Category: School Survey

School breakfasts, lunches, snacks and drinks

Posted on by Ashleigh

Breakfast, lunch and drinks – The results are in…

With so many different choices nowadays, it can be hard to keep up with what your children are eating for their breakfasts and lunches in school or nursery. Not only this, but the variety of drinks and snacks offered too can prove to have more added sugar in than you think.

We’ve had a great response to our Rewards Review survey, with 487 UK schools and nurseries taking part already, and we’ve found some very interesting results that you may want to take a look at…

 

Breakfast

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day, of course. We found that 66% of schools ran a breakfast club, and 66% of all breakfast club drinks contained added sugar.

Typically, we would advise schools and nurseries to stick to water for breakfast. Juices and soft drinks give children a sugar spike, quickly followed by a sugar crash, meaning your children’s energy levels will actually decrease before they’ve even started their school day. 9% even provided soft drinks at breakfast time, which we would suggest to cut out completely!

20% of schools provided cereals with HIGH sugar content. The main cereals on offer where Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies, which were provided by 90% of schools that took part.

Other high sugar cereals include Crunchy Nut, Coco Pops and Frosties, so keep an eye out for nutrition labels when you’re next in your local supermarket to see the sugar content for yourself!

Experts say foods that are considered high in sugar have more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g. You can read in more detail about how healthy breakfast cereals are by clicking here.

Bar Chart for Breakfast Cereals

Lunch

After analyzing the survey results, we found that 98% of schools and nurseries provided lunch for their pupils. A whopping 94% of these offered desserts with added sugar. Take a look at the bar chart below, and you will see desserts are almost as popular as fruit. Not only this, but ice cream was next in line, another culprit full of added sugar.

Bar Chart Results 2019

In our survey, we asked how many days per week schools offered cakes/puddings and sweets for dessert. The results came back at an average of FOUR days per week. Due to these results, we suggest lowering this to ONCE per week. The more desserts are provided, the more of a problem we will have with children expecting them more on a regular basis as part of their everyday eating habits.

 

Don’t forget about snacks!

For schools with a tuck shop, 94% sell snacks with added sugar. This includes chocolate, bread sticks, sweets, biscuits, popcorn and crisps. So, we suggest promoting fruit and veg snacks. This could include celery sticks, whole fruit and more. For more quick snack ideas click here.

 

Drinks

What drinks do you provide at breakfast club?

Bar Chart Results 2019

Did you know drinks are actually just as important to keep an eye on as food? Many soft drinks are full of added sugar and artificial sweeteners, which will increase the number of children developing tooth decay at such a young age.

Did you know the main reason children between ages 5-9 are admitted to hospital is due to tooth decay? The quicker we can kick added sugar from schools, the quicker we will see an improvement in our children’s dental health.

Water is the best drink to offer children at meal times, as it provides hundreds of health benefits. As well as this, we advise soft drinks to be cut out completely, which will also help prevent any after-lunch slumps.

 

Wait, there’s more…

Take a look below at our info graphic to find out some more surprising results from our Rewards Review survey, based on the answers from 487 UK schools and nurseries. What stands out the most to you?

Infographic 2019

Read our Press Release by clicking here.

Have you taken our Rewards Review yet?

We want to help as many children as possible lead a healthy lifestyle in schools and nurseries. We want to make sure schools are continually improving ways to reduce sugar from their diets.

Do you know someone who works in a school or nursery? Are you a headteacher or assistant headteacher? We would love to hear from you.

Take the Rewards Review here and we will send you a bespoke report free of charge, packed full of low-sugar advice.

Snacks, Sports Days and Fundraising

Posted on by Ashleigh

Snacks, sports and fundraising days

When it comes to snacks in schools, it can prove tricky to monitor what children are bringing in, especially if these are secondary school students who may visit local supermarkets on the way to school. In some schools, there are no guidelines to what pupils can have as snacks.

As well as this, sports days can be associated with rewarding children with food and drinks, thinking this will bring them an energy boost, but this is not the case. Some schools even used sugary, food-based prizes after children had taken part in a day full of healthy exercise.

Lastly, fundraising events tend to be focused around cake and sweet treats to boost funds for schools. There are plenty of alternatives to sugar-laden cake sales, and that’s where Rewards Project can help you.

Throughout June/July 2019, we’ve had 587 schools respond to our Rewards Review survey. We thought we’d share some of the results with you to help improve the way you reward children with sugar when it comes to snacks, sports days and fundraising events.

Snacks

We asked schools about the snacks they provide and were surprised to find that some schools did not have snack guidelines. Some answers also included a list of foods with high sugar content such as chocolate, biscuits and bacon rolls. However, most schools did offer fresh fruit and vegetables and have also cut-out fizzy drinks. Take a look at some of our schools’ responses below…

  • Healthy snacks of fruit, but no nuts because of allergies. – Wessex Primary School
  • All pupils and parents are advised to bring a healthy snack – Ashcroft School
  • Fruit or vegetables only and milk. – Stoney Middleton primary school
  • No chocolate or fizzy drinks – Westcroft School

 

Did you know?

Most cereal bars are full of sugar and they try and hide it as “natural”. Some such as Nakd bars have no added sugar, but packed full of sugar from the added fruits. In our opinion these bars are not suitable for children and definitely not in a school environment.

Sports, Snacks and Fundraising

A Naked bar has over 38g of sugar per 100g. As they are 35g size the 13.6g sugar a child has is almost their daily maximum (as recommended by WHO) 7-10 years olds under 6 teaspoons (24g) and 11 years and up seven teaspoons (30g).

