Schools across the South West who have transformed their food culture by serving healthy, fresh meals whilst providing pupils with the opportunity to cook, grow and visit farms, were celebrated at the Food for Life Partnership’s (FFLP) School Award ceremony. Poole Grammar School received the programme’s highest accolade, their gold FFLP award, one of only two secondary schools in the country to have achieved this.
Collecting Poole Grammar’s gold award, Bursar Jonathan Stiby said, “We are delighted with this award. We are constantly pushing boundaries to improve what we do and much of our reputation is thanks to the food we offer. This September, Chris Watson and his catering team have doubled the meals that we provide our local schools to support the Universal Infant Free School Meals initiative. Our gold award and Food for Life journey has been a major factor in achieving this broader healthy eating impact.”
Head teacher Andy Baker said “At the earliest age, our students have a discerning awareness of food sourcing and provenance, and the benefits of healthy eating. The FFLP ethos is totally embedded in what we do, and our reputation has led to local Poole schools seeking our services to provide them with meals. We are thrilled with the gold award.”
Chris Watson, Catering Manager said “It has been a long journey to achieve gold, but I am really proud of my team and all the hard work they have put into our catering operations and growing activities. This is a tremendous achievement for Poole Grammar”.
The Food for Life Partnership was cited as an example of good practice in last year’s national School Food Plan. It is being funded by the Department for Education to support one thousand junior and secondary schools to increase school meal take up and to provide a ‘What Works Well’ visit for schools implementing universal infant free school meals.
