What’s Cooking readers will be familiar with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) Chefs’ Adopt a School Programme, which has experienced another high performance year, helped by a Cooks Charity Grant of £30,000 in ‘23/24. Here we shine a light on some of the broader areas of activity of the Adopt a School Programme.”
Although providing over 15,000 primary children each year with a good food education will always remain the main focus, Adopt a School, have been looking at ways to go beyond the classroom and ‘bridge the gap’ in food education in all walks of life to inspire and enthuse wherever possible. They have had a highly impactful year.
Innovative Work Placements
After delays due to Covid-19, and thanks to Erasmus+ funding, 107 students and 26 teachers from Coleg Cambria, Wirral Met College, Middlesbrough College, the L20 Hotel School at Hugh Baird College, and City of Liverpool College had the opportunity to gain three weeks’ work experience in France, Italy, and Spain. Students who had had limited work placement opportunities and colleges involved in Adopt a School’s Pyramid Programme (which encourages secondary and primary schools to share resources and expertise to deliver the Adopt A School programme) were deliberately targeted, with some students also working alongside a lineup of top Northern chefs at Adopt a School’s fundraising dinner at Anfield Stadium on 6th October 2023. Clearly, this provides a worthwhile experience:
“I gained confidence, learned what the industry was like in a different country, and improved my ability to work at a professional standard”. Alexander Rile, who went to Marseille, France
Healthy Eating Workshops for Parents
After a successful pilot in one school last year, funding was secured from Kent Community Fund to run parent workshops in five schools. Adopt A School’s London Chef, Alice MacKinnon, delivered the sessions as part of the Adopt a School programme, to promote healthier eating for the whole family.
“I just attended todays’ session and it was amazing. Thanks to you who organised this opportunity and big thanks to Chef Alice for showing us those delicious recipes.” Year 3 Parent
Similarly, in Liverpool, Adopt a School’s North West chef, James Holden, is working with young parents to support them to create simple, healthy and nutritious meals for their families, thanks to support from Everton in the Community and is also running cooking sessions for young boys in the school holidays in Liverpool thanks to funding from Liverpool FC Community Foundation.
Link up with Springboard’s FutureChef
Adopt a School Chefs have been encouraged to support Springboard’s FutureChef competition and James Holden, mentored Regional Final winner Diana, who was Runner Up in this year’s Competition. Diana has since supported James to deliver Adopt a School sessions at Chester Food Festival.
As a result of these and other activities, James Holden, received the PACE UK Executive Award 2023. The judges described him as
“Bringing a passion for food & provenance, he always looks for ways to encourage & support youngsters to consider hospitality as a career. A true ambassador of hospitality education.”
Healthy Lifestyles Project
This six-year pilot led by Suzanne Gomersall, Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University designed to improve children’s lifestyles, is in its final year. It has followed a cohort of children in real time within a large Nottingham city primary school, as they progress from year 1 to year 6. This year, students enhanced their skills by making an apple crumble, practising rubbing, and mixing, and making sandwiches, where skills such as spreading butter and forming simple wraps were a challenge. As part of the project, students were weighed and there was engagement with their parents. The category of greatest concern were children who were overweight and obese. As a result of the project, the percentage in this category has fallen from 29% to 24%, which shows positive results from the intervention. The results and recommendations will be published in 2024.
Teaching Kitchen at Plumpton Land and Environment College
The last issue of What’s Cooking featured the launch of the teaching kitchen at Plumpton Land and Environment College, run in partnership with Table Talk Foundation, who fund Adopt a School’s Sussex-based chef, John McManus. Following the launch, five pilot ‘Chef on the Farm’ visits were held in collaboration with LEAF Education involving 126 children. These were a success, as every student rated their visit as ‘Excellent’ and “would recommend” them to other schools. During the current academic year, 30 more Sussex schools will benefit from Chef on the Farm visits.
“It gave children a fantastic opportunity to experience something completely new, that they would never have the chance to experience otherwise. Many of the children that I brought on the trip wouldn’t have aspired to work in either hospitality or agriculture but were so captivated by the experience that they haven’t stopped talking about it since! It was amazing to see children so reluctant to try the food at first but, when they did, realise that even vegetables could taste nice!” Teacher, Upper Beeding Primary School
“I learnt so much and had such a fun time – this was the best day of school ever!” Brodie, aged 11
“I never thought I was good at cooking, but now I think I want to be a chef!” Benji, aged 11.
Raising Awareness, Influencing & Fundraising
Following a Coronation Competition back in May, Adopt a School received a special thank you from Buckingham Palace for running the competition and congratulating the schools who came in the top three. These were shared with the schools, who were naturally thrilled.
Adopt a School partners with like-minded organisations such as LEAF Education, Country Trust, TasteEd, and The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink to promulgate education to young children and others. They are active members of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) on School Food and on Food and Health; Sustain’s Children’s food campaign, the Countryside Classroom; and have been coordinating the Food Education Network, campaigning for better food education, helping to influence recent announcements on teacher and governor training and school reporting mechanisms in the Levelling Up White Paper and Food Strategy.
