Healthy Eating
Why is food, nutrition & cooking important in schools?
Schools provide a unique setting making a real difference to children’s nutrition, eating behaviours and overall wellbeing for later life. Schools can create an environment that is supportive of, and promotes healthier food choices, as well as educating and equipping children with the skills to enable them to achieve a healthier diet now, and in later life.
The ability to empower children to make healthier choices and instil a love of food is crucial for schools to acknowledge and take ownership of.
Our aim:
Our aim is to help schools address food through a whole school approach and ensure the quality of food consumed on school premises and at home meets the nutritional needs of children. We support schools to engage pupils, parents, teachers and governors to develop a shared responsibility for food in schools and improve overall culture and ethos towards healthy eating.
What we offer:
We are an advisory and support service, based in Leeds, working with local schools and beyond. All resources and training are developed and delivered by our Registered Pubic Health Nutritionist with over 11 years’ experience working with schools. We also offer public speaking at events and bespoke consultancy, training or advice with schools, settings and other establishments such as community groups or universities.
A range of toolkits are available for purchase via the Leeds for Learning store.
The Packed Lunch Guidance and Toolkit
School Food Ambassadors – Guidance, Toolkit & Badges
Over 300 of our toolkits are currently in use in schools in Leeds, across the UK and in education establishments as far as Portugal!
The impact of our work with schools:
In 2018/2019 the service supported 400 staff members through our central training sessions and 55 in-school advisory visits . Our service supports schools to make measurable changes, such as increased take up of school meals and\or improving healthier choices.
Training and resources available for schools always responds to the latest national and local evidence and guidance, including the recent thematic review from Ofsted, which puts school leaders, pupils and learning at the heart of change towards healthier outcomes.
‘Informative, good resources and web links. Brilliant to be updated. Lots to think about, lots to change. Good length of time for a course. Not sure what could be better!” (Leeds Primary School, 2019).
“Really comprehensive training for all aspects of cooking in the curriculum. Perfect pitch and pace and a great way to inspire our teachers to continue to increase how they plan for cooking in the curriculum” (Leeds Primary School, 2020).
Within this section of schoolwellbeing.co.uk, you will find information and resources relating to the following:
- The School Food Standards;
- School meals and lunchtimes;
- Packed lunches;
- Whole school food policy;
- Breakfast and after school clubs;
- School Food Ambassadors;
- Cooking & Nutrition in the statutory Design & Technology curriculum;
- Food and healthy eating across the curriculum, including within Personal, Social, Health and Economic education;
- Free school meals;
- Food poverty and access to food;
- The healthy start scheme;
- and Food Wise Leeds.
Get in touch
To find out more about the service and support we can offer, please contact schoolwellbeing@leeds.gov.uk.