Spring Lane Primary School plant and share with Food for Life

Earlier this month, the first school to enrol on the scheme in 2023 Spring Lane Primary School, invited Councillor Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Wellbeing and Health Integration, and Sally Burns, Director of Public Health, to visit the school to see how they are changing food culture and making healthy food accessible for all.

After embarking on training with Food for Life, teachers have had lunch with pupils in the school canteen, set up growing beds so children can learn to grow food, celebrated growing as part of Grow Week and Food for Life’s Plant and Share campaign, and created growing packs for the students to take their new skills home to share with their families – no matter how much access to outdoor space they may have.

During the visit, the Public Health team took part in a growing session with some of the children as part of Grow Week. So far, they have planted potatoes, coriander and spring onions in school, and made grow packs for all Year 3, 4, and 5 students to take home in May. This forms part of the upcoming Fit for Life initiative – a weeklong focus on physical and mental health through sports, as well as a chance to develop their culinary skills by cooking and trying food together.

Councillor Golby said:

“It was great to see firsthand the impact the Food for Life programme is having within the schools it works with as well as the enjoyment and learning that the students get out of it.

“Teaching children how to grow their own food within the classroom environment can really help them take this learning and desire to do this into their home environment too supporting conversations and decisions around healthy eating. It is really positive to see the school engaging parents and guardians in this programme, as well as making the ‘grow packs’ for students to take home with them.”

Cath Bates, teacher at Spring Lane Primary, said:

“It was a lovely visit from our special guests Matthew Golby and Sally Burns along with wider members of the Public Health team. It gave our pupils the opportunity to showcase the ongoing Food for Life project which will teach them valuable, lifelong lessons about healthy food.”

Joanne Plater, Local Programme Manager for Food for Life said:

“Over the first year of this fully council funded programme it has been amazing to see how settings have developed their Food for Life work. They have really taken to using the programme to develop the life skills of growing, cooking and eating together. Even schools with well-developed food activities have taken inspiration from our whole setting approach to develop their curriculum further. The children and staff have loved the hands-on activities, resources and training sessions. We look forward to seeing the programme grow over the years and working with more settings across West Northamptonshire.”