Instead, have fresh fruit, yogurt or vegetables. Perhaps feed them a bigger lunch so they don’t need to snack at some point in the day.

Looking for more ideas?

You can find alternative low sugar snacks on our recipe page.

 

Sports Day

Sports days are energetic and fast-paced, and it can often leave school children feeling tired at the end of the day. Many schools feel that because of this, they need to top up their energy with sugary drinks and snacks afterwards, but this is not the case.

Simply offering children with fresh water and an optional piece of whole fruit is the only thing needed to fuel their sports day.  Our rewards survey showed that some schools actually rewarded children after sports day with biscuits, ice creams, cake, cream teas, chocolate and flapjacks.

Here’s a few examples of healthy results from our recent survey…

 

Fundraising Days

Fundraising days are a great way for staff and children to have fun whilst raising important funds for their school – especially cake sales.

Cake sales have always been an obvious and popular way of raising money for schools. However, after looking at our current survey results, we found some schools were holding cake sales up to eight times per term. Our guidance is no more than once per term and try to think beyond cake!

 

So, what can you do?

Overall, it’s really worth rethinking other fun fundraising events that avoid food or in particular sugar laden foods. This could include quizzes or wire loop circus type games. Take a look below at some of our innovative fundraising ideas that don’t involve sugar…

  • Hold a fundraising walk
  • Create a fundraising quiz afternoon
  • Swap cake sales for book sales
  • Dance competitions
  • School tug of war challenges
  • Obstacle courses
  • Plan a games day
  • Hold a jumble sale
  • More non-uniform days
  • Create Christmas cards to sell in the festive season

 

Snacks, Sports and Fundraising

Read our Press Release by clicking here.

Have you taken our Rewards Review yet?

So, do you know someone who works in a school or nursery? Are you a headteacher or assistant headteacher? We would love to hear from you.

Take the Rewards Review here and we will send you a bespoke report free of charge, packed full of low-sugar advice.

Birthdays at School

Posted on by Ashleigh

Birthdays at School

When it comes to birthdays at schools, children can be surrounded by sweet treats and of course, birthday cake. In this day and age, it is almost instinct for children to associate birthdays with sugar.

However, we want children to think beyond sugar and know that there are plenty of alternatives when it comes to celebrating birthdays in the classroom.

After reviewing our latest results taken from the Rewards Review survey throughout June and July 2019, we found that many schools had come up with some innovative ways on how to reward children with sugar-free alternatives.

 

Responses from our Rewards Review Survey

‘We have a fake birthday cake with candles that the child blows out’ – The Cheshire Day Nursery Group

‘We all sing ‘Happy Birthday’ – Drumlemble Primary School

‘A special mention is announced in assembly’ – Wessex Primary School

‘They get to be the Line Leader for the day’ – Woodthorpe Junior and Infant School

‘Students are given a birthday card and birthday badge – Acle St Edmund C of E Primary School

‘Nursery students get a book’ – Model Primary School Derry

 

Need more inspiration?

We’ve put together a helpful list of non-food related rewards that can help celebrate children’s birthdays in the classroom. Do you have any ideas? Get in touch and share your thoughts with us…

Recognition:

  • Sing happy birthday in class or assembly.
  • Invite the headteacher into the classroom to personally wish them Happy Birthday.
  • Let them bring in something for a birthday ‘Show & Tell’.
  • Let them be the Line Leader for the day.

 

Get creative:

  • Plan an art class where children can make cards and banners for the pupils birthday.
  • Get the class to group together to create birthday bunting for the classroom.
  • If the weather is nice, take the class outside for one lesson.
  • Bring in a plain white t-shirt and have the class sign it with birthday messages.

 

Let them choose:

  • See which game they would like to play in P.E.
  • Ask them to choose a friend to sit next to for the day.
  • Let them borrow a book to take home to read overnight.

 

Non-food items:

  • Reward them with a birthday badge or let them wear a special sticker for the day.
  • Gift them with a ‘Birthday’ pen or pencil to keep.
  • As well as this, choose a cuddly toy that is only allowed out on birthdays, and let the pupil look after it for the way.
  • Gift them with a birthday balloon to take home at the end of the day.

 

Donations:

Perhaps donate a book to their class on their birthday, rather than bringing in cakes, as this is a lovely way for the children to enjoy something that will last, and will benefit the class for the rest of the year.

You could even add a book plate at the front with their name and birthday and put on a protective cover before the book goes into their class reading corner. If you’re still looking for ideas, you may find some ideas over on our Alternative Rewards blog.

 

What are the guidelines for parents for Children’s Birthdays?

Can they bring in Cakes/Biscuits/Sweets/Chocolates?

After taking a look at some of the answers to this question, we found that the majority of schools who took part in our survey said there were no guidelines to what parents could bring in on their children’s birthdays. Many schools mentioned that they often bring in cakes and sweets to share with the class and some even bring in cake for their mentor.

 

So, what can you do?

Ideally, your school policy would not allow parents to bring in cake to school, even if they do not eat it at school. Depending on their age, stickers, small items of stationery or balloons can be just as fun. Some of our partnership schools have used “nut allergies” as an excuse to ban cakes being brought into school. Above all, children will have cakes outside school, so there will be no need to bring it into school as well.

 

Have you taken our Rewards Review yet?

Do you know someone who works in a school or nursery? Are you a headteacher or assistant headteacher? We would love to hear from you.

Take the Rewards Review here and we will send you a bespoke report free of charge, packed full of low-sugar advice.

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