Family Child Care: School Dinners

Showing posts with label School Dinners. Show all posts

New Research

A quick round-up of various new reports: <ul><li><a href="http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/UNICEFUK_2012CRCimplentationreport.pdf" target="_blank">The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: a Study of Legal Implementation in 12 Countries </a>is a new publication from UNICEF which examines how the UK compares to other countries in providing for children's rights at national level.</li><li><a href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/education-campaign-ambition-for-all/first-steps-read-the-report-online/" target="_blank">First Steps</a> is a report from the CBI which sets out an agenda for education reform from a business perspective.</li><li><a href="http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/FacingtheScreenDilemma.pdf" target="_blank">Facing the Screen Dilemma: Young Children, Technology and Early Education</a> examines how new technologies could be having an effect on children's development.</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR235.pdf" target="_blank">Pupils not Claiming Free School Meals</a> has just been published by the Department of Education, and attempts to establish how many children who are entitled to free school dinners are not taking advantage.</li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR238.pdf" target="_blank">What is the Research Evidence on Writing?</a> gathers together literature on pupils' writing ability, with the authors claiming that this is an area which receives less attention than reading ability.</li></ul>

New Research

A quick round-up of various new reports: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: a Study of Legal Implementation in 12 Countries is a...

8:43 AM

Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years

The <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> has just launched a set of new guidelines on nutrition for preschool children. The new advice is part of the Eat Better Start Better project, which aims to support children and their families to cook and eat well. Part of the inspiration for the new guidelines came out of a previous report which stated that some <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16554688" target="_blank">young children were being given food better suited to adults</a>. A practical guide for implementing the new guidelines in early years settings can be <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/download/documents/pdf/EBSB_practical_guide.pdf.pdf">downloaded here</a>. Further supplementary information including FAQS and example menus are available from <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/parents-carers/for-parents-carers/eat-better-start-better" target="_blank">this link</a>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgin40YS5TTxfchTIG0JmD5vTt5ZH4CfvYJBP-ZyIZUzi-W2uYDvw8yBEQLSOGa8DxohrzpOimKy7Ltys-jWVkfu4yJNOilALgYnBfjDK4ZDqlVc1G6VZG4bFW_gSJH24f_drGGyiMa6Q/s1600/Some+veg.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698164058349128562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgin40YS5TTxfchTIG0JmD5vTt5ZH4CfvYJBP-ZyIZUzi-W2uYDvw8yBEQLSOGa8DxohrzpOimKy7Ltys-jWVkfu4yJNOilALgYnBfjDK4ZDqlVc1G6VZG4bFW_gSJH24f_drGGyiMa6Q/s200/Some+veg.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 178px;" /></a>

Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years

The School Food Trust has just launched a set of new guidelines on nutrition for preschool children. The new advice is part of the Eat Bett...

1:32 AM

Laying the Table

A review of nursery food has called for national guidelines on what <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/rss/1058268/Nursery-food-review-calls-national-guidelines-food-drink-early-years-settings/" target="_blank">under fives should eat and drink in early years settings</a>. Laying the Table: Recommendations for National Food and Nutrition Guidance for Early Years Settings in England is the full title of the new report from the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a>, which has also concluded that many children do not eat recommended levels of fruit and vegetables, and that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/04/nursery-menu-guidelines-health" target="_blank">over 20% of children are overweight</a> by the time they begin reception class. You can read the full text of the report by <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/download/documents/pdf/sft_laying_the_table_early_years_volume1.pdf">clicking here</a>. If you're into tables, statistics etc, then the appendix with background data is <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/download/documents/pdf/sft_laying_the_table_early_years_volume2appendices.pdf">also available</a>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4T35D7Bwr3Je3DwfldenNFvK2HCM_I4_WX-YxcwhwyQGC1dRwy0nwAfTc6oREivfp3k2-5uY5annMyMA6sr8QIC1wv6M6RX8LA8gUILg-HVGNgqg5dCvu2q0cUBPPT9XhX-HHYUIliw/s1600/Vegetables.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580192259734686978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4T35D7Bwr3Je3DwfldenNFvK2HCM_I4_WX-YxcwhwyQGC1dRwy0nwAfTc6oREivfp3k2-5uY5annMyMA6sr8QIC1wv6M6RX8LA8gUILg-HVGNgqg5dCvu2q0cUBPPT9XhX-HHYUIliw/s200/Vegetables.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 224px;" /></a>

Laying the Table

A review of nursery food has called for national guidelines on what under fives should eat and drink in early years settings . Laying the Ta...

