Last Revision: July 2026

Next Revision: May 2027

1.  RATIONALE & PURPOSE

The purpose of the Healthy Eating Policy is to support the health and wellbeing of all students by promoting healthy eating habits, providing nutritious food options, and educating the school community about the importance of balanced nutrition.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem around the globe. It is known that maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle during childhood is the best way to prevent many future illnesses and diseases. Increased physical activity and a balanced diet provide students with all the nutrients they need to lead an active healthy lifestyle.

At Amman Academy, we believe that good nutritional habits established during a child’s early and teenage years can improve attention span, work capacity and classroom behaviour. For this reason, we have committed to teaching our children about healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.

Together with parents, Amman Academy has an important role to play in helping children and teenagers fulfil their healthy growth and development potential by promoting a healthy lifestyle as well as healthy and balanced eating habits.

There are five key healthy eating messages that Amman Academy supports and promotes including:

• Eating healthy snacks consisting of fruit and vegetables (no nuts: some students have allergies to nuts).
• Appropriate portion sizes (bigger is not better).
• Promoting exercise and diet to maintain a healthy weight.
• Drinking fresh clean tap water (no sugary drinks are allowed at Amman Academy).
• Regular eating times.

2. REGULATORY & STANDARDS REFERENCE

3. SCOPE

Applies to: all Amman Academy students, parents, faculty, and non-academic staff. Covers all snacks, meals, and beverages brought into or served at school, including food brought for special events and celebrations.

Does not apply to: medically prescribed dietary requirements (which override this policy). Religious dietary observances are accommodated rather than excluded; see section 5 on Ramadan.

4. DEFINITIONS

• Healthy Snack: A snack comprising fruit, vegetables, or other items consistent with the school’s healthy eating messages, and excluding nuts.
• Sugary Drinks: Beverages with added sugar, including soft drinks and sweetened juices. Not permitted at Amman Academy.
• Nut-Free Standard: All food brought into school to share must not contain peanuts, tree nuts, or their by-products.

5. POLICY STATEMENTS

5.1   Core Principle:  Amman Academy is committed to teaching children about healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, and to providing a school environment that supports the five key healthy eating messages: healthy snacks (no nuts), appropriate portion sizes, exercise and balanced diet, water rather than sugary drinks, and regular eating times.

5.2   Requirement:  The following standards apply across snacks, beverages, special events, and religious observances:

5.2.1   Healthy Snacks:  Recess and Lunch times are important meal breaks for our students. Parents can support the school by providing healthy snacks for their children. Suggested options (per source policy):

• Utilize Fresh Fruit: sweet, tasty, healthy and kids love it. Whole, sliced, cubed or wedges.
• Dried fruit: raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, pineapples, mango and others with little or no added sugar.
• Frozen fruit: frozen grapes, blueberries.
• Fruit leather or other all-fruit roll-ups: no added sugar.
• Homemade fruit slice/tray bake: date and apple/apricot crumble slice.
• Popsicles: with 100% fruit juice and no sugar.
• Whole wheat English muffins, pita or tortillas: stuff or dip in bean dip.
• Crackers: whole grain crackers such as Triscuits, Kalvi Rye crackers, whole wheat matzos, served alone or with toppings such as low-fat cheese.
• Baked tortilla chips, Pretzels, breadsticks and flatbreads.
• Rice cakes: made with whole grain or brown rice.
• Vegetables with dip: carrot and celery sticks, cucumber, red and yellow pepper, broccoli etc., with low-fat salad dressing (Ranch or Thousand Island), light dips, bean dips, guacamole, salsa.
• Salad: prepare a salad or set out a salad bar for students to make their own salad.
• Edamame: soybeans in the shell, usually steamed and lightly salted.
• Veggie pockets: cut whole-wheat pita in half and add vegetables with dressing.
• Popcorn: low-fat popcorn in a bag or microwave popcorn. Air popped popcorn seasoned by spraying with vegetable oil spray and adding parmesan cheese, garlic powder or non-salt spice.

5.2.2   Beverages:  

• Water should be the main drink served at snack times.

5.2.3   Special Events and Celebrations:  There are many occasions in the lives of our students that warrant celebration. Birthdays and holidays are great examples of special events that prompt us to want to bring a treat into the classroom for our child or class to share. Parents are encouraged to align celebration food with the healthy-eating principles in 5.2.1 and 5.2.2.

5.2.4   Ramadan:  This is an important fasting time for our Islamic families. During Ramadan, the needs of students who are fasting should be considered, and so the school will adjust its activities accordingly. (per source policy ‘Ramadan’ section)

Please remember that all food brought into school to share should not contain peanuts, tree nuts or their by-products.

It is also recommended that for a healthy lifestyle, children should brush their teeth twice a day for two minutes: once before school, and again before bed.

5.3   Compliance:  Faculty will guide students towards healthy choices and intervene where snacks brought from home conflict with the policy (especially the nut-free standard).

6. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

7. EXCEPTIONS & WAIVERS

Authority to grant exceptions:  Head of School, in consultation with the health experts, may grant exceptions for students with medically prescribed dietary needs or other special circumstances.

Process:  Written request from parents with supporting medical documentation. Decision documented in writing.

Documentation:  All approved exceptions logged in the student’s file, accessible to relevant faculty.

8. RELATED DOCUMENTS

• Refer to the Amman Academy Parent-Student Handbook.
• Refer to the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy (right to nutrition).
• Refer to the school’s nut allergy register and individual student dietary records.
• Refer to the school’s PSPE / PHE programme for the exercise component of the policy.
• Refer to UU 36/2009 on Health and UU 18/2012 on Food (Indonesia).