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<p>The department encourages a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through
school funding, legislation and guidance.</p><p>The standards for school food are
set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These regulations are
designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options,
and to make sure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the
school day.</p><p>Under the benefits-based criteria, over 2 million of the most disadvantaged
pupils are eligible for and claiming a free school meal. An additional 1.3 million
infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction
of Universal Infant Free School Meals.</p><p>The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme
also provides over 2.2 million children in Reception and key stage 1 with a portion
of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school. Schools are encouraged to use it
as an opportunity to educate children and to assist a healthy, balanced diet.</p><p>The
importance of a healthy diet is also included in the science curriculum for both primary
and secondary school. Healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition
and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on
how the body functions.</p><p>The Relationships, Sex and Health Education statutory
guidance states that by the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes
a healthy diet; the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals;
the characteristics of a poor diet; and risks associated with unhealthy eating and
other behaviours. By the end of secondary school pupils should know how to maintain
healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks.</p><p>Healthy eating
and opportunities to develop pupils’ cooking skills are covered in the design and
technology (D&T) curriculum. Cooking and nutrition are a discrete strand of the
D&T curriculum and is compulsory in maintained schools for key stages 1 to 3.
The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles
of healthy eating and nutrition. The department has also introduced a new food preparation
and nutrition GCSE to provide pupils with practical cookery experience and teach them
the underlying scientific concepts of nutrition and healthy eating.</p><p>The Healthy
Schools Rating Scheme celebrates the positive actions that schools are delivering
in terms of healthy living, healthy eating and physical activity. This voluntary rating
scheme is available for both primary and secondary schools.</p>
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