The Healthy Schools Programme

There has never been a better time to approach schools and encourage them to have a garden in their grounds. It is to be compulsory to adopt the Healthy Schools Programme for all primary schools by September 2008 or September 2009 for special and secondary schools. This covers many things from drugs, bullying, smoking etc. but for us, it is the sections on diet, exercise, fresh air and healthy eating. Children are to be encouraged to grow and cook their own vegetables; where there is no kitchen they are talking about mobiles visiting! We are seriously going back to basics and this is the time to inform your schools that you are there to help. There is an idea to take children on visits to local restaurants to see how food is cooked, to farms to show how their food is grown, so why not gardens and allotments? There is a whole chapter on Growing Clubs in a folder given to schools by your local LEA (Local Education Authority) or PCT (Primary Care Trust). Every County has a Healthy School Co-ordinator who usually has a team who work in conjunction with the NHS and the Department of Education and Skills. Some counties have a newsletter sent out by this team and you might like to write an article in yours about how you could get involved. Make yourself known. The bandwagon awaits!

Juliet Wilmot