The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) helps your child achieve 5 A Day.

If your child is aged four to six and attends a fully state-funded infant, primary or special school in England, they are entitled to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day.

Fruit and vegetables are a good source of the nutrients that children need and form part of a healthy, balanced diet. It's recommended that children – like adults – eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Teachers find that distributing the fruit in class groups helps to encourage a sharing, calm, social time. It also allows them to incorporate the scheme into teaching and learning.

The fruit and vegetables are delivered to schools three times a week to ensure freshness. Depending on the season, there is a choice of:

• bananas
• apples
• pears
• carrots
• tomatoes
• easy-peel citrus fruits, such as satsumas

Some schools also offer strawberries when they are in season.

All the fruit and vegetables are washed before they are handed out, which is usually just before the mid-morning break, normally in individual class groups. 

They are not handed out at lunchtime - this ensures that the fruit and vegetables supplied are not simply replacing the fruit and vegetables that might have been eaten at lunchtime anyway.