Schools Enrolled

Target area:
Working in partnership with the School Food & Health, Regional Schools and Health Co-ordinator and the Regional Healthy Schools Co-ordinators to identify schools.

Targeting schools in areas of social deprivation by local authorities in the North West, with a 50%+ Free School meal Eligibility. A Total of 240 sessions to be delivered.

School type:
Initially - Primary schools, age 5 –11 years

Duration:
Funded through the North West Regional Development Agency for a period of 3 years.

Year 1/ School sessions to commence from September 2007 through to March 2008

Year 2/ To be confirmed

Year 3/ To be confirmed

Chefs Adopt a School Northwest   

www.academyofculinaryarts.org.uk

Founded in 1980, the Academy of Culinary Arts (ACA) is Britain’s leading professional association of Head Chefs, Pastry Chefs, Restaurant Managers and suppliers. There is a strong focus on the new generation of young industry people through its education and training programmes and also the provision of career opportunities. 

 One of the education programmes is the schools project - Chefs Adopt a School (CAAS) which began in 1990 and teaches children respect for food, food provenance, nutrition, health & hygiene and cooking as a life skill.  The sessions are delivered by a real chef who ‘adopts the school’ and delivers the sessions, suitable for 5-18 which integrates well with Key Stages 1 – 4 of the National Schools Curriculum.  Although it’s great if the school does have cooking facilities, the Adopt a School programme does not rely on a kitchen – an ordinary classroom is quite sufficient.  A Resource Pack is provided for the school providing background information, how CAAS works, lesson plans and a CAAS guide for further learning.

 Currently, the Trust delivers to over 15,000 children a year across Great Britain – with an ever growing waiting list that proves its popularity.  Already well established in the in the South West, East Anglia, the West Midlands and Central Birmingham, through sponsorship from the Northwest  Development Agency (NWDA), a three year contract was awarded in March 2007 to the Academy of Culinary Art’s to support establishing a Chefs Adopt a School programme in the Northwest - appointing a Northwest Regional CAAS Chef and a North West CAAS Co-ordinator.  The latter based in the headquarters of Food Northwest who are also supporting this role through, for example, jointly  working on initiatives such as the Year of Food and Farming, through the provision of office facilities and guidance where applicable.

 The Trust is looking forward to influencing a new generation of food lovers and home cooks in the local authorities in the North West.  For the duration of the project a target of 240 primary school sessions is envisaged.  The enthralling programme endorses the Government’s policy in respect of healthier schools, hence by targeting schools, initially Primary, with a 50% plus free school meal eligibility, we can help towards improving the health of the population of the Northwest, addressing the growing concerns of childhood obesity, an increase in cancers, heart disease and more.

 People’s eating habits can have a big effect on their health; even what is eaten in the early years may affect an individual’s health at a later stage in life.  That is why the Adopt A School, with the support of The Food Standards Agency, British Nutrition Foundation and the Design and Technology Association, as and when necessary, updates it’s lesson plans – recently adding information that a little salt is needed for the body to stay healthy, but too much salt can lead to health complications such as a raise in blood pressure later in life as well as damaging those important taste buds.

 As well as school visits, Chefs Adopt a School can be found at festivals and exhibitions, supporting and working alongside organizations as mentioned above.  This July, the Academy of Culinary Arts Chefs Adopt a School was invited to participate at the Children’s Food Festival in Oxford.  A ‘Smell’ tent was set-up in which over 500 curious and enthusiastic children engaged in staged taster sessions, addressing the 4 tastes and 5 senses; identifying fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs blindfolded.  The event proved highly popular.

