Food Education: Better Eating Better Learning - Holyrood Secondary

Published 23/01/2019.  Last updated 11/04/2023
sourcePractice exemplars schoolHealth and Wellbeing (HWB)

​How to use this exemplar to improve practice?

​Improvement questions

  • Consider the out of school experience of the young people in your establishment. How can you influence the food environment outside of schools to better support children & young people?
  • How can you encourage retailers to support the marketing and promotion of healthier food options throughout the school day?
  • How do you undertake any assessment or evaluation to identify what children & young people would prefer in relation to making healthier food choices during the school day?

Explore this exemplar

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What was done?​

Holyrood Secondary is one of the largest secondary schools in Scotland. Ensuring all pupils access school lunches on site every day can be challenging.

The School Nutrition Action Group surveyed all pupils in the school in relation to where they eat out of school over lunchtime.

The top three retailers were invited into the school to discuss their lunchtime offering and the pupils shared their desire for a more healthy offering to meet their needs.

Each of the retailers then reformulated a number of their foods on offer specifically for the lunchtime service. This included baking chicken instead of frying, using low fat items instead of full fat and creating a ‘healthy lunchtime deal’.

The school then held a ‘try & buy’ session with the three out of school retail​ers and the school’s own catering service to allow the pupils to try out the reformulated foods.

The pupils then created a reward card that gets stamped each time the pupils visit one of the three out of school retailers. The retailers will only stamp the card if the pupil selects the ‘healthy’ option.

Once the card is complete, the pupil receives a red apple shaped pin badge for their lapel. ​A further incentive for the project is to complete five cards to receive a green apple pin badge, then a gold pin badge when 20 cards are completed.

The project has been so successful, the school plans to expand to engage with more retailers.

Why?

This piece of work is a long term project linking to pupil voice / pupil participation in and around improving the food experience at the school.

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Food Education: Better Eating Better Learning - Holyrood Secondary

Published 23/01/2019.  Last updated 11/04/2023
sourcePractice exemplars schoolHealth and Wellbeing (HWB)

​How to use this exemplar to improve practice?

​Improvement questions

  • Consider the out of school experience of the young people in your establishment. How can you influence the food environment outside of schools to better support children & young people?
  • How can you encourage retailers to support the marketing and promotion of healthier food options throughout the school day?
  • How do you undertake any assessment or evaluation to identify what children & young people would prefer in relation to making healthier food choices during the school day?

Explore this exemplar

Videos

 

 

 

 

 

What was done?​

Holyrood Secondary is one of the largest secondary schools in Scotland. Ensuring all pupils access school lunches on site every day can be challenging.

The School Nutrition Action Group surveyed all pupils in the school in relation to where they eat out of school over lunchtime.

The top three retailers were invited into the school to discuss their lunchtime offering and the pupils shared their desire for a more healthy offering to meet their needs.

Each of the retailers then reformulated a number of their foods on offer specifically for the lunchtime service. This included baking chicken instead of frying, using low fat items instead of full fat and creating a ‘healthy lunchtime deal’.

The school then held a ‘try & buy’ session with the three out of school retail​ers and the school’s own catering service to allow the pupils to try out the reformulated foods.

The pupils then created a reward card that gets stamped each time the pupils visit one of the three out of school retailers. The retailers will only stamp the card if the pupil selects the ‘healthy’ option.

Once the card is complete, the pupil receives a red apple shaped pin badge for their lapel. ​A further incentive for the project is to complete five cards to receive a green apple pin badge, then a gold pin badge when 20 cards are completed.

The project has been so successful, the school plans to expand to engage with more retailers.

Why?

This piece of work is a long term project linking to pupil voice / pupil participation in and around improving the food experience at the school.

^ Back to top