2:51 AM

Food In Schools

New research from Ofsted has found that parents on low incomes are <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/25/poor-children-need-free-meals" target="_blank">struggling to pay for healthy school meals</a> for their children. The report, entitled Food in Schools, also suggests that a third of schools were failing to provide healthy meals for their pupils which meet the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/the-standards/the-nutrient-based-standards/guides-and-reports/guide-to-the-nutrient-based-standards" target="_blank">mandatory nutrient standards</a> set out by the previous government. To read the full report, <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Food-in-schools" target="_blank">click here</a>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdKDhjtWjuN-PPC2cRNfiluftrA9n9F5rotJ1guaTuLWLoQ6KchV_WeuTeT_hvJVDor7oNFFpib0F7INUHwAb9_Mx360sbr5_ybb8zfj1XCnQTYNiLNLB9hHyt7FBvLiojzNmqtybjg/s1600/SchoolDinner.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486691213752366242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdKDhjtWjuN-PPC2cRNfiluftrA9n9F5rotJ1guaTuLWLoQ6KchV_WeuTeT_hvJVDor7oNFFpib0F7INUHwAb9_Mx360sbr5_ybb8zfj1XCnQTYNiLNLB9hHyt7FBvLiojzNmqtybjg/s200/SchoolDinner.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" /></a>

Food In Schools

New research from Ofsted has found that parents on low incomes are struggling to pay for healthy school meals for their children. The repor...

5:37 AM

Nursery Food

Recently published research from the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> has raised concerns about the nutrition levels of food served in nurseries. The Trust's report states that food offered to toddlers is often <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8569117.stm" target="_blank">high in fat, sugar and salt</a>, and that young children may be eating overly large portions. You can read <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/sft_early_years_preliminary_review_summary.pdf" target="_blank">a summary</a> of the Trust's findings online now. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxPxITg8BmzzfA5AAAGtxKwDskUyNWIqyXJ-N96nrdhd2RsiXFLyvaxKxpGIN2LrQoQVv4K_t0Uwo2BrFe2C6UphyaiEj9lnJIESeo_BQE4vDlzpnZBRIJ8g1mPl_J8RhKuWIH9Ltnw/s1600-h/Fruit.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449927900999834082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxPxITg8BmzzfA5AAAGtxKwDskUyNWIqyXJ-N96nrdhd2RsiXFLyvaxKxpGIN2LrQoQVv4K_t0Uwo2BrFe2C6UphyaiEj9lnJIESeo_BQE4vDlzpnZBRIJ8g1mPl_J8RhKuWIH9Ltnw/s200/Fruit.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 117px;" /></a>

Nursery Food

Recently published research from the School Food Trust has raised concerns about the nutrition levels of food served in nurseries. The Trus...

3:51 AM

The Really Good School Dinner

The Really Good School Dinner

If you work in a school, is your institution involved in the Really Good School Dinner? Now into it's second year, this project enables ...

5:07 AM

The Jamie Oliver Effect

It seems that the 'Jamie Oliver Effect' shows no signs of abating. Following on from his TV series on improving school dinners and the subsequent '<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/school-dinners" target="_blank">Feed Me Better</a>' campaign, the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University has now published <a href="http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/publications/working-papers/iser/2009-01.pdf" target="_blank">Healthy School Meals and Educational Outcomes</a>, a report which examines Key Stage 2 outcomes before and after the reforms introduced by Oliver's campaign. The study concludes that healthy school meals have indeed had a positive impact on educational outcomes. For further reading on the same topic, try looking at <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/sft_research_review_aug08.pdf" target="_blank">The Link Between Child Nutrition and Health: an Overview of Research in the UK</a>, which was published in August of last year. The websites of the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/index.asp" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> and the <a href="http://www.nutrition.org.uk/" target="_blank">British Nutrition Foundation</a> are also useful sources of information.

The Jamie Oliver Effect

It seems that the 'Jamie Oliver Effect' shows no signs of abating. Following on from his TV series on improving school dinners and t...

3:50 AM

School Food Trust

In the wake of Jamie Oliver's series on school dinners, the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> was established to improve school food and the education of children with regards to eating. At about the same time a lot of our students suddenly developed an interest in doing research into school meals (!), so the School Food Trust website has been invaluable in providing information and research in this area. Recently the Trust have released two new reports which may be of interest. <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/school_food_in18countries.pdf" target="_blank">The Provision of School Food in 18 Countries</a> has an international focus, and looks at how school meals in the UK compare to those on offer abroad, as well as comsidering issues such as funding, catering providers and dining environments. Also new is <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/sft_research_review_aug08.pdf" target="_blank">The Link between Child Nutrition and Health</a>, which is effectively a literature review of UK research in this area.

School Food Trust

In the wake of Jamie Oliver's series on school dinners, the School Food Trust was established to improve school food and the education ...

3:49 AM

Child Nutrition

Child Nutrition

The issue of healthy eating has been back on the agenda this week, first with a story on Tuesday that cooking lessons will shortly be compul...

