Healthy eating principles adopted in schools

A recent Ofsted report on food in schools revealed good progress in implementing the new school food standards and found that most pupils had a good understanding of what constituted a healthy diet.

The survey assessed how effectively the schools were promoting nutrition and healthy eating principles among their pupils and the extent to which they were meeting the final food-based and nutrient-based standards for lunches and all other food provided for pupils.

Inspectors visited a total of 39 schools in local areas that are in the bottom fifth nationally in terms of health and deprivation. This included 17 primary schools, 16 secondary schools, five special schools and one pupil referral unit. Of these, 24 schools were found to be complying with, or close to complying with, the standards for lunches and 21 schools met the food-based standards for food other than lunches. Overall, 32 of the schools had achieved National Healthy Schools Status and two were even working towards the enhancement model.

The report suggests that those schools who were most successful achieved this through effective planning by the local authority and its partners, particularly primary healthcare trusts, and close collaboration with a range of local agencies.

Perhaps most encouraging is the fact that, in the schools visited, the majority of pupils had a good understanding of the relationship between diet, exercise, emotional well-being and healthy lifestyles. However, schools were generally unable to demonstrate to what extent the children were putting this knowledge into practice and whether or not it was influencing their food choices.

Although the report provides a generally positive picture of the progress made in schools, weaknesses still remain. Inspectors found that there was little monitoring of the provision to ensure that the standards were fully met and governors were often unaware of their responsibilities when it came to such monitoring.

Not all of the schools visited had policies on packed lunches and, where these did exist, they focused on the foods that should not be included in a packed lunch rather than demonstrating how a nutritionally balanced packed lunch could be provided in a cost-effective way. A summary of the report suggested that, if further progress is to be made, more thought needs to be given to providing support and advice for low income families, especially those who are not entitled to free school meals.

Training in the principles of healthy eating can prove a useful source of information and support for school staff and local authorities in fulfilling the objectives set by the National Healthy Schools Programme. We can offer a Nutrition and Healthy Eating training course which is 3 hours in duration and provides delegates with guidelines about how to maintain weight and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Regional Training Manager, Lorraine Prothero, who helped develop the course, explains: “The best way to a healthier, longer life is to eat a nutritionally balanced diet which is composed of the five major food groups. Eating a variety of foods can protect you against life-threatening conditions such as obesity, cancer, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

"It is vital that children are aware of the importance of healthy eating and our training course equips delegates with the necessary knowledge to teach pupils just that. This report is really positive, but there is always more that can be done and the positive impact that training could have in this situation should not be overlooked.”

For further information please call us today.