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Getting children ready and into school on time is often a struggle, particularly during the winter when mornings are chilly and dim. However, an assistant headteacher has now divulged her recipe for success.
Holly Hill Church School in Rubery now offers breakfast to all its pupils, courtesy of the Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools scheme. While teachers hoped that the extra fruit and vegetables would nourish both body and mind, the unforeseen bonus was a boost in punctuality.
School bursar Michelle Evans spends her weekends picking up the fresh produce with the Tesco-provided gift card to ensure they have plenty for the kids each day. She commented: “We are based in one of the most deprived parts of Birmingham. If we can relieve pressure on parents, we will do what we can.”
Assistant headteacher Cally Parsonage said: “As a result of the Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools scheme, we’ve seen greater punctuality and it’s taken that pressure off parents.”
“The children get really excited. They run straight over to the big red trays in the morning to find out what fruit and veg they’ve got. It gives opportunities for children to try a wide variety of fruit and vegetables from nursery through to Y2 and this gives them healthier bodies and minds.”, reports Birmingham Live.
She further commented: “The children look forward to the breakfasts because we have a conversation around the food and this helps to build oracy and vocab. We have a really strong focus on, as John Wesley (theologian) said, ‘living life to the fullest’ and are doing all we can to enable that for our children.”
“Parents have responded well to the fruit and veg, they’ve been actively talking about it because they know their children are having breakfast.”
Research by FareShare among 10,000 teachers revealed that 28% of teachers across England have brought in food for pupils in the last term, an increase from 26% in summer term 2023. However, only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation.
The Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools project, developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, provides funding for over 140,000 pupils in 400 schools to receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day. The supermarket is now launching the second phase of the scheme, offering slow cookers into schools to enable children to prepare their own soups and casseroles either to eat at school or take home to their families.
Under Tesco’s initiative, the supermarket giant is looking to bolster children’s fruit and veg consumption by 23% compared to current average 5-a-day figures for school age kids. Calculations from the British Nutrition Foundation suggest this could equate to a 7% boost in vitamin A intake, 25% more vitamin C, a 14% hike in folate and a 10% increase in fibre over the academic year based on children’s typical nutrient consumption.
Michelle Evans commented on the programme’s broader benefits: “It reduces pressure on parents to provide breakfast on the go. The cost of milk and bread has gone up so if we can provide some relief, that’s a good thing.”
She also highlighted local challenges and responses: “We’re close to a Greggs Outlet which doesn’t help with a healthy journey because it’s cheap. We’re hoping the children taking back food they’ve cooked in the slow cooker might encourage families to eat more healthily at home.”
Committed to community support, the school facilitates coffee mornings for parents, maintains a food bank pantry, and hosts seven clubs after school each week. Additionally, through engagement with local ventures, staff were able to deliver Christmas presents for the youngsters.
