May 2008
Action taken
Children with special needs tend to suffer significantly from obesity, diabetes, heart conditions and food related allergies. In the past there has been a reluctance to move away from the status quo and radically alter their fat and carbohydrate-laden diets. There is now an increased awareness amongst most staff of the significance of healthy eating as part of a healthy lifestyle (Helen Blairman, Mosselle School).
Haringey SNAG team, a collaboration of dieticians, catering services, LA quality control, school management, parents and governors was set up to explore how to improve Haringey school meals in line with the new Government guidelines. Advice was also sort from the Caroline Walker Trust.
‘We needed to work within challenging parameters namely; cost, cultural diversity, healthy dietary requirements and provision for pupils with special educational needs’ highlights Helen Blairman, Mosselle school.
What were the outcomes and benefits?
Working collaboratively, Mosselle School and Haringey SNAG have been able to make a real difference in the mindset that has existed about school meals. Presentation, imagination and even creativity have replaced stodgy indifference.
Salads, cheese & biscuits and dried fruit are available daily. Chips are restricted to once a week. Fried food is avoided and baked instead. This was an enormous challenge to special schools catering for children on the autistic spectrum whose eating was often restricted to chips or nuggets. All fizzy drinks were banned and removed from the premises. Iced filtered water is freely available and bottles are provided for all children. Meals are also evaluated daily by staff and pupils alike.
With enormous support from catering services and especially the school cooks, who have been encouraged to take pride over their work, we have significantly shifted the dietary map (and more importantly the dietary expectations) for those on the autistic spectrum.
Regular meetings with the school cooks ensure consistency of provision. We discuss improvements, concerns and even recipes! Support also comes from the Healthy Eating Working Group which convenes several times a year and provides additional support and advice. The broad membership of this group enables real changes to take place.
Patience, diversity and a willingness to try the same thing in different ways has led to an extraordinary increase in the uptake of school meals. (Helen Blairman, Mosselle School)
Learning Experience
‘Many Haringey schools are serving vegetarian meals to children for religious or cultural reasons.’
‘There is a place for creativity and imagination in the school kitchen and that 100% support from the school cooks is paramount.’
‘The presentation of food is as important for children as it is for most adults.’
‘Above all have the courage of your convictions. Do a little research and don’t be too ambitious. Find a couple of colleagues who share your passion for change and make a start.’
‘Giving all stakeholders a voice in the process has underpinned the effectiveness of this project. Recommendations for changes are seen to be acted upon. Overall everyone has witnessed an enormous shift in the quality of the food.’
Contact information
Helen Blairman
Moselle School
Tel: 0208 80 888 69
