The Guardian – Matthew Jenkin
“The future of school meals lies in not just in providing healthy choices, but also through improving the mealtime experience, says Rockmount headteacher Tracey Langridge. She believes the problem is that lunchtimes in many schools resemble a factory production line, with students forced to wolf down their food to make way for the next pupil in the queue; there is little time for young people to take an interest in what they are eating. She would like to see lunch breaks become more of an educational experience. “When you discuss the food on their plates with children over the dinner table, they develop an understanding of why the different food groups are important and the benefits they provide. “We talk to them about the impact good food has on their learning and on their ability to concentrate. It is definitely having a positive effect and more children are choosing school lunches now than they were before.” She claims that once children take a greater interest in the content of their dinners, you can begin to teach where their food comes from. Rockmount did this by launching a gardening club, growing vegetables on the school grounds which were then included on the menu and taught about in class. “We have been really surprised that the children are taking on the importance of being healthy. It’s made us realise that the sooner you get this message across to children, the more likely it is to become an established part of how they think,” Langridge adds.”(more)