-popped, not coated in sugar or salt

• Natural yoghurt tubes or pots – look for low-sugar versions

• Small piece of cooked chicken breast – freshly prepared at home

Why This Matters

Healthy snacks help children:

• Maintain steady energy levels for learning

• Protect their teeth and overall health

• Build positive lifelong habits around food

Thank you for supporting us in keeping breaktimes healthy and safe for every child.

Pupils in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One are able to have a free portion of fruit or vegetables every day through the National Fruit Scheme.

We encourage pupils to drink water whilst at school rather than fruit juices or sugary drinks, with pupils actively encouraged to bring clearly-labelled water bottles into school that can be kept in the classroom. For health and safety reasons, pupils are required to take their drink bottles home regularly to be washed.

We encourage healthy and balanced meals in school lunchboxes, please support us by not including confectionery in packed lunches.  Through learning about a balanced diet, children will be able to comment on their own lunchboxes. 

We encourage pupils to take their time to eat their dinner, and to eat as much of it as possible – both for their own health and to minimise food waste. If a child has a packed lunch, they are required to take home all unfinished food, so that parents are aware of what has been eaten, and what has not.

Fresh Start Catering
Fresh Start catering, our school meal providers, believe that providing your child with a healthy ‘home-cooked’ meal during the school day is essential. Meals are freshly prepared in the school kitchen every day.  They offer 3 different meal options, including unlimited salad cart, hand-made bread, a main, pudding or fresh fruit and organic yoghurt. The menus work on a 3-weekly rotation and all meals are nutritionally analysed by the Children’s Food Trust.

The benefits of a wholesome school meal is at the forefront of the news at the moment and with the government’s backing for Free School Meals for all Key Stage 1 children, it’s easier than ever for children to enjoy a healthy school meal.

Healthy Eating

School health nurses promote healthy eating in a variety of ways. You can learn more about the work they undertake as part of the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) by going to the section above called ‘Child Measurement’.

Further resources to help keep families healthy and active:

Healthier Families – Home – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Why Your Child’s Weight Matters (leaflet)

Physical activity guidelines for children and young people – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Gloji Energy | Achieve Oxfordshire