Food For Life

Welcome to Westhouses Primary Schools Food For Life Page. This page features all the work we are doing in association with Food For Life. 

What is Food for Life?

Food for Life brings schools, nurseries, hospitals and care homes, and their surrounding communities together around the core ethos of healthy, tasty and sustainable food. 

Our School Award supports schools to take a whole school approach that sees them grow their own food; organise trips to farms; provide cooking and growing clubs for pupils and their families; serve freshly prepared, well-sourced meals and provide an attractive dining environment.

Our School Award programme been shown to impact on children’s health, positively impact wider attainment, support local enterprise and tackle inequalities in local communities.

The Food For Life Page - 

https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/

"We have a clear vision that every child has a right to good, wholesome school foodand that food poverty will one day be a thing of the past."Jeanette Orrey (Co-Founder - Food for Life)

Check out the pages below to look at Food for Life in more detail. 

Winning our Silver award!

We are thrilled to announce that we have achieved our Silver Award in Food for Life. We would like to thanks all the pupils, parents and staff who helped us reach this.

Winning our Bronze Award!

We are thrilled to announce that we have achieved our Bronze Award in Food for Life. We would like to thanks all the pupils and parents who helped us reach this.

A treat for our Teachers

It was lovely to get this letter through the post from Food For Life. What a lovely Christmas treat for all our staff! 

Gold award

From September 2022 we will be working towards our gold award in Food for Life - be sure to check out the 'leaf' icons below to stay up to date on everything Food for Life. 

September 2023  - September 2024 Action Plan 

Cooking:

Pupils will continue to grow and cook from our school allotments run by Mrs Tucker all year round. 

Each class will complete some form of cooking in lesson time.

Little Explorers - Making bread

Explorers - Ready, steady, cook with allotment donations.

 Philosophers - Cooking healthy food 

Trailblazers - Create a Mexican restaurant. 

Pizza Party will be hosted at school to work with the community. 

Growing:

Pupils will continue to grow and cook from our school allotments run by Mrs Tucker all year round.

Children in small groups throughout the year will get chance to grow on the allotments. Alfreton Park school will join us every Monday on the allotments. Philosophers will identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment. Explorers will grow their own plants. Little Explorers will grow their own vegetable patch.

Multi-cultural:

Philosophers will look at where food comes from and fair trade food. Trailblazers will host a Mexican food event. 

Healthy eating and dining:

School continues to encourage all pupils to enjoy a healthy, balanced diet. Fruit is available all year round to KS1 and regularly available for KS2. Pupils who make healthy choices in their lunch boxes receive special stickers from the lunchtime staff. School offers 'special event' lunches to the whole school to encourage pupils to try school lunches. 

Left to pass to achieve Gold:

G 2.2

We are working with our caterer to reduce and manage food waste. 

G 4.2

Food and cooking education is available in our school to parents and community members out of school hours.

November 2022 update - September 2023 Action Plan

Cooking:

Spring - Little Explorers will continue to be encouraged to try new foods and textures from their vegetable patch.

Spring - Little Explorers will learn about cooking and nutrition and make bread to eat.

Summer – Little Explorers will continue to learn about cooking and nutrition.

Autumn – Little Explorers will be trying new foods.

Spring – Explorers will be learning about cooking and nutrition. ‘What do people eat in China? Let’s open a Chinese restaurant. National Curriculum Objectives: Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes. Understand where food comes from?’

Pupils will continue to grow and cook from our school allotments run by Mrs Tucker all year round.

Gold 3.0 We take a skills-based approach to cooking education that builds on learning year to year. Pupils throughout key stages 1-3 prepare a wide range of foods. We place emphasis on making healthy, nutritious dishes using school-grown, local, seasonal, and organic produce. – Where a class cooks this academic year, they will build on vital cooking skills e.g., chopping, stirring, measuring, following instructions. Each class will incorporate school grown food into their cooking.

