St Cedd’s School Awarded for Healthy Food Achievements

St Cedd’s School has been awarded the Food for Life Silver Award by the Soil Association for its healthy and climate-friendly food culture.

The preparatory school in Chelmsford works with Food for Life to transform the School’s food culture and that of its local community, by connecting its pupils, aged 3-11, with environmentally-friendly and nutritious food.

In its quest to achieve the Food for Life Silver Award, St Cedd’s School serves homemade school meals using a range of locally sourced, sustainable, free range and organic items on the menu, meeting the Silver Award requirements of at least 75% of its meals being freshly prepared and at least 5% of the ingredients being organic, which is more environmentally friendly and supports increased biodiversity and wildlife.

The School is committed to teaching pupils about healthy eating and this education stretches beyond the dinner hall, including a weekly Cooking Club and class cookery lessons, using produce grown in the School’s Wellbeing Garden, a weekly Gardening Club, farm visits and educational assemblies led by guest farmers and bee keepers. The whole school community is encouraged to get involved, with pupils and parents invited to Food Forum meetings to contribute to the offerings on the menu, and recipes regularly shared with families to try at home.

St Cedd’s School’s Catering Manager, Mr Steve Gourd, says: “It is so rewarding to achieve the Silver Award and is really pleasing to see how everyone has pulled together to enable the children to gain more knowledge and understanding of food, and its journey from farm to fork.”

Mr Matthew Clarke, Head of St Cedd’s School on New London Road, says: “We are delighted that our achievements in catering and food education have been recognised in this way. Healthy bodies and healthy minds are the key to all that we do at St Cedd’s School and this award recognises the hard work that has gone in to promoting this mantra across every area of the School.”

To find out more about Food for Life, visit www.foodforlife.org.uk.