PARENTS and children rolled up their sleeves – and dough – during a special healthy eating workshop.
Minster Church of England Primary School in Warminster was the venue for a pizza-making session – with a focus on how to create healthy foods easily and encourage good habits.
The programme is one of many in schools funded by Wiltshire Council Public Health to support families to eat healthily and have positive eating behaviours from an early age by rolling out a school-based healthy lifestyle programme.
The council funds PhunkyFoods to provide the sessions which currently run at 15 primary schools in Wiltshire, including in Salisbury and Tisbury.
So far the programme has:
* Trained 186 teachers to deliver healthy lifestyle messaging to children in line with current national dietary guidelines.
* Co-created 15 school health action plans
* Delivered 133 healthy eating and food literacy sessions to 9,702 young people
* Trained 225 Year 5 pupils to become healthy lifestyle ambassadors in school
* Delivered school-based Family Cook Clubs to 76 families across Wiltshire
Cllr Clare Cape, cabinet member for public health, said: “Parents and carers want the best for their children and understandably it can be daunting with busy lives, knowing which foods to use and whether it’s going to take a long time after a busy day to cook a healthy meal.
“These excellent programmes provide real inspiration with sessions to demonstrate the wide range of quick, tasty meals that can be healthy and easy to make.
“We can see the benefits as the school notices children bringing in healthier lunches and also being willing to try different foods. It can make a real difference.”
Minster Primary School headteacher, James Hobbs, said: “It covers so many things. It doesn’t just help the pupil’s understanding it’s also good for their wellbeing and their confidence and enthusiasm which they share with the younger children.
“It’s also about drawing the whole community together and breaking down barriers for parents, and the community working together as one.”
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2021) highlighted how almost a third (29%) of children aged between five and 10 eat less than one portion of veg a day, while 89% of the same group eat less than 3.5 portions a day.
The Wiltshire Children and Young People’s School Health and Wellbeing Survey (2021) highlighted that 41% of four to 11 year olds eat snacks such as sweets, chocolate, biscuits and crisps three or more times per day, and a further 41% of the group eat these snacks at least once per day.
The PhunkyFoods programme supports schools, parents and pupils to make manageable changes.
Schools have two years of regular contact from a Phunky Foods Support Worker who will complete a ‘school health check’ which will form an action plan.
The action plan supports staff, parents, and pupils to learn and make positive changes to the schools’ food environment and policy. The programme includes the Phunky Ambassador training, the upskilling of Year 5 pupils in healthy lifestyle messaging so they can lead assemblies or classroom time with their peers, and Family Cook Clubs, where families can learn recipes and cooking skills to make balanced, budget-friendly foods with their children.
READ MORE: Education news from your Salisbury & Avon Gazette
Once a school has fully engaged and embedded the programme, they will receive maintenance support from their PhunkyFoods Support Worker.
Jennie Cockroft, programme director at PhunkyFoods, said: “It was lovely to see how excited the children were to host this event and engage with their parents and guests.
“Making healthy eating fun and hands-on really helps children build good habits that can stick with them for life.
“Sessions like this aren’t just about teaching, they’re about giving children the confidence to make healthier choices for themselves and their families.”
The full list of Wiltshire schools taking part in the programme is:
• Avenue Primary School, Warminster
• Castle Mead Primary Academy, Trowbridge
• Horningsham Primary School, Warminster
• Marden Vale CE Academy, Calne
• Pembroke Park Primary, Salisbury
• Princecroft Primary School, Warminster
• Saint Edmunds Catholic Primary, Calne
• Shrewton CE Primary School, Salisbury
• St Johns CE Primary School, Tisbury
• St Josephs Catholic School, Devizes
• Studley Green Primary School, Trowbridge
• The Manor School, Melksham
• The Minster CE Primary School, Warminster
• Westbury Leigh CE Primary School Westbury
• Woodlands Primary School, Salisbury
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