26 April 2016 / Categories: Food Carlisle The PhunkyFoods Project in Carlisle Helping schools and the community make the right choices Since 2014, funded by Nestlé Healthy Kids UK, and rolled out locally with support from the Carlisle Partnership (Food Carlisle and the Healthy City Steering Group), the PhunkyFoods Programme has been working with 22 Carlisle primary schools to help educate children and their families on living a healthier lifestyle. As part of the Nestlé Healthy Kids funding a local PhunkyFoods Engagement and Development Coordinator (EDC) has been employed in Carlisle. The EDC has been able to work closely with each school to help create a culture and ethos of healthy living by embedding the PhunkyFoods Programme throughout the school. The PhunkyFoods unique offering incorporates three important pillars of success: Capacity building by training existing school staff in delivering healthy lifestyle messaging for children and their families. The training ensures sustainability of the approach; The award-winning cross-curricular healthy eating and physical activity classroom resources and lesson plans for a sustainable universal approach across all school year groups; The regional Engagement and Development Coordinators (EDCs) offer vital support and in-school advice around the whole school approach to healthy lifestyles. From facilitating audits of existing activities and advising on dining room issues, to developing strong community links by delivering parent/carer workshops and running cook and eat sessions; our EDC's facilitate a range of sustainable solutions to support the food in schools agenda dependent on individual school need. Success to date in the Carlisle District: - 113 teaching staff trained across 16 Carlisle schools - 100% of teaching staff trained reporting increased confidence in delivery of healthy lifestyle messaging to their pupils - 19 Carlisle schools reporting an increased delivery of healthy lifestyle messages to their pupils - 8 Carlisle schools in a peer-to-peer healthy lifestyle mentoring programme (PhunkyAMBASSADORS) - Featured in the Carlisle Partnership Newsletter 2015 and 2016 - Featured at the Local Food Show Dinner March 2017 - Development of a project video, as part of a local educational project with Carlisle College - Delivery of International Chefs day event (October 2016) at Kingmoor Junior school, which brought an international chef into a local food environment to further build on the skills developed through the programme A brief case study of a Carlisle school follows: Nikki Hall, Teacher and Design & Technology Subject Leader at Kingmoor Nursery & Infant School, CARLISLE (240 pupils). “Since starting PhunkyFoods our pupils have increased in their ability to carry out basic cooking skills such as cutting, spreading, weighing etc. They are more aware of healthy eating choices and their knowledge and understanding of key healthy eating messages such as “five a day” and the “healthy eating plate” have improved tenfold. The children are more enthusiastic towards cooking lessons and their engagement has also increased. Children are now more involved and independent due to the improvement of planning. Children are now more willing to try new foods at lunch times and more children are attempting to eat salad and vegetables. Savoury recipes which are completed in class are sent home to parents so that learning can be shared. Homework which encourages children to practice basic cooking skills at home has also been a great success.” To find out how PhunkyFoods and Kingmoors have been working together to achieve this success you can read more on Nikki’s case study at http://www.phunkyfoods.co.uk/why-phunkyfoods/case-studies/ A 2-year randomised-controlled feasibility study of the PhunkyFoods Programme, also funded by Nestlé Healthy Kids and conducted independently by Professor Pinki Sahota of Leeds Beckett University, found the ‘PhunkyFoods Programme to be valued in schools by both teachers and pupils. The study findings demonstrate encouraging positive changes in healthy lifestyle knowledge and eating patterns of pupils taking part in the PhunkyFoods Programme.’ For further details please contact Email: lynsey@purelynutrition.com or Tel: 01423 858 123 Website: www.phunkyfoods.co.uk Print 8476 Rate this article: No rating More links Phunky Foods Website Please login or register to post comments.