School Food Project

This project has developed from a pilot project to support schools to grow food in Islington. The resulting discussions led to some amazing lesson plans to support teachers. These will be available shortly. There are some incredible people and projects working with London schools on food in all its stages (growing, farming, sourcing, cooking, eating). This project aims to gather them all together in one place and to let schools find the one(s) that suit them best. We also hope to build an easily accessible collective of school food experts who can support schools and each other to meet their needs. To get the ball rolling here are just a few great links. As our project develops we'll make sure this information is as easy to find as possible: Food for Life Partnership:  The Food for Life Partnership brings together the expertise of four food focused charities (Soil Association, Garden Organic, Focus on Food, Health Education Trust). It aims to help schools across England transform their food culture. Contact tbc. Fruit-full Schools: A national network of over fifty schools that came together in 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, to share in a common, fruit-full endeavour. Together they are helping to reverse the dramatic decline of traditional orchards: a habitat identified for urgent attention in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan. Contact Lewis. Capital Growth: Capital Growth is a partnership initiative between London Food Link, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and the Big Lottery's Local Food Fund. It is championed by the Chair of the London Food Board Rosie Boycott and aims to create 2012 new community food growing spaces across London by the end of 2012.  Capital Growth offers practical help, grants, training and support to groups wanting to establish community food growing projects as well as advice to landowners. (NOTE: this is not specifically a schools project but its a great project for schools and loads are already registered). Contact: Seb School Food Matters: Their mission is to ensure that every child enjoys fresh sustainable food at school and understands where their food comes from. To achieve this they listen to schools, parents and children. They urge local authorities to improve school meals and to support food education through cooking, growing and links with local farms. Contact: Isla on isla@schoolfoodmatters.com Lets Get Cooking: The Children’s Food Trust, (previously named the School Food Trust), was awarded Big Lottery funding in 2007 to set up and support the first 5,000 Let’s Get Cooking school-based cooking clubs for children and their families. Let's Get Cooking is now the largest national network of healthy cooking clubs in the country. As well as our school-based clubs, we provide training and support for other organisations running cooking activities for children, young people and adults. We work in various settings including primary, secondary and special schools, pupil referral units, children’s centres and charities. Contact: tbc.  RHS Campaign for School Gardening: The RHS Campaign for School Gardening aims to encourage and support schools to develop and actively use a school garden.  As part of the Campaign they provide teachers with resources through their website and an extensive programme of CPD days. Although this is not solely about food growing there are great food growing resources. Contact: James

Author: Martin Crabbe