Milk and fruit
Schools Milk Scheme
Every child under the age of five is entitled to a free 189ml serving of milk whilst in attendance at a registered day care provider for two or more hours a day. School milk at mid-morning break is an important part of a child’s diet. It provides a number of health benefits and social opportunities that ensure children get the most out of their school day. If you would like your child to receive milk please sign up through the Cool Milk Scheme
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) helps your child achieve 5 A DAY.
Fruit and vegetables are a good source of the nutrients that children need and form part of a healthy, balanced diet.
It's recommended that children – like adults – eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. But research shows that on average children in England eat only about three portions, with many eating fewer.
The SFVS and your child
If your child is aged four to six they will receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day.
That provides one of their 5 A DAY portions, the scheme also helps to increase awareness of the importance of eating fruit and vegetables, encouraging healthy eating habits that can be carried into later life.
Teachers find that distributing the fruit in class groups helps to encourage a sharing, calm, social time. It also allows them to incorporate the scheme into teaching and learning.
SFVS and the school day
The fruit and vegetables are delivered to schools three times a week to ensure freshness. Depending on the season, there is a choice of:
- bananas
- apples
- pears
- carrots
- tomatoes
- easy-peel citrus fruits, such as satsumas
All the fruit and vegetables are washed before they are handed out, which is usually just before the mid-morning break, normally in individual class groups.
They are not handed out at lunchtime – this ensures that the fruit and vegetables supplied are not simply replacing the fruit and vegetables that might have been eaten at lunchtime anyway.