Gold 4.0 Our parents and/or the wider community are actively involved in growing and cooking activities in our school. – School is to arrange a cooking/gardening event with parents invited. (Hosting an annual event/ Organising a gardening day) This should use some of the items grown by school. School is to arrange a growing activity with parents invited. (Lady bird house or Apple bird feeder)

Gold 4.2 Food and cooking education is available in our school to parents and community members out of school hours. Linked directly to Gold 4.0. School should make their cooking cards available to parents easily.

Growing:

Spring – Little Explorers will grow their own vegetable patch.

Spring – Little Explorers will explore what does it mean to grow? What plants are in our local area? How does a plant grow?

Spring -Little Explorers will create instructions for planting seeds and caring for plants and report on Growing seeds.

Spring – Explorers will observe plants and how they grow.

Autumn – Philosophers will learn about hunter gathering in their ‘Stone Age’ topic.

Autumn – Philosophers will learn about foraging for food in their 'Bronze Age to Iron Age' topic.

Autumn – Trailblazers will learn about foraging for food in their ‘Medicine Through Time’ topic.

Spring – Trailblazers will visit the local area and learn about plot usage.

Pupils will continue to grow and cook from our school allotments run by Mrs Tucker all year round.

Gold 2.2 ‘We are working with our caterer to reduce and manage food waste.’ – School will work with catering staff to embed the use of school composter for food waste. School will continue to give Dojo points to those children that try food on their plates. School will make any amendment to their menu to ensure all pupils enjoy their lunch.

Gold 3.1 All our pupils have the opportunity to participate in organic food growing during their time at our school. – The school allotment will give opportunity for children to grow throughout the year with Mrs Tucker. (growing cards 1-100)

Gold 3.2 We actively involve our pupils in planning the food growing calendar and maintaining the growing area using organic practices. – SNAG and Mrs Tucker will arrange X3 growing calendar sessions where a growing plan is formulated for the school allotments. (Growing calendar)

Farming:

Spring - Little Explorers will take part in a farm trip.

SNAG will set up communication with Rhubarb Farm throughout the year.

Philosophers will take part in a farm visit to Rhubarb Farm.   

Gold 3.3 Our pupils have the opportunity to take part in a programme of farm-based activities throughout the farming year. Examples on the FFL website include the following A farm visit with activities. This might include the following: Feeding animals, cleaning out animals’ housing and putting in clean bedding, Collecting eggs, Grinding wheat to make flour, Milking a cow, Planting, Weeding and harvesting crops, Dry stone walling, stacking wood, Clearing streams.

Multi-cultural:

Summer – Little Explorers will learn about growing from around the world.

Spring - Explorers will look and compare different countries cooking.

Healthy eating and dining:

Spring - Little Explorers will look at ‘keeping myself healthy’.

Autumn – Explorer will look at ‘How do we keep fit and healthy? Why is it important to be fit and healthy?’

Gold 2.1 School meals are the norm in our school. School is to promote their school meals through Newsletters and WHOP. School is to promote applying for free school meals to parents. Welcome Wednesdays to continue to promote school meals.

Gold 4.1 Our parents can buy or collect organic and/or local produce at our school, or we direct them to alternative local outlets. School is to add a ‘local buys’ tab on the Newsletter. School is to allow parents to collect items grown by the school at least twice a year.

Gold 4.3 We host regular visits about Food for Life from other schools and stakeholders. SNAG is to arrange an event where cluster primary schools and the FFL team SNAG teams or school council can attend.  (Hosting an annual event, linked with 4.0)

November 2021 update - September 2022

Cooking:

While cooking is still restricted in school due to covid-19 we have many plans to keep children and the community involved:

• Staff will partake in some 'cooking in the classroom' training linked with Blackwell Primary School 
• Children will take part in a seed to cook scheme in Spring 2022 (links with growing)
• Little Explorers will try new foods and 'taste from around the World' in their topic 'Go and Explore!' Summer 2022
• Explorers will cook using locally sourced ingredients for their topic 'How does your garden grow?' - Summer 2022

Growing:

