PUPILS at Newland St John’s C of E Academy, Hull, are enjoying their own version of the TV show The Good Life.
The primary school’s journey towards a culture of good food education has embraced growing, food preparation, eating, and exercise — a journey which began 15 years ago with the start of a gardening club.
Initially, the focus was on growing fresh produce, mainly using containers, before securing sponsorship from local businesses to develop vegetable plots in the school grounds.
A significant step was getting involved with the Soil Association’s Food For Life schools’ award scheme. “It gave us a measured action framework to develop the health of our children,” the school’s executive principal, Amanda Devaney, says.
The work began under the school’s previous head, Sarah Wilson; the school’s science lead, Alison Spencer; and a teaching assistant, Maggie Middleton.
“When we began, some staff were cooking and growing, but, as a whole school, we lacked structure, and some staff were not confident.” Initial training concentrated on building confidence with all staff in basic cooking skills, including bread-making.
As the school’s growing-areas developed, ongoing training meant that staff spent time familiarising themselves with crops, and planting vegetables, which they would return to harvest with their classes.
The school’s food capacity grew significantly with the lease of a large off-site allotment, within walking distance of the school. A large polytunnel, fruit cages, an orchard, pond, and wildlife areas all followed.
In 2019, the school won Food for Life’s Gold award: one of only six schools nationally.
Work on developing their whole-school healthy food culture has resulted in a popular cooking club, regular farm visits, food festivals, and farmers’ markets on school grounds, annual invitations to parents to share a school dinner, gardening afternoons for grandparents, and weekend allotment working-party events. In addition, all children are given 12 hours of cookery in the classroom every year, linked to topics in the curriculum.
Hull Live/Hull Daily Mail
A School Nutrition Action Group, whose pupil and staff representatives meet the catering team regularly, works to improve the health of children through school meals. With a pupil community that speaks more than 20 languages other than English, this diversity is used to encourage children to try healthy foods from different countries. The school currently has a 90-per-cent uptake of school dinners.
Maintaining their standard of food education has been “a challenge” during the pandemic, Mrs Devaney admits. “We have continued our usual activities wherever possible, and, where it has been difficult, we have adapted activities or aim to reintroduce them as soon as possible.”
Nevertheless, there are more plans ahead: to develop an area of school grounds with plastic greenhouses and more raised beds. “The area would be considered a ‘growing friendship’ area, where children can come together and develop friendships along with a love of growing,” Mrs Devaney says.
“This is really important to us, as it supports our school’s Christian vision that all children should be able to flourish and live life in all its fullness [John 10.10].”
nsj.hslt.academy
foodforlife.org.uk/schools