What is the most effective way of offering pupils healthy snacks without yet another financial burden to the school?

Recent reports from schools have suggested that an increasing number of children who are eligible to receive hot school lunches as part of the DfE’s free school meals scheme are reverting back to bringing in their own packed lunches.

A possible reason for this is because children, quite simply, enjoy snacking. A typical lunchbox will consist of a sandwich, an apple, a yoghurt, a chocolate bar, and a packet of crisps. All of which you might consider as foods that are snacks.

Now there is, of course, nothing wrong with a packed lunch as long as it contains roughly the equivalent nutrients and calories as can be found in a hot school lunch. But often this is not the case, and the snacks in some packed lunches contain far more sugar, salt and calories than is recommended.

And this, in turn, is why we have set up Tasty Tuck Shop – a simple-to-run school tuck shop based entirely on healthy food and drink. This way children can continue to snack, but on foods that prevent them from overeating and being overweight (now an issue for 64% of the UK population).

You pick and choose the snacks you sell so that your tuck shop stays varied and appealing – and your teaching colleagues can help the children to understand more about the healthier options that the shop offers.

We make a tuck shop simple to set up (there are no set up forms, etc) and we supply posters, nutritional information, display stands, and an example letter to give to parents.

The snacks sell for as little as 35p, and our ‘Healthy Range’ fully complies with the new ‘National School Food Standards’ that were introduced in January 2015.

You can find more information by clicking here and also on our website at www.tastytuck.co.uk

Alternatively please do call James on 01206 391179 or email me at james@tastytubs.co.uk

Supporting tutor time – free sample of ready to use resources

How can tutor time support learning and student development?
Wise Ark Ltd provides resources to help with the delivery of effective tutor time, aiding teachers cope with the many pressures they face including the need to promote ‘British values’.

Helping students develop tolerance and learn about British society is of intrinsic worth but how can hard pressed tutors do this on top of all the other demands on their time?

· Having opportunities to learn about and reflect on those who have contributed to society
has a part to play.

· Being able to work co-operatively to solve puzzles and challenges is also a method of
developing team working and listening skills which help support tolerance and
democratic methods.

Daily Tutor Time © provides all this and more in one easy to use package.

· Each week we supply (via email) a set of 5 ready to use power point presentations.

· Each day has information on a person or event linked to that date in the past as well as
a set of 4 activities related to that topic.

· Recent topics have included the Newport Chartist Uprising, William Hogarth and the first
female peers. (We do regularly include Scottish & Welsh related people/events)

· Daily activities are a mixture of observation, literacy, numeracy and knowledge/research
puzzles and challenges. There is also a free word document each week with the activities
– ideal for printing out or for adding to a shared area for student access.

For a free sample set of this week’s resources then please email michael at Wise Ark Ltd ; we will send you the power points and word document –there is no obligation and you will be free to use them across the whole school if wished.

Michael

Wise Ark Ltd Company no: 07630623

P.S We also offer Weekly Tutor Time © – an edited version of the above with information on one topic and 5 activities (one from each day).

A different world – The Cuckoo Rock Songbook

Take a world that is completely different from ours – and those creatures completely different from ordinary people like us
David Stoll (SEALSONGS, DICK OTTINGTON) has a new song collection for Primary Schools available for download from First & Best.

THE CUCKOO ROCK SONGBOOK includes twelve settings of poems by Phil Bowen. These magical poems are full of unusual characters, colourful scenes and surprising wordplay; the original book was short-listed for the CLPE prize.

The music has echoes of 60’s rock as well as various contemporary styles. The SONGBOOK includes both printed piano accompaniment and pre-recorded full backing tracks with permissions for use.

The package also contains a specially written story script for a narrator which weaves all the songs together.

Thus the collection can be used as a basis for individual songs to be sung in assembly or simply within the class, or it can be a complete production for presentation to parents and the rest of the school – without any need for complex staging, special lighting or any other effects that may or may not be available.

You can see an extract from the songbook here http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/CUCKOOROCKsample.pdf and you can hear the backing track here http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/primary/01 cuckoo rock.mp3

A copy of the complete collection of songs and the narrator’s script is available as a download from http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=820

The price is £16.95 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

THE CUCKOO ROCK SONGBOOK is distributed by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
First and Best in Education
Earlstrees Road
Corby
UK
NN17 4HH

Website: www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk
Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk

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