5:23 AM

School Dinners / Children's Television

Just like buses, it seems that news stories relating to children seem to come in twos and threes... The first headline of interest today relates to the latest report on school dinners (will they never end?) which has found that there has been a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7024585.stm" target="_blank">decline in the take-up of school meals</a> since they were given a healthy make-over following Jamie Oliver's TV campaign. The full report - <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/assets/Internet_Content/Shared_Content/Files/2007/oct/fdinschls_ehe.pdf" target="_blank">Food in Schools</a> - is available to read online now. For further information on this topic, try looking at these previous posts - <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/09/nutrition-school-meals.html" target="_blank">Nutrition & School Meals</a> and <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/05/school-dinners.html" target="_blank">School Dinners</a>. Today's second story concerns the relative <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7025301.stm" target="_blank">lack of homegrown TV programmes for children</a>. A report by Ofcom has highlighted the decrease in children's programmes which are produced in the UK, despite the fact that such shows are often some of the most popular ones amongst viewers. You can read <a href="http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/kidstv/kidstvresearch.pdf" target="_blank">The Future of Children's Television Programming</a> online, or for further information on children's TV try reading <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/07/turn-off-tv.html" target="_blank">Turn Off The TV!</a> or <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2007/05/children-media.html" target="_blank">Children & The Media</a>.

School Dinners / Children's Television

Just like buses, it seems that news stories relating to children seem to come in twos and threes... The first headline of interest today rel...

3:43 AM

Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating

It's induction week at the College, which may make it difficult to add regular updates this week, as everyone's so busy. So today...

5:50 AM

Nutrition & School Meals

This week there have been some confusing stories in the news on how well children are eating. Most of the headlines have focused on <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/2nd_annual_survey_summary.pdf" target="_blank">new figures</a> which show that since the drive to introduce healthier school food began, the number of pupils actually eating school meals has fallen by over 400,000. Yet at the same time, a <a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_078170" target="_blank">new report</a> from the Department of Health suggests that over the last two years there has been a 13% increase in children who are getting their "5 a day" portions of fruit & vegetables. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH06ZaQzgti1LuuGJrm0rSPIvKV6v6d-zoWSQ_W8BlXC0zjqXdUo2f590CJlxB8AmCRAw_0zYwuPgW0B7mJK9aoyk2fwC0uvK9Nte0-EOhscNw8VPnI7VWBMdLsFyGD-Hx3iAlyLIng/s1600-h/dinner.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="151" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106339406428140402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH06ZaQzgti1LuuGJrm0rSPIvKV6v6d-zoWSQ_W8BlXC0zjqXdUo2f590CJlxB8AmCRAw_0zYwuPgW0B7mJK9aoyk2fwC0uvK9Nte0-EOhscNw8VPnI7VWBMdLsFyGD-Hx3iAlyLIng/s200/dinner.jpg" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" width="125" /></a> It gets worse... If both reports are true then it might seem reasonable to assume that perhaps these children are getting their vitamins from packed lunches rather than food provided by their schools. But yet another news story from the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> claims that <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/news_item.asp?NewsId=92" target="_blank">packed lunches are falling behind school dinners</a> in terms of the nutritional benefits that they offer children. And in a further twist of irony, we are currently in the middle of <a href="http://www.nationallunchboxweek.co.uk/" target="_blank">National Lunchbox Week</a>, which recognises this problem and aims to improve understanding of the issues involved; if you can make sense of it all, please explain it to me! What is clear is that this year sees the introduction of the government's <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/School-food-trust.pdf" target="_blank">Revised Guide to Standards for School Lunches</a>. These set out the regulations which all schools and caterers will be expected to follow from this month, and are essential reading for anyone with an interest in this subject.

Nutrition & School Meals

This week there have been some confusing stories in the news on how well children are eating. Most of the headlines have focused on new figu...

5:24 AM

School Dinners

Chips, pizza, lumpy custard... Everyone has their own memories of school dinners, but since <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/schooldinners/" target="_blank">Jamie Oliver's</a> efforts to improve the standard of meals available for children, there has been a sense among legislators and campaign groups that 'something must be done.' This has led to a string of reports and initiatives from various bodies, all of them looking at how improvements can be made to existing school food provision. The immediate response from the DfES was to set up the <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a>; their website is a fantastic source of information with up-to-date news, plus facts for both staff and parents, as well as detailed research reports. The <a href="http://www.cwt.org.uk/" target="_blank">Caroline Walker Trust</a> is another group with an interest in this area (although their remit is broader than just school food). For a really detailed research report on the subject, try reading <a href="http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR753.pdf" target="_blank">School Meals in Primary Schools in England</a> or <a href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/SMRP_Report_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food</a>. Or for a study of how nutrition can be linked to children's educational achievements, take a look at this document from 2006: <a href="http://www.learningbenefits.net/Publications/ResReps/ResRep18.pdf" target="_blank">What is the Relationship between Child Nutrition and School Outcomes?</a>

School Dinners

Chips, pizza, lumpy custard... Everyone has their own memories of school dinners, but since Jamie Oliver's efforts to improve the stand...

2:43 AM

Family Child Care