Leicestershire school wins Food For Life gold award for serving healthy meals
The school has been working with Food for Life to embed a good food culture throughout the school day, not just at lunchtimes. Food waste has reduced thanks to pupils using reusable containers, composting food waste and having a say in what is served each day.
In lessons, pupils have been cooking using leftovers, such as pasta, to see how they can reduce food waste whilst making healthy meals.
The school’s caterer is Educaterers, who hold bronze Food for Live Served Here certification, meaning they cook at least 75% from scratch, use British Red Tractor farm-assured meat, free range eggs and sustainably sourced fish.
They have also launched learning tools such as animated characters that educate children about nutrition, developed contemporary dining environments, created photo menus to help pupils visualise their meals, and published recipe booklets.
Headteacher Priscilla Jordan said: “After working closely with Food for Life in 2022/23, we are pleased that lots of the Food for Life work put into place has carried on, including the eco warriors keeping an eye on food waste; doing a survey to find out people’s favourite vegetable so that it can be included every day at lunchtime, the school kitchen are still using some of the produce that we grow; we still keep in touch with The Bee Farmer and the children are still having sensory food education lessons to explore food.”
Pupils at St Mary’s Catholic School have got involved by forming an ‘eco warriors’ group to monitor food waste, taking photos of the bins each day to demonstrate the problem.
Holding a Food for Life gold award means that a school:
- Serves food that meets the Food for Life Served Here standards
- Have increased uptake of school meals
- Cook and grow regularly with their pupils so they can continue these activities at home and as they grow up
- Talk about the ethical and environmental issues around food with their pupils
- Involve parents and the wider school community with their Food for Life work
- Organises visits to local farms and keeps in touch with them throughout the year