Creative Teaching & Learning

Food for Life join Jamie Oliver in campaigning for healthy rating scheme

Food for Life are joining Jamie Oliver in campaigning for the introduction of a healthy rating scheme in schools. In a recent episode of Jamie and Jimmie’s Friday Night Dinner, the pair visited a primary school in East London to see the inspiring work they do to help keep pupils healthy.

Food for Life are joining Jamie Oliver in campaigning for the introduction of a healthy rating scheme in schools.

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      string(316) "The health and well-being of the school children in their care is one of top priorities for any headteacher or teacher in schools today.The media has paved the way for improvements in school meals through steadfast campaigning, so that children have access to food with high nutritional content ..."
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      string(371) "The health and well-being of the school children in their care is one of top priorities for any headteacher or teacher in schools today. Whilst initiatives to tackle poor outdoor air quality have started to become more commonplace, the Health Protection Agency admits very little has been done to improve indoor air quality in schools, children’s centres and nurseries."
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      string(5677) "The health and well-being of the school children in their care is one of top priorities for any headteacher or teacher in schools today.The media has paved the way for improvements in school meals through steadfast campaigning, so that children have access to food with high nutritional content and the movement has been truly embraced by schools.  Efforts have been made to educate both children and parents about the importance of healthy eating; however despite the great improvements made in this area another aspect of children’s health is currently being overlooked.The World Health Organisation (*¹) reported children and young people can be more susceptible to the effects of poor air quality, both indoors and outdoors, as their lungs are still developing and they take in proportionately more air than adults.Initiatives to tackle poor outdoor air quality have started to become more commonplace in the last five to ten years; however as the Health Protection Agency (*²) admits very little has been done to improve indoor air quality in schools, children’s centres and nurseries.With programmes such Building Schools for the Future being stopped this year by the Government, plans for new schools and for refurbishment work in existing schools is in question. Ultimately, this means that any initiatives to improve indoor air quality within schools are also in doubt.This is despite both UK and US research stating that poor indoor air quality is of primary concern to teachers especially in urban areas and that there has been a proven correlation between inadequate ventilation in schools and poor pupil performance (*³). This includes the research undertaken by Exeter University in 2004, which used computer tests to evaluate the cognitive function of pupils. The study demonstrated that the attentional process of school children is significantly slower when the level of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) in classrooms is high.So what causes poor indoor air quality and what Government legislation exists on what levels are appropriate in classrooms?An expert in the field of indoor air quality monitoring, Jamie McNee from Enviro Technology explains that poor indoor air quality can stem from a number of causes, he said: “The primary source is inadequate ventilation in classrooms, which leads to high levels of CO2; however pollutants from carpets and furniture can also be a cause as these release chemical gases, such as: VOCs (volatile organic compounds) over time.”Jamie continues: “Government legislation in this area was created by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is now falls under the remit of Communities and Local Government. It states that the concentration levels of gases like CO2 should not exceed an average reading across the day of 1500 ppm (parts per million) as otherwise this would result in poor indoor air quality.”Although, there are only a handful of studies that have monitored the CO2 levels with school classrooms, a study by the initiator of the Government legislation the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2006) carried out indoor air quality surveys within the classrooms of eight Primary Schools in Southern England. One of the main results was that in each school there were occasions when CO2  readings reached 2100ppm well above the recommended average limit.So do some schools have monitoring in place for indoor air quality?Jamie explains: “Some schools that were built or renovated within the last 10 years are fitted with standard CO2 monitors that are fixed to the ceilings of classrooms. However, there is an added problem for these schools, as often through no fault of their own, the monitors fail as schools haven’t appreciated that they need to be maintained regularly and have an average shelf life of just two years”.For those schools without monitors, it raises the question how are the levels of indoor air quality measured in classrooms? This is in contrast to schools in the US and Portugal where indoor air quality levels are regularly monitored and assessed in classrooms.The study by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2006) concluded that windows could be used more to provide better ventilation. However there was reluctance by teaching staff to do so due to the need to prevent noise and cold air entering the classrooms and the desire to conserve energy by reducing heat loss.However, if there isn’t a clear cut answer to improving ventilation across the board a pro-active approach to assessing indoor air quality levels will demonstrate that schools are taking steps to understand and hopefully improve the levels for the staff and children.New state-of-the-art portable monitoring equipment is available in the UK for schools to use to check indoor air quality and CO2 levels. Enviro Technology is the UK distributor of this new equipment and can offer help, advice and training to schools on how to tackle the big problem indoors.Jamie explains: “Monitoring probes can be used to undertake regular indoor air quality surveys. The probes are hand held and can be walked through a classroom to take a reading or left in situ in a classroom to give a series of readings over a period of time.The surveys can be undertaken by a professional monitoring organisation or even a school caretaker or allocated teacher with a short amount of training. The probe takes the results and then links to a Pocket PC so that schools can have up to date reports on the levels within their classrooms which they can use to take action to try mitigate any high levels. The probes also"
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Uncategorised