• Little Explorers will take part in a grow, cook and taste session Spring-Summer 2022
• Little Explorers will study the topic 'Exploring Growing!' - they will grow their own veg patch, role play garden centres and learn about 'how do plants grow?' Summer 2022
• Explorers will learn about how plants grow and the historical importance of 'Dig for victory' in their topic 'How does your garden grow?' -Summer 2022
• Trailblazers will complete a Dig for victory linked with their topic 'War and conflict' - Spring 2022

Farming:

• Liz at Top Eccles Farm will continue to write a news article for our school newspaper. 
• Blackwell Primary Schools bee keepers will add articles to our school newspaper - December 2021
• Blackwell Primary Schools bee keepers visit (date TBC)
• SNAG will get in touch with a local business to arrange a visit to school for Explorers Summer topic. 
• Explorers will research our local farms in their topic 'How does your garden grow?' - Summer 2022

Multi-cultural:

• Pizza week - SNAG will run a competition to encourage at home cooking and trying new things. January - March 2022
• Explorers will try fruit and veg from around the World in their topic 'Africa' - Summer 2022 
• Philosophers will try Greek food on their Greek day for their topic 'Gods and Mortals'  - Spring 2022 
• Trailblazers will try Mexican food linked with their topic 'Rights and Responsibilities' - Summer 2022

Healthy eating and dining:

• Mrs Davey will complete her Taste-ed training (partners of Food for Life)
• Children will present a assembly on where food comes from, it's environmental impacts and the school menu. - December 2021 -  January 2022 
• Pupil voice's healthy eating scheme will continue to be used in sandwiches. (Children win points for eating healthy)
• Little Explorers will learn about healthy choices and what is good for our bodies in their topic 'Exploring Growing!' - Summer 2022
• Philosophers will learn about healthy eating and how our bodies break down food in 'Scrumdidlyumptious' - Summer 2022

SNAG:

• Create a newsletter for Copthorne Infants - January 2022
• Explorers will host a 'garden party' for members of the allotments - Summer 2022 
• Westhouses, Blackwell and Copthorne will join in a celebration picnic - Summer 2022 

Covid-19 Update:

Dear Parents/Carers,

Due to the current climate a lot of our Food for Life plans/activities have been cancelled or postponed until at least April 2021. 

However, we are still doing lots of thing in school linked with Food for Life and working towards our Silver award. Updates can be found on this page, our gallery or our Facebook Page. 

Many of the events postponed are those that encourage community involvement however, you can still be involved from home. Please find attached a range of resources you can use at home with your children linked to Food for Life. Alternatively if you and your children have done any of the following we would love to hear, please send pictures or a short paragraph to [email protected]

• Done any growing or gardening
• Cooked or baked with your children
• Tried a new food
• Tried to be healthy with meals/snack
• Done something good for the environment
• Gotten creative and made some food/growing related art

Thank you for taking the time to help with our Food for Life progress, because of your hard work we achieved our Bronze award in lockdown.

BRING ON SILVER!!! 

Food for Life action plan September 2020 – September 2021

In September 2019 we decided to implement a 'whole school approach' to Food for Life. We split the program into 6 different categories. Cooking, Growing, Farming, Multi-cultural, Healthy eating and SNAG. We then devised an action plan to help guide us for the year. Due to COVID19 many of our events have been postponed, meaning, our plans for this year may run into next year.  

Cooking:

Cooking is to continue across the whole school in each classroom linked in with the curriculum and as a stand-alone project.

Topics that already have cooking in them are to continue throughout the year.

Families events are to run at least once in this year – with parents and children cooking together. (Postponed until further notice)

Growing:

Teachers are to grow X1 ingredients from their chosen recipe with their class. (Mrs Russell & Mrs Tucker to run this) Online training has been provided.

Events: Throughout the year each class will have X1 fun event linked with growing. Things like the website, Facebook and Newsletters should be utilized throughout these events. Children should also be praised for hard work in these events e.g. prizes.

