Schools toolkit

Citation

(2005), "Schools toolkit", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 35 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2005.01735eab.005

Schools toolkit

Schools toolkit

On 30 March, the Department of Health launched the exciting new food in schools toolkit.

The toolkit is designed to support, guide and inspire schools in taking a "whole-school" approach to healthy eating and drinking with the help of key learnings from the over 300 schools who took part in the pilots.

The launch of the toolkit was part of a wider announcement by the Education Secretary of State where schools are being encouraged to spend at least 50p per child on food ingredients.

From September and over the next three years, schools and local education authorities will be supported in transforming school meals with healthy food, prepared fresh on the premises by trained school cooks, which will follow tough minimum nutrition standards underpinned by Ofsted inspection.

The action to improve school food including the launch of the food in schools toolkit are part of the Government's commitment to deliver the aims set out in the Public Health White Paper Choosing Health – making healthy choices easier (November, 2004) and choosing a better diet: a food and health action plan (March, 2005) to reduce the amount of fat, salt and sugar in children's food and to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables and other essential nutrients.

The toolkit consists of guidance, advice, case studies and templates brought to life by interactive elements such as a "Food Audit", to help schools create customised solutions, and a "Virtual Day", which follows a day in the life of a student. It covers healthier breakfast clubs, healthier cookery clubs, healthier lunch boxes, growing clubs, dining room environment, water provision, healthier tuck shops and healthy vending machines.

Resource and print centres give access to reference materials, Downloadable posters, template questionnaires, booklets and presentations. A create area allows these to be adapted to suit individual schools' needs and local community concerns and issues.

The toolkit can help schools work towards the healthy eating component of the Healthy Schools Programme and links in to the Government's Healthy Living Blueprint and to other work to improve school food such as the school fruit and vegetable scheme and school meals.

The toolkit is available online – www.foodinschools.org – or in printed form from your local healthy schools coordinator or by calling 08701 555 455 or emailing dh@prolog.uk.com. Ask for item code 267050.