School Policy

To provide extra support for the Crunch&Sip program your school may decide to develop a formal Crunch&Sip policy.

A policy is a way of ensuring ongoing commitment and support. All sectors of the school community need to be consulted and given an opportunity to comment. You are more likely to be successful if everyone involved has participated in the policy development and agree and understand its intent. We have listed some steps to get you started:

Step 1: Form a committee

The committee may include school representatives such as: principal, teachers, students, parents, school health nurse, health/physical education coordinator and school canteen representative. Committees of 6 to 10 people work best - enough people to express different views and do the work. Alternatively, your school may choose to include Crunch&Sip in another existing committee, such as a School Health or Student Welfare Committee.

Step 2: Talk to people

Some people are really keen to get involved in developing a Crunch&Sip policy but others may need a bit more convincing. If this is the case, you may need to run some information sessions and be prepared to provide detailed information to all members of the School community to educate them on the benefits.

Step 3: Write a draft document

On behalf of the school community, it is the committee's role to:

  • Review the Crunch&Sip policy template. (Template available for download)
  • Develop a policy by using the template or creating your own
  • Circulate a draft to your school administration
  • Prepare the final version of the document
  • Check progress in implementing the policy

The school policy should contain clear goals, outline how Crunch&Sip will be implemented (including lists of permitted food and drink) and how the school will check progress.

A sample Crunch&Sip policy is available to assist schools in this process.

Cancer Council WA together with Act Belong Commit have also developed sample Health and Wellbeing Policies for schools who would like to incorporate multiple health program elements within a single policy. These policies aim to be adaptable for schools and include sun protection, nutrition, physical activity and mental health. Inclusion of the relevant sections (clearly marked) will enable your participation in the Crunch&Sip program.

Access the Health and Wellbeing Policy template  - that includes sun protection, nutrition, physical activity, alcohol and mental health. And use the supporting materials for background information and instructions.

Step 4: Sign off

Once the document has been written, circulated and reviewed, the policy can be signed off. Each school will have a different process. Some schools require the parent associations or committees and the principal to sign off. Check your school's approach.