• Explorers will be hosting ‘Grandparents Gardening week’ Ange from Food for Life will be coming in to help out.
• Philosophers will be having a Meal Barrow competition where they must design a three-course meal (growing at least 5 ingredients) and presenting it in a fun way.
• Trailblazers will be having a sunflower growing competition where they take picture and measure their sunflowers. 

(These events have now been postponed to 2021)

Farming:

• We have links to a local bee farmer - we will receive updates for our WHOP about the bee's and will eventually, have an assembly on this (Farmer has agreed to send us some free items to try). 

Multi-Cultural:

At least 1 ticketed event is to be hosted in the year to encourage parents to get involved and educate children on food from around the world. Possible events are:

• French breakfast morning – parents and children are invited into school early to have breakfast together (no cooking required)
• Italian Pizza night – Parents are invited to create their own pizza and eat it together.
• Hola Mexico – Parents are invited to come in at lunchtime and enjoy a Mexican Feast cooked by the children. 

(Postponed)

Healthy eating and dining:

Healthy eating in lunch boxes is to be praised by the head and dojo points can be won.

Children are now served their dinner on a plate (so do not get to say yes/no to items). They are actively encouraged to try all their food by staff classmates.  Lunchtime is currently split into 2 sitting and we have no servers.

SNAG:

SNAG is postponed until April 2021.

Food for Life action plan September 2019 – September 2020

In September 2019 we decided to implement a 'whole school approach' to Food for Life. We split the program into 6 different categories. Cooking, Growing, Farming, Multi-cultural, Healthy eating and SNAG. We then devised an action plan to help guide us for the year. 

Cooking:

Cooking is to continue across the whole school in each classroom linked in with the curriculum and as a stand-alone project.

A range of recipes have been designed for school and class teachers are to chose X1 recipe to cook with their class for the year. Other recipes are to be displayed on a Food for Life display and sent out in Newsletters. 

Topics that already have cooking in them are to continue throughout the year.

Afterschool club are to prep their food once a week. Once a term they will cook what they eat.

Growing:

Teachers are to grow X1 ingredients from their chosen recipe with their class. (Liz from Food for Life to deliver Growing training for all staff)

JR, JT, ND are each to grow, maintain, sow and eat/sell X1 thing outside with a group of children.  

Events: Throughout the year each class will have X1 fun event linked with growing. Things like the website, Facebook and Newsletters should be utilized throughout these events. Children should also be praised for hard work in these events e.g. prizes.

• Explorers will be hosting ‘Grandparents Gardening week’ Ange from Food for Life will be coming in to help out.
• Philosophers will be having a Meal Barrow competition where they must design a three-course meal (growing at least 5 ingredients) and presenting it in a fun way.
• Trailblazers will be having a sunflower growing competition where they take picture and measure their sunflowers. 

Farming:

TBC

Multi-Cultural:

3 ticketed events are to be hosted throughout the year to encourage parents to get involved and educate children on food from around the world.

• French breakfast morning – parents and children are invited into school early to have breakfast together (no cooking required)
• Italian Pizza night – Parents are invited to create their own pizza and eat it together.
• Hola Mexico – Parents are invited to come in at lunchtime and enjoy a Mexican Feast cooked by the children. 

Healthy eating and dining:

School is to introduce ‘Welcome Wednesdays’ X3 times a year where parents are invited in to dine with their children. Lunch could start earlier for this as it will be served in 2. – To be discussed with lunch staff.

Mr Nutt is to provide ‘Taster sessions’ for the children on sandwiches at lunch time to encourage them to try the school lunches.

Derbyshire County Council are to be invited in for a ‘taster session’ at the Christmas Fair where parents can try school lunches.

Juniors will implement a tuck shop that sells fruit, school grown produce and things cooked at school to the Junior students for 20p and will run every Thursday breaktime. – SNAG are to decide the name of this.

SNAG:

Till Christmas– To complete Pupil and Parent Questionnaires and begin to implement those ideas into school. To create something to sell at the Xmas Fair.

Miss Flint is to update the website and create a Food for Life display.