 In the meantime, during the school summer holidays, the Northwest Chefs Adopt a School team has been busying itself through various activities.  There are a number of key partners that we would like to work with which will benefit schools and identified partnerships within the regions.  Attending a recent GONW School Summit Meeting marked the beginning of such partnerships, with in attendance - Healthy Schools Coordinator for the North West, Food For Life Partnership, Lets Get Cooking, Food Partnership, DATA, The Cooking Bus and the School Food Trust.  We also intend to link with other regional projects, ensuring synergy and thereby preventing duplication, for example, we will be embracing the Year of Food and Farming. In support of the latter, the Northwest team has ventured out on fieldtrips to Primary Producers in the NW to source food supplies for school visits and cooking demonstrations.  Notes have been taken of Primary Producers who have established educational workshops and nature trails for accommodating school visits and of those producers willing to guest visit a school session, to talk about their food products, food provenance and much more.   After a CAAS session, the visiting chef/lecturer will sign-post teachers to such sites in the locality and leave sign-posters for teachers from certified sources such as ‘Creative Learning, Food and Farming’ CD-ROMs, example, ‘Crop to Kitchen’.

 This August we participated in the Southport Flower Show on behalf of the Food Northwest Marketing Department, with the NW Chefs Adopt a School Chef, James Holden, delivering two cooking demonstrations using and promoting quality food produce from North West food producers located within the Food Northwest Food Hall.  The wonderful aromas escaping from the tent drew the crowds in – a full house! Recipes included Black Pudding and Lancashire cheese risotto with roasted baby beetroot, and caramelized fresh figs with griddled goat’s cheese and more!  To complete the days event the North West Chefs Adopt a School Co-ordinator, along with a representative from the INOUT Club. were asked to judge the food stalls on this year’s entry theme, ‘music be the food of love’.  It proved an ideal event in which to create awareness of the Academy’s existence, food providence, and share skills and knowledge providing inspiration in culinary arts.

 Looking ahead to November this year we have been invited  to attend a School Ambassador Conference chaired through the NW School Food and Health Regional Co-ordinator and Regional Healthy Schools – ‘ring-fencing’ on school food, presenting arrange of initiatives linking in with schools and launching the CD-Rom, ‘Crop to Kitchen’ (Creative Learning).  We will be there in two capacities: - one to advertise our Adopt a School programme – using a trade stand to stage condensed sessions normally delivered to schools – taster sessions based on the five senses and the four tastes; secondly, delivering a cookery demonstration using products from primary producers in the locality, thus creating an awareness of our links with other projects such as the Year of Food and Farming that aims to re-connect children with the countryside and the land that produces their food.

 The success of the programme undertaken by Chefs Adopt a School partly depends on the commitment from schools.  The Academy believes that the current approach towards Practical Food Education needs to be radically changed.  Together, we feel we can make a real difference – ultimately see food-related activities back in today’s Primary and Secondary school curriculum.

EVENTS/ FESTIVALS

Target area:

Chefs Adopt a School (CAAS) keep an open mind regarding involvement in events and festivals. The following points are to be taken into consideration:

• To discuss what the Academy of Culinary Arts Chefs Adopt a School can bring to the event.
• Chefs Adopt a School is a charity and funding is solely for our regional activities, hence, affordability has to be taken into consideration i.e. invitees to cover our costs may have to be a requisite.
• Play a supportive role – events and festivals attended to support partner engagement at both regional and sub regional level.
• Has Chefs Adopt a School got room in the timetable and enough staff to cover delivering the event?

Events to Date

• This year, Chefs Adopt a School has been present at several important and fulfilling events such as Food Partnership Week, the Food Direct from the Farm Schools Challenge at the East of England Show and the  Children’s Food Festival, Oxford, in the ‘Smell’ tent.  At the latter, the Chefs Adopt a School team staged condensed versions of the normal school sessions delivered to schools.

• In the Northwest - Fieldtrips to Primary Producers to source food supplies for school visits and cooking demonstrations.  Notes have been taken of Primary Producers who have established educational workshops, nature trails etc for engaging school visits and of those producers willing to guest visit a school session.  After a CAAS session, the visiting chef/lecturer will sign-post teachers to such sites in the locality (support for the Year of Food & Farming).

• Visits to farmers markets to source Primary Producers (see above).

• Southport Flower Show – CAAS covered two cooking demonstrations using and promoting food produce from the North West food producers within the Food Northwest food hall.

• In association with the GONW and Healthy Schools Coordinator - Ambassadors conference 29th November 2007 – the launch of the ‘Creative Learning, Food and Farming’ CD-ROMs; CAAS will be present with an educational trade stand as well as presenting a cooking demonstration supporting the use of local food produce