The big problem indoors

21 Oct 2010

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      string(284) "Does your school have an extra-curricular cooking club?  Would you like to set one up?  Let's Get Cooking is a national network of cooking clubs for children, parents and the wider community, led by the School Food Trust and supported by a £20 million grant from the Big ..."
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      string(339) "... a full or associate club and if there are any spaces available in their Local Authority. We have eighteen regional staff who consult Extended and Healthy Schools Coordinators, regional Food and Health leads and other local or regional cooking schemes before we visit each Local Authority.You can view our ..."
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      string(5672) " Thousands of schools are hungry to set up a Let’s Get Cooking club! Does your school have an extra-curricular cooking club?Would you like to set one up?Let’s Get Cooking is a national network of cooking clubs for children, parents and the wider community, led by the School Food Trust and supported by a £20 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund.Find out more…Let’s Get Cooking clubs give children and parents of all ages the skills and confidence to cook nutritious and tasty meals from scratch. The network of clubs complements the recent re-introduction of practical cooking onto the curriculum for secondary school pupils, as they involve the wider community and encourage children and young people to cook at home and eat a healthy balanced diet. During the first five years of the programme, the School Food Trust, with its partners, is setting up a network of 5,000 school-based cooking clubs, in a bid to teach new cooking skills to more than 1 million children and their families.We’re signing up 3,000 brand new cooking clubs as full members and 2,000 existing cooking clubs are joining as associate clubs. 											Why set up a cooking club?Through Let’s Get Cooking, children and their families are learning valuable life skillsas well as how to eat more healthily. A cooking club can help schools ·to gain or maintain Healthy Schools status·add to Extended Schools services·help to meet the requirements of Every Child Matters·complement curriculum activitiessuch as Science, PSHCE, Design and Technology, Literacy, Mathematics and Food Technology·support Licence to Cook·meet the new requirement for compulsory curriculum cooking in secondary schools. What do Let’s Get Cooking clubs get?Full Let’s Get Cooking clubs receive £2,500 over three years to purchase cooking equipment and to help with running costs.They also receive free training for adult leaders and a range of resources and support.Associate clubs are already up and running, so they receive £500 to help them open out their cooking activities to the wider community as well as access to Let’s Get Cooking resources.How many Let’s Get Cooking clubs are there?Schools have shown a real appetite for Let’s Get Cooking! In most areas, all our full club places are filled minutes after online applications open and we have a waiting list of schools eager to access the funding, resources and training to set up a cooking club.Since our launch in October 2007, around 2,500 schools have successfully signed up to Let’s Get Cooking and we welcome on board around 500 new clubs every six months from every region across England. How do we recruit full clubs?Over the first three years of the programme we’re writing to every Headteacher in every Local Authority in England to invite them to apply to join Let’s Get Cooking. Full clubs are recruited in local clusters, so that they can attend training events and develop a local network of clubs from day one.We only have a limited number of full club places, so schools are invited to sign up on a first-come-first-served basis via our website. Priority is given to schools that will benefit most from having a Let’s Get Cooking club, for example, those that have a higher percentage of pupils that are eligible for free school meals.These schools are given an earlier application time and currently 45% of our clubs are based in schools which meet this criteria. Every school is given a unique invitation code which they input to our website after a specified date and time.They find out immediately if they qualify as a full or associate club and if there are any spaces available in their Local Authority. We have eighteen regional staff who consult Extended and Healthy Schools Coordinators, regional Food and Health leads and other local or regional cooking schemes before we visit each Local Authority.You can view our 3-year recruitment plan on the website www. letsgetcooking.org.uk to see when we are coming to your area.Funding for existing cooking clubs If your school already has a cooking club, you can apply to join as an associate member and receive funding and resources.You don’t have to wait for an invitation letter from Let’s Get Cooking, you can visit our website at any time to apply. Associate Clubs receive £500 to help open their cooking activities out to parents and members of their local community as well as a range of resources including recipes, activity ideas, wall charts and much more. You can also access the Club Zone of our website to link up with other clubs in your area and find out about competitions, training and events.To apply to become an associate club visit www. letsgetcooking.org.uk/associateDo they work? So how do we keep track of what clubs are doing and their spending? Each Let’s Get Cooking club has their own page on the Let’s Get Cooking website; this allows them to upload recipes, photos and brief reports on their cooking activities which are an interactive way of showing friends and relatives what members have been cooking. It’s also an important tool to monitor ongoing club activities and help them manage their funds.A sample of the clubs are taking part in an academic research study, which evaluates the impact that Let’s Get Cooking is having on participants’ cooking skills and changes in diet and eating habits. We are inundated with positive stories from clubs who have held cooking activities involving large numbers of people – cooking curries at Bollywood-themed community events, groups of"
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Uncategorised

