Success through innovation

Since joining the Food for Life Partnership in 2007, St Katherine’s School in North Somerset has transformed food culture at the school, bringing its catering service in house to improve the quality of school meals and setting up an outreach programme for local primary schools.

What they’ve achieved

The school’s involvement with the Food for Life Partnership has complemented its status as a Science College and the programme has become a cornerstone of its science work. Working towards the Gold award also supported the school’s development of a ‘growing together’ strategy, which formed part of its overall plan and strategy. As a Food for Life Partnership flagship school, St Katherine’s has built a reputation for innovation and best practice, and as well as creating strong links with the local community and businesses through foodrelated activities, the school has been influential in promoting the benefits of the Food for Life Partnership; other schools are invited to try the ‘St Katherine’s Experience’ at first hand, and a support package has been designed for schools looking to emulate the approach.

What they say

Headteacher Stephanie Quayle says:

“Since embarking on the Food for Life Partnership journey, we’ve experienced many significant achievements, including becoming a High Performing Specialist School, a national lead school for Gifted and Talented, and improved exam results year on year, coupled with a significant reduction in students’ fixed-term exclusion and very little staff absence.”

The difference it makes

During a recent inspection Ofsted described the school’s promotion of healthy lifestyles as ‘outstanding’. With cooking and growing food so firmly embedded in the curriculum and extending across all subject areas, the school was able to make a winning bid to deliver the new Hospitality Diploma, a 14-19 qualification that combines practical and theoretical learning. This will enable St Katherine’s to provide a wealth of new opportunities for its pupils.

The school has also been successful in securing funding worth £2.8 million to build a world-class hospitality block, due to open in January 2011, with a brand new professional kitchen, 300-seat student restaurant and a commercial training restaurant which will be open to the public. This development will further support students’ understanding of healthy lifestyles and the importance of food, diet and fitness.