Healthy happy tummies equal healthy happy minds

Working closely with Medway Public Health, the national sustainable food charity Food for Life is already working with 16 schools across the area to champion good food through the Whole School Approach. The three-year programme, commissioned by the Medway Council Public Health team, is delivering training and helping schools integrate good food throughout the school; from the curriculum to the school garden, from school meals and lunchboxes to setting up pupil-led groups. The programme is closely integrated with the Medway Food Partnership, as well as the child health agenda.

A key part of the programme is training for teachers, school, and local authority staff. In late November, 21 people including teachers and council staff attended a hugely successful training session which was built around a seasonal recipe and food education. Participants were split into two groups and took turns learning about growing and farm links and getting their hands dirty making seed pots, or prepping, cooking and trying an Aloo Tikka recipe.

Some of the schools who attended have since gone on to sign-up to the whole programme and many of those who joined the session said that being able to share ideas and network with other schools across Medway was invaluable.

One teacher said:

“Being the student made it easy to see how to replicate… it was so inspiring hearing how other schools have used Food for Life materials. It was brilliant! Informal, interesting, inspiring."

Following the training, one newly enrolled school fed back to the Food for Life Medway team that the Aloo Tikka recipe will be used in their school as the basis for their growing and cooking sessions and wider learning within the curriculum about each element, from growing vegetables to cooking the recipe.

Over the remaining two and a half years, the programme aims to work with 80 schools in total and will work with them to embed and celebrate growing, cooking, and good food. Food for Life schools in Medway will be able to access 1:1 support, a wealth of resources and the coveted Food for Life School Award framework for free.

Grace Dennis, Local Programme Manager for Food for Life Medway said: 

“This recent training session was such a success and an inspiration for both enrolled schools, new schools, and Medway Council staff. The day bought Food for Life, to life! It was a great way to showcase how schools can easily work towards the Food Education School Award criteria.”

To read more about the impact of Food for Life Medway so far click here for the latest impact report.

If you are a school in Medway, there is still time to enrol for this academic year. To find out more, email the Local Programme Manager, Grace Dennis: gdennis@soilassociation.org.