Hungry to set up a Let's Get Cooking club!

7 Sep 2009

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      string(339) "... currently a huge amount of interest surrounding the issue of healthy eating especially where it concerns children. The government’s 5-a-day campaign and Jamie Oliver’s campaign to improve school dinners are just two of many. More recently as part of its Change 4 Life public health programme ..."
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Leadership Briefing issue 6.11(71)"
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      string(4552) "ResourceHEALTHY EATING PATTERNS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDRENOriginal DocumentLet Them Eat Pizza – An Investigation Into The Healthy Eating Patterns Of Primary School Children Using Data From The NFER Attitude Surveys. This NFER attitude survey asked parents about their views of the school’s approach to healthy eating and their opinions of the school dinners. Children were asked similar questions and also about their eating patterns. This report briefly explores regional variations in the responses to these questions as well as exploring the impact of a range of influences on children’s diets.KeywordsHealthy eating, primary school, children, school dinners, diets, menu, parentsSummaryThis NFER attitude survey asked parents about their views of the school’s approach to healthy eating and their opinions of the school dinners. Children were asked similar questions and also about their eating patterns. This report briefly explores regional variations in the responses to these questions as well as exploring the impact of a range of influences on children’s diets.There is currently a huge amount of interest surrounding the issue of healthy eating especially where it concerns children. The government’s 5-a-day campaign and Jamie Oliver’s campaign to improve school dinners are just two of many. More recently as part of its Change 4 Life public health programme the government launched its Supermeals campaign to encourage families to eat healthily on the cheap. Although the NFER attitude surveys were not designed to look specifically at issues around healthy eating, they provide a rich data source which is nationally representative and allows us to investigate a range of issues around children’s wellbeing and education at the regional level.Main Findings:· Regional variations in healthy eating do exist for primary school pupils. Broadly speaking there appears to be a North-South divide with children in the South generally having a healthier diet. Frequency of eating five fruit and vegetables a day is significantly higher in the South East, London and the East Midlands. Crisps, sweets or chocolate are eaten less often in the South East, London and the South West and takeaway food is eaten more in the North East and less in the South West than other regions.· Parents’ being more satisfied with the school canteen and dinner menu is associated with children eating less fruit and vegetables and more takeaway food. It is unclear whether this reflects lack of awareness of a healthy diet among this group of parents or a belief that the school is providing a healthy meal so they do not need to; however, it clearly shows the importance of parental attitudes. The implication is that children will eat more healthily in areas where parents’ expectations of school food are higher so it is important that all parents are informed about the importance of healthy eating. If parents are relying on the school to provide a healthy diet education about the importance of a healthy diet throughout the day may be of value.· There is evidence that healthy eating education could be working. Where pupils report that their school says it is important to eat healthy food there is a consistent link with the pupils eating patterns in all three of the food areas investigated; consumption of five fruit and vegetables a day, crisps, sweets and chocolate and takeaway food. Schools have an important role to play in getting the healthy eating message across to both pupils and parents. The provision of healthy, affordable school meals and involvement in one of the many campaigns aimed to increase awareness of healthy eating and get people growing and cooking their own food, would help to achieve this.· It was found that girls appear to have healthier eating patterns than boys. This was most evident in their consumption of fruit and vegetables.· Younger pupils and in particular those in Year 3 eat fewer crisps, sweets and chocolate than older children. This may be because they have less control over purchasing these items. They also report eating more takeaway food though possible reasons for this are less obvious.ActionNotesAuthorR ChimaDate CreatedMay 2012Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk(Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Healthy Eating Patterns Of Primary School Children

