The power of food
Why is it so important to celebrate the Good School Food Awards? Because now more than ever people in the school-food and education system are having to work miracles with very limited resources just to carry out the basics; let alone going above and beyond to make sure students are given what they need to fulfil their potential. We’re talking about teaching the life skills of what a healthy, balanced meal looks like, giving them access to one each day, learning how to cook it, how to eat it around a table, and how to clear up after yourself. Because, as our Rising Star Chef Russ says, food is so much more than the sum of its parts.
That is why everyone who was nominated for 2024’s Good School Food Awards deserves to be a winner. We are always blown away by the brilliant, essential work going on across the UK – huge thanks to everyone who entered.
But for now, here are some nuggets of inspo from 2024’s winners, who talk about the power of food…
We loved the family dining set-up at Reach Academy Feltham that Tilly Browne, Co-Head for Primary, and Beck Own, Co-Head for Secondary, championed…
Tilly: Sometimes lunchtime can just feel like a break in the school day for everybody – but it’s really important for us. We really believe in the power of relationships, and how they’re often built during those downtimes, like lunchtime. By the teachers sitting and eating with the children, it’s a chance to have conversations about their hobbies, what they did at the weekend or if they’re going on holiday. And that makes those times really meaningful.
Bec: And we want our children to leave us with the skills, attributes and academic qualifications to go on and live a life of choice and opportunity. And within that, it’s highly likely that at some point you’ll need to have a business meeting over food, or meet in-laws over dinner. By encouraging children from a young age to share food, practise good table manners and serve one another, it helps them to get into really good habits, so that when they live that life of choice and opportunity, the groundwork is already laid.
How have you made food part of the school ethos?
Bec: Chef Hugo sees food as not only something we eat; but also as a celebration. Those children invited to the head teacher’s lunch on a Friday will have a completely separate three-course lunch to help them feel celebrated. If students are staying late after school for Year 11 revision, he makes them a three-course dinner – it’s called Dine For a 9, because the top grade is grade 9. He cooks staff barbecues, breakfast every single morning for the children who come in early; he bakes pastries for staff on Fridays. He’s always involved in parts of the school where there’s relationship and culture building, because we build relationships over food.
Food educator of the Year Michelle Woodard of The King Edmund School says…
“I believe we’re teaching them skills that mean they can go into careers afterwards. It’s not just making some cupcakes; it’s about being able to make yourself a healthy meal, being able to cook for your family and your friends. It’s such a fundamental skill.”
Jen Craven, the Food For Fuel winner, says…
“Providing lunch means we can encourage everyone to at least try the food – they don’t have to eat all of it, but just try it. One time, this child said they hated fish, but they’d just never tried it – they now love it.”
Rising Star Chef Russ, of Pokesdown Community Primary School, says…
“Food is such a big thing in all our lives, and it can make all the difference to our wellbeing. It’s so much more than the sum of its parts. We forget to eat seasonal whole foods. I know it’s hard to pick your way through what’s in the supermarket and work out what’s good and what isn’t. Making good food feels good.”
Kindness & Community winner, Naomi Parkinson, says…
“The children need to be well fed and well rested for us to perform our jobs properly. We can’t educate them to the best we can if they have underlying barriers preventing that from happening. When they’ve had a good lunch, productivity and engagement in the afternoon is much better.”
Sarah Read, Headteacher of North Ridge Sixth Form Hub, who are our Sustainability stars, says…
“We absolutely need them to be championing this, so they then carry on at home recycling plastic, cooking with leftovers, growing their own food, or switching off lights to conserve energy. Now they have these amazing skills, they’re able to be self-sustainable.”
Madie Toplass is our Youth Activist of the year, and her food tech teacher, Julia Mottershead, says…
“It’s frightening how quickly my two-hour lessons have gone to one-hour lessons. And the time is getting taken away from food when actually it’s something that could help with health, mental health, creativity, job options. And it doesn’t matter whether you live in a deprived area or a rich area, everyone needs to eat.”