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Food in Schools

Nutrition

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Community Dietitians support the whole school approach to health and are concerned with all food and drink provided in schools.

They work closely with:

  • Catering services
  • Children’s services
  • Education departments
  • NHS services (inc. health promotion, oral health, public health nurses for schools)
  • Parents
  • Pupils
  • Schools (inc. managers, teachers, pupils, school boards)

… to ensure that food and food provision is part of the health promoting agenda within schools.

National Documents

Below are some key national documents that give direction to our work:

School Resources Leaflet

Schools Resources from Food Standards Scotland

Useful Websites

Food and Drink and Curriculum for Excellence

Food For Thought – Exploring food and drink through curriculum for excellence.

Food and Farming

Food a Fact of Life  – This site supports children learning about where their food comes from and how it is farmed.  They have video clips and presentations, posters, workbooks, editable resources, interactive whiteboard activities and curriculum links to support their theme Food and Farming.

Grainchain.com -Is a curriculum linked education resource for teachers and parents to inform school-aged children about the story of grain-based food – from the farm to mill to plate. Find tailored teaching materials, worksheets, videos, quizzes, recipes and activities about farming, milling and baking.

Red Tractor – Schools section has a range of games and activities to find out more about the route from field to fork.

The Soil Association – Is a membership charity campaigning for planet-friendly organic food and farming.They have a small collection of educational resources for primary school teachers to download and use in the classroom.

Food for Life Scotland (FFLS) –  provides a Framework to help school communities explore the ways that food is intertwined with every aspect of our lives.

Food and Sustainability

Eco-Schools Scotland – Is an international programme designed to encourage whole-school action on sustainable development education issues.  It is an environmental management tool, a learning resource and a recognized award scheme.

Eating Well Sustainably – A Guide for Early Years Settings – First Steps Nutrition Trust – Introducing sustainable food to Early Years settings is an opportunity to connect children, staff and families to more environmentally friendly habits and to nurture a sustainable food culture.  The guide provides simple guidance on: planning sustainable menus, shopping for food, waste and storing food, cooking and preparing food and growing food.

Zero Waste Scotland – Information on waste management; includes advice on recycling, reusing, reducing rubbish, with news and links to public awareness sites.

Grow Your Own

Growing Schools  – Supporting teachers and practitioners in using the ‘outdoor classroom’ as a resource across the curriculum for pupils of all ages.

Potato Council – Grow Your Own Potatoes – A project that teaches primary school children about potatoes. Children can learn how potatoes grow and how they fit in to a healthy balanced diet.

Schools Global Gardens Network – From simple ‘how-to’ guides on building beds with sustainable materials and growing fruit and vegetables, to photo packs on school gardens in Uganda, there is something for the novice and expert.

Scottish Natural Heritage – Garden for Life – Are you a teacher or student wanting to learn more about Scotland’s nature? Are you looking for information, ideas and resources to support you? You’ll find a wide range of useful material on this site.

Healthy Lunches

Healthier Lunches for Children will help you improve the nutritional quality of the food eaten at lunchtime by children in your school. The comprehensive resources provided, and the programme for you to follow are designed to be flexible and easy to use,there are downloadable resources which are available in different languages.

Healthier Lunchboxes – Change4Life – Has loads of tasty and easy to prepare ideas that everyone can enjoy for lunch.

Healthy Packed Lunches – British Dietetic Association Food Factsheet.

Love Your Lunch -The Food a Fact of Life site has a range of downloadable  ‘Healthy Lunch’ resources: there are ideas of classroom activities in the teachers’ guide and a range of support resources, including worksheets, a colourful Love your Lunch poster and food cards.

School Packed Lunches – NHS Choices – Make sure children’s lunchboxes provide a healthy, nutritionally balanced lunch.

School Play Pieces – Leaflet

Health and Nutrition Information

5 A DAY and Your Family – NHS Choices – Provides tips and ideas on how to introduce more fruit and vegetables into your family’s diet.

British Heart Foundation – Children’s Resources –  Has a good range of resources for teachers to use with children of all ages.

Change4Life In Schools – Aim to inspire schools to play a part in improving the nation’s health by encouraging pupils and their families to eat well, move more and live longer.  Have a range of free downloadable worksheets and teachers guides that can help encourage healthy eating amongst pupils.

Children’s Food Trust – Has recipes, tips and ideas on cooking healthy, tasty meals from scratch, online training and free resources to support those working with children and food..

Childsmile – Improving the oral health of children in Scotland.

Eat Better Feel Better has been set up to inspire and support parents and families to make healthier changes to how they shop, cook and eat. It has easy recipes for school-night teas, handy hints for meal planning and cook along videos to try.

Food For Life Scotland – Aim to provide a framework to help your school explore the ways that food is intertwined with every aspect of our lives, including our health and well-being, and the health of our global communities, economies and environments. Find out whats happening in schools around your area, share your ideas and recipes…

Food Standards Scotland – Have an education pack of resources which is intended to help teachers deliver the Health and Wellbeing areas of the Curriculum for Excellence. The Guide includes some suggested classroom activities using the Food Cards and Food Safety Scenes along with key messages on diet & nutrition and food safety which teachers can use as a point of reference.

The Dairy Council – Has information on the benefits of dairy foods, There is information and free resources available for pre-school, primary and secondary school age children.

The Great Grub Club has a section for teachers with useful resources and information. The website is aimed at 4-7 year olds and strives to encourage healthy eating and an active lifestyle in a fun and informative way.

Healthy Weight

NHS Health Scotland – Healthy Weight for Children – Healthy Happy Kids – Free resources include publications (posters and leaflets) for parents, the public and health professionals tackling the issue of child healthy weight.

Teen Weightwise – offers advice and resources on diet, nutrition and healthy eating for teenagers.

Practical Cooking Skills

Chefs @ School – Inspiring food education -This is a new project funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Federation of Chefs Scotland. It aims to encourage culinary and food industry professionals to work with teachers and children across Scotland to bring food education to life…

Food a Fact of Life – Provides a wealth of free resources about healthy eating, cooking, food and farming for children and young people aged 3 to 16 years. Site has a range of downloadable games, classroom posters and easy recipes including session plans to support teachers. Learn new cooking skills and safe food preparation techniques through the series of videos.

Let’s Get Cooking at Home – One stop shop for recipes, tips and ideas on cooking healthy, tasty meals from scratch.

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