Healthy Eating
We know that an important part of being healthy is eating a balanced diet, full of natural goodness that gives us energy and helps us to grow. At Gleadless we are working hard to make sure that at school our children:
- Drink lots of water
- Get daily exercise
- Eat healthy snacks at playtime
- Have a healthy lunch
- Understand why sugar should be enjoyed in moderation
At Gleadless, children should not bring cakes or other sugary treats to school on their birthday. We celebrate birthdays by singing to the birthday boy or girl and they wear a celebration badge and hat when it is their special day!
We educate our children about healthy eating on a regular basis through the year. Here is an example of an assembly about how we can reduce the amount of sugar in our diet and why this is a positive choice for a healthy body.
Water
All children bring a water bottle to school. We give children regular opportunities throughout the school day to hydrate, particularly after playtimes. Drinking water is also available in every classroom, so that children can refill their bottles during the day.
Exercise
We know how important it is to exercise regularly; it's great for our physical health and our mental health too. Children have two active playtimes each day. There are playground games and sports activities to join in with, led by our fantastic teaching assistants and teachers. P.E lessons take place twice each week, where children are taught the full range of activities from the National Curriculum. We have some excellent additional opportunities in place too - adults run sports clubs at lunch times and after school. These include cycling, dance, basketball, football, athletics and boccia.
Healthy Snacks 
We allow children to bring fruit to eat at morning playtime. This keeps their energy up throughout the morning until lunch time. Soon we hope to introduce 'fruit passports' so that children can buy fruit for a small cost each week.
Healthy Lunches 
Our hot meals service offers healthy lunches to all children. Each day there are four options:
- Hot main meal
- Hot vegetarian main meal
- Grab and go bag (usually a sandwich, wrap or baguette)
- Jacket potato with a choice of topping
These are provided free of charge to pupils in EYFS and KS1. They are also free to children eligible for Free School Meals. Prefer a packed lunch instead? Here is some helpful guidance from EatSmart Sheffield for families about what to include in your child's lunch box.
Sugar 
Too much sugar is bad for children's health as it can lead to the build-up of harmful fat on the inside that we can't see. It can also lead to painful tooth decay. Every 10 minutes, a child in England has a tooth removed in hospital. Sheffield's Sweet Enough website has some fantastic information and resources about reducing the amount of sugar in our diet: https://www.sheffieldissweetenough.org/.
Breakfast
Eating a healthy breakfast helps to get the day off to a great start. Here is some information from Eat Smart Sheffield about just how important that first meal of the day is.