AWARDS FOR SCHOOLS

Want your pupils to be growing, cooking and eating fresh, seasonal, local and organic food and visiting the farms where their food in produced? Then join the Food for Life Partnership today!

Our award scheme isn’t about classroom theory - it’s about using fun, practical learning experiences to connect young people to the food they eat.

Want to join? Fill in our online enrolment form

1,000 SCHOOLS AND COUNTING!

Moorlands Infant School in Bath has become school number 1,000 to join us.

Bridget Collett, headteacher at Moorlands Infant School says:  
“We are delighted to have become part of the Food for Life Partnership. We place great emphasis on teaching our pupils the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the need to be aware of our environment, safeguarding it for the future.”

James Cleeton, our national delivery manager says:
"Hitting 1000 schools is a great achievement. It has happened in a local authority who has led the way in developing a strong partnership between schools, the Local Authority caterer, the Healthy Schools Team and the Food for Life Partnership."

CELEBRATE THE BIG LUNCH AT YOUR SCHOOL: 19 JULY 2009

We love the sound of The Big Lunch – especially the idea of growing our own food for the lunch and eating it together with our local community.

Since lots of you are already growing your own food at school and are linking up with your local community, why not do a Food for Life Partnership Big Lunch at your school?

Get in touch with Rikke, our Media & PR Co-ordinator, and tell her about your plans for the Big Lunch and Organic Fortnight so she can help you publicise it to your local press.

Send an email to Rikke - rbruntse-dahl@soilassociation.org

PLAN AHEAD FOR ORGANIC FORTNIGHT 2009: 5-20 SEPTEMBER

Organic Fortnight is a nationwide campaign highlighting all the great things about organic. Up and down the UK, people in shops, schools, cafes, churches, farms and schools will be hosting events and raising awareness about why organic is the healthy choice, the best for animal welfare and the right thing for the planet.

Why not host an organic school dinner one day during Organic Fortnight for pupils, parents and the possibly the local community or hold an assembly about the benefits of organic food?

Email us with your name and address and we’ll send you our leaflet called 'So what's organic all about?'.

We also have short films like The Adventures of Mole and One Planet Food, you can watch on our website or use for teaching or assemblies.

GREATEST GROWN-UP COMPETITION WINNER: CONGRATS TO MRS H FROM SURREY!

In May, we asked you to enter our competition looking for the 'Greatest Grown-up' in your Food for Life Partnership school for a chance to win an amazing day for two at Daylesford Organic, including a deluxe hamper.

We had a fantastic number of entrants from all over the country including teachers, parents and school cooks. After much deliberation, we chose 'Growing Group Guru' - Mrs Jane Henderson from Surrey, who is a parent volunteer at St James' Primary School in Elstead.

Mrs H, as she's know by the children, was nominated by pupil Jozef who wrote: 
”...Mrs H inspires us by her wonderful example of getting stuck in and mucky!”

Read the full story on Mrs H on our website

FREE WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOOLS

We offer Continuing Professional Development workshops to enrolled schools on themes such as food growing, composting, food sourcing and farm links to help schools progress on our award scheme.

There are five workshops coming up in October focusing on Organic Gardening.

Find and book a workshop near you on our events pages

ORGANIC FARM SCHOOL: LEARN A NEW SKILL!

The Soil Association's Organic Farm School, supported by the Daylesford Foundation, is a series of over 300 hands-on courses in growing your own food, rearing animals, cooking and rural crafts, to run over the next two years.

The courses provide the opportunity to learn practical skills from organic farmers with personal experience. The Organic Farm School offers courses for all levels - from a one-day basic introduction to more professional expertise.

Discover for yourself the precious knowledge our grandparents took for granted, and the life-enriching experience of a closer connection with the soil.

These courses may be of help for teachers and parents if you are considering growing produce or keeping livestock, eg chickens, in the school grounds.

For information and to book online, visit the Organic Farm School webpage

FLAGSHIP SCHOOLS UPDATE

After a lengthy recruitment process, we have signed up 22 new Flagship schools across 3 different regions that will begin work with us in September. Welcome aboard!

South West

• Brook Green Centre for Learning, Devon
• Ermington Primary, Devon
• Helston Community College, Cornwall
• Ladysmith Infant School, Devon
• Landscove C of E Primary School, Devon
• Oreston Community Primary, Devon
• Paignton Community & Sports College, Devon
• Collaton St Mary C of E Primary School, Devon

West Midlands

• Bidford on Avon Primary, Warwickshire
• Newdigate Primary School, Warwickshire
• Clifton-Upon-Dunsmore CofE Primary, Warwickshire
• Trentham High School, Stoke on Trent
• Thomas Adams High School, Shropshire
• James Brindley Science College, Stoke on Trent
• Burnwood Community School, Stoke on Trent

North East

• Cambo First School, Northumberland
• Ovingham First School, Northumberland
• St Joseph's RC Primary School, Durham
• Oakdene Primary School, Cleveland
• Yarm Primary School, Stockton On Tees
• Dyke House School, Teeside
• St Benet Biscop RC High VA School, Northumberland

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR REGION

Check out the In Your Region section of our website to see which schools have joined, what local events are happening and which farms you could visit nearby.
 

Read your regional update to get the scoop from your regional co-ordinator on the Flagship activity near you and how you can get involved.

Find out what's happening: In Your Region

BBC RADIO 4’S FOOD AND FARMING AWARDS – YOUR CHANCE TO NOMINATE!

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the prestigious BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards is gearing up to celebrate the very best of British food.

Nominate the people, businesses and organisations you feel are making the difference to what we eat in Britain. You can choose to nominate people in these categories - Deadline 31 August 2009:

• Best dinner lady/man
• Best food producer
• Farmer of the year

BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme presenter, and host of the Awards, Sheila Dillon says:

“We hope in this 10th anniversary year to make it a memorable year... to find another dinner lady like Jeannette Orrey, a winner in 2003, who then with Jamie Oliver, sparked a revolution."

For more information and details of how to nominate: 
www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards

WANT TO SPEND A WEEK ON A VICTORIAN FARM?

BBC 2 is looking for everyday families to escape the modern world and spend a week on the farm featured in their series ‘Victorian Farm’ for a new series ‘Escape in Time’.

The families will have the chance to live on the original Victorian Farm estate for one week, rediscovering the practical skills and self-sufficiency that our grandparents had, but which we have lost, whilst competing against each other mastering tasks and crafts from the Victorian age.

It’s an unparalleled opportunity to work together as a family and enjoy the pleasure of learning to plough fields, weave baskets, make bread, sheer sheep, brew beer and many other skills.

Interested? Email escape@liontv.co.uk