The IndependentSchool Food Plan

London schools help shape plan for better school food

Teachers, parents and school cooks from across London are to join forces to help shape the future of school food in England.

On Monday 25 March, Grey Coat Hospital School in Westminster will host the last of seven school food events taking place across the country.

The roadshow will help to inform the independent School Food Plan which is currently being drawn up by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent of Leon restaurants.

Teachers, school cooks and parents have been invited to discuss the benefits of children eating healthily, share their experiences of school food and tell Henry and John what they would like to improve.

Siân Maddrell, headteacher at Grey Coat Hospital School, said:

We are committed to giving our students the very best opportunities for educational success, and we understand the importance which good nutrition plays in educational attainment. Our catering team take pride in producing a wide range of delicious meals for our students from locally sourced, fresh ingredients. However, it isn’t just the students who benefit from the excellent food; many of our staff opt for lunch from the Grey Coat Café too.

We are delighted to be hosting this event and supporting the campaign for better school food.

Gabby Logan, sports commentator and guest speaker at the event said:

Food, health and nutrition are huge passions of mine. What we eat is everything, we fuel our brains and our bodies to help us fulfil our dreams and ambitions whether it’s in sport, the arts, academia or any walk of life.

I am totally committed to helping give children the best possible start in life and helping them achieve their dreams. The best way to break a cycle of obesity and inactive lifestyles is to educate the youngest in our society and feed them the best way we possibly can.

Henry and John were appointed by the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, to lead an independent review of school food. The review will look into what more needs to be done to accelerate the inspiring work done by Jamie Oliver and others to ensure that all children eating in English schools are offered good food and develop an understanding of food and nutrition.

Henry Dimbleby said:

There is so much good work being done to improve school food by people in schools around the country. Our priority is to hear from as many teachers, cooks, parents and pupils as we can, to produce an action plan which will nurture and accelerate the improvements already happening in schools.

The event follows the publication of the draft national curriculum which, for the first time, requires all secondary school children to learn about food and cookery. With almost a quarter of reception children and over a third of year six children in the London overweight or obese, there has never been a more important time for them to learn these essential skills.

John Vincent said:

We promised to deliver an action plan that gets to grips with exactly how ideas and dreams can be implemented for all kids, and stick. We can only do that by hearing from those schools that are doing this well – including the Grey Coat Hospital School – and sharing their success with others.

The School Food Plan – which will set out what more needs to be done to make sure that all school children are offered good, nutritious food and are given an understanding of food and nutrition – will be published later this year.

Using food to bridge the achievement gap: Greenfields Community School

Nottingham is Britain’s poorest city. Half a mile from the city centre, surrounded by housing estates beset by social problems, is Greenfields Community School.

Some 60% of our pupils are eligible for free school meals. 80% come from an ethnic minority background and a quarter are the children of asylum seekers, refugees or economic migrants. They speak more than 30 different languages between them.

Terry Smith, our head teacher, see food as not only fuel for our hard-working children, but also as a means of expanding their horizons. The introduction of the Pupil Premium – with money paid for each child entitled to free school meals – means that Greenfields now receives an extra £90,000 a year (around 8% of its total budget). This money is spent on extra-curricular activities that help bridge the “achievement gap”, such as music lessons, a school counsellor, a Learning Mentor and cooking and gardening sessions.

A professional gardener comes in weekly to teach our children, tend our vegetable patch and run our after-school gardening club. Two teachers have also been trained as “Forest School” practitioners, developing our pupils’ outdoor skills. All our children learn to cook at school, using lesson plans developed with the Food for Life Partnership. Our lunches, supplied by Nottingham City Catering, are made from locally sourced and organic ingredients.

Educating our children about where their food comes from helps them to make healthy choices – 65% now eat school meals – and augments their wider understanding of the world.

Greenfields is regularly in the top 10% of schools in the country for its marked progression from key stage 1 to key stage 2 SATS – in other words, from starting to leaving school – and is rated “outstanding” by OFSTED.

Teachers eating with children: the Reach Academy in Feltham

Here at Reach Academy in Feltham, south west London, we believe that pupils have a good attitude to food because their teachers eat with them. The children sit at long tables, family style, with teachers scattered among them. Before the food is served, a teacher stands up and gives a small speech – almost like a secular grace – about the delicious meal we are about to enjoy. The food is then brought to the tables, and one child at each table is tasked with dishing it up.

The result is civilised lunches. Several of our pupils have come to Reach after struggling at other schools, and the convivial atmosphere of our meals leads to relaxed chats with staff about future academic plans, such as studying at university. After the meal, a senior member of staff stands and thanks our cook. Our dining hall sets the tone for the whole school, encouraging kindness and a sense of togetherness.

Taking the catering in house: Woodham Academy

Small school success story: Mickley First School in rural Northumberland

Small school success story: Crich Junior School in rural Derbyshire

Small school success story: Cambo First School in rural Northumberland

Persuading children to eat their greens at Gayhurst Community School

Improving packed lunches: Ashton Vale Primary School

Getting the contract right: East Sheen Primary School