3 May 2012

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      string(295) "... standards and divert some of the £1 billion parents currently spend on packed lunches back into the system. The plan of action is designed to improve the quality and take-up of school food and put the kitchen at the heart of school life.
Leadership briefing issue 7.12(84)"
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Leadership briefing issue 7.12(84)"
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      string(5795) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.THE SCHOOL FOOD PLANKeywordsSchool food,packed lunches,primary school,obesity, take-up, health,impact, children,attainmentSummaryThis report, written by Leon restaurant founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, includesa range of actions to drive up standards and divert some of the £1 billion parents currentlyspend on packed lunches back into the system. The plan of action is designed to improve thequality and take-up of school food and put the kitchen at the heart of school life.The actions in the plan include: £16.1 million of new money to boost take up in schools and ensurethousands of children get healthy breakfast; a checklist for headteachers to help improve the ‘foodculture’ in their schools, and the launch of 2 flagship London boroughs to help prove that better schoolfood can have a significant impact on children’s health and attainment.Key Facts:• The obesity rate in the UK has risen from 6% of the population in 1980 to 27% today, and almost20% of children are already obese by the time they leave primary school.• Across the country, take-up of school food remains stubbornly low. The majority of children – 57%– either bring in a packed lunch or buy something outside school (almost always junk food).• Many parents mistakenly imagine that a packed lunch is the healthiest option. In fact, it is fareasier to get the necessary nutrients into a cooked meal.• Only 1% of packed lunches meet the nutritional standards that currently apply to school food andtwo-thirds contain sweets, sugary drinks and savoury snacks such as crisps.• Parents currently spend almost £1 billion a year on packed lunches; persuading just a fraction ofthem to switch to school food would lead to healthier children who are able to concentrate betterand work harder.Main Points: ■ £16.1 million injection of cash from the Department for Education over the next 2 years. Thisincludes £11.8 million that organisations such as the Children’s Food Trust and the Food For LifePartnership can bid for to help turn around schools that are struggling with their lunch service,£3.15 million to ensure healthy breakfasts are available for thousands of children who arrive atschool hungry. ■ A practical checklist for headteachers, listing the most important things they or their team can doto that can make a big difference to take-up and food culture in schools. The checklist is basedon the examples of what is working well that the reviewers have seen during their trips to over 60Week Commencing 22nd July 2013http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/School_Food_Plan_2013.pdfhttp://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/PMSZ01/PMSZ01.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.schools in the country. They are designed to be pinned up in the head’s office and the kitchen.Suggested actions include: ■ Lowering the price of school meals – consider subsidising school meals for your receptionand year 7 classes for the first term, or offer discounts for parents of multiple children orthose whose children eat a school lunch every day. ■ Teachers should be encouraged to eat with the children in the dining hall. ■ Have a stay-on-site rule for break and lunch time. ■ Have a cashless payment system to shorten queuing times and prevent free school mealchildren from being stigmatised. ■ Offer after school cooking lessons for parents with their children. ■ Make sure packed lunches are not more exciting than school lunches. Ban sugary drinks,crisps and confectionery, or offer prizes and other incentives for bringing in a healthylunch. Or ban packed lunches altogether. ■ Watch what gets served at mid-morning break. Many children eat their main meal at thistime which too often means filling up on pizza, paninis or cake. ■ The launch of 2 flagship London boroughs to help prove that better school food can have asignificant impact on children’s health and attainment. Every school in each area will receiveco-ordinated support from expert organisations such as the Children’s Food Trust to improve thequality and take up of school meals and spread great food culture through the wider community.The Department for Education and the Mayor’s Office will jointly fund the boroughs. ■ The Department for Education will test and introduce a set of revised food based standards (builton a nutritional framework), with the intention of applying them to maintained schools and all newacademies and free schools by September 2014. ■ Ofsted will amend its guidance to inspectors to consider behaviour and culture in the dining halland the way a school promotes healthy lifestyles. ■ Co-founder of Innocent smoothies Richard Reed and branding expert Wally Olins will help devisea strategy to improve the image of school food, and Jamie Oliver has agreed to help through hismedia work. ■ Ensuring cooking is in the curriculum for all children up to the age of 14. The new curriculum willemphasise the importance of cooking nutritious, savoury dishes, understanding where food comesfrom, and taking pleasure in the creative arts of the kitchen. ■ The government will investigate the case for"
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Leadership

The School Food Plan

17 Jul 2013