Year of Food and Farming in Education

September 2007 to July 2008

What is the Year all about?

Linking together key government agendas around:– learning outside the

classroom– healthier school meals– developing healthier

lifestyles– sustainable farming and

food production

Who is the Year for?• Everyone in the food and

farming sectors – including food producers, processors, distributors, retailers and caterers.

• All children in all schools (primary, secondary and special) in England

• Their teachers, parents and carers

• The wider education sector - colleges, training providers, voluntary sector bodies

What will it achieve?

We hope that the Year will result in:

• More understanding about the food chain and the countryside

• Increased and sustainable links between schools and sector

• Healthier lifestyles and better nutrition choices

• Production of new, high quality resources

• Greater awareness of careers• Enjoyment!

Organisation • Patron – HRH the Prince of

Wales• Steering Group • Working Groups:

– Education– Food and Farming– Communications – Finance– Countryside in the Park

(3 major events) • Regional Steering Groups • Overall Project Manager • Secretariat – hosted by

RASE

What are our aspirations?

Primary:– Every pupil will have

undertaken a growing activity

– Every pupil will have first hand experience of food being grown

– Every pupil will have the opportunity to prepare at least one food plate

What are our aspirations?

Secondary:

–Every pupil will have taken part in a countryside activity

–Every pupil will have the opportunity to undertake work-related activities

What are our aspirations?

Schools:

–Every teacher is aware of the curriculum opportunities

– Every school will be participating in local food procurement initiatives

–Every school will be promoting healthy living through experience of food, farming and the countryside

Scale of task ahead

Number of schools and pupils in England

Nursery 455 37,000

Primary 17,504 4,418,950

Secondary 3,367 3,306,780

Special 1,105 89,390

Other 2,748 363,570

Total 25,179 8,215,690

Why will schools be interested?

Good learning design e.g. novel teaching strategies or ideas

Professional development e.g. learning from experience

Context of the experience e.g. curriculum requirements

Context of the location e.g. working farm

What are schools interested in?

Resources and activities that:

•would otherwise be difficult to deliver

•are credible i.e. ‘by teachers, for teachers’

•clearly fit into the curriculum

•help raise attainment

•are easy to access (universal marketing, single source)

•are available across the country

•remove barriers to participation (cost, H&S, time, expertise of a facilitator)

•can be written into long term plans (not ‘one-offs’)

What is already being offered?

Pledges

•Current and new activity being offered by individual national or regional organisations and businesses

•Opportunities will be placed into themes and marketed to schools

Examples include:

•BPC ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’,

•CLA Regional Food Advocates

•CFE / FACE / Natural England support materials for shows and events

•Devon EBP and Show Society ‘Food Miles Challenge’

•Specialist Schools and Academies Trust organising an Award Scheme

•Levy Boards / British Nutrition Foundation developing primary curriculum materials for ‘Food – a fact of life’ website

•School Farms Network and DfES producing detailed advice on setting up a school farm

•HTI proposal to offer secondments between schools and rural businesses

New developments

What else is required?

Example: School Food and Farming Champions

In partnership with the Citizenship Foundation

•School champions put forward by individual schools to take part in regionally organised training programme about food and farming

•Champions then recognised for their achievements at a national event.

Resourcing required for development and promotion of scheme in schools, provision of training programme (location etc could be ‘in kind’)

Support required to participate in training programme

What can you offer?

• Locations for visits• Speakers and facilitators• Professional development

opportunities• New resources or

activities• Work focussed learning

including placements• Access to relevant

qualifications