Plansforthe Exploring Goldschmied Wanted: EYFS new level 3 fearsandfun andthekey teachers for qualification inthedark person system Leeds centres Pages 10-1 Pages 17-20 Pages 22-23 Page 31 For everyone in the early years community www.nurseryworld.co.uk NurseryWorl 30 Aprit2009,£1 «o| raste for life How one nursery revamped its approach to food Pages 14-15Course ofaction ‘There's more to serving up a truly healthy choice of food to young children than some of today’s assumptions lead us to believe. Nursery | school headteacher. -goes on a learning curve “Children” and school meals contact and was work healthy eating’, ing with ¢ local restaurant the Duke | and a whole series of Cambridge, to develop and imple- ‘of associations will ment a menu based around seasonal, | Probably come fresh produce that was mostly organic up, perhaps including the ‘war on and locally sourced. Geet Singh, the ‘obesity’, Jamie Oliver, and reports founder of the Duke of Cambridge, | ‘that more than a quarter of English is a member of the Government's children are overveight or obese. It Council of Food Policy Advisors, and feelslke allofus working with young believes that‘children are the future of children must respond, and urgently. our food industry Hows she wonders, ‘But matters are not really as simple will children ‘make informed choices ‘as they soem, as teenagers and young adults if we ‘That seertainly what we ound out don’t supply them with the informa- 1 Kate Greeneway Nursery School tion, experience and habits they need and Children’s Centre, in London's from a young age?” Kings Cross neighbourhood, when wwestarted ofa chain of actions which Jed usto rethink nursery food, build ‘Thornhill Primary School's work hewkitchen, work with alocal estau- brewed up excitement in the Local Fant ands finaly, seeka specialist cook community. A group of parents came to work with young children. together at Kate Greenaway to help Our stating point was a parent us do fundraising for our own kiteh- satisfaction survey, which found that en, which was built ast yeat Feling parents were mostly very pleased both excited and somewhat daunted [hate Greenaway Batherewasa bythe space of ets [set abs big exception: the meals were almost trying to learn more about what chil iniversally criticised, We were in a dren in a nursery school like Kate contract with a large provider ~m Greenaway should be eatin, | not able to namte the company for Despite the current focus on Tegal reasons, but many attempts te healthy eating forthe youngest chil | suggest improvernents got us almost dren, and the seemingly endless news nowhere stories and other sources of informa- 'As a nursery school headteacher, tion thatcome tome asa headteacher, 1 think that every stage of providing 1 found that I knew much less than T | meals for the children is important, had thought. Our school meals start ‘But, despite the changes in recen, with the youngest babies during the yyeats it still seems to me that most _provess of weaning. A quick discus: School meals are characterised by net sion with the baby team found that | very wellprepared foodbeing slapped we lacked a clear approach to wean- ention the words the road from us, opted out ofits Urplaeed into nasty plate trays for ing, and simply followed what pa Chldzenoaceptaspassive consis ents wate ding at home tim knowing eof what they ace spent some de working with e Catiagorwhereitcames fom. colleagues in the local primary care | Thornhill Primary School, just up trust who were eager for children’s | Children at Kate Greenaway get stuck in tomaking foodand éNURSERY WORLD0 APRIL2003 ‘WW WNURSERYWORLD.CO.UKknowing whereit comes from \WwwiNURSERYWORLD.COUS centres Tike Kate Greenaway 0 pro- mote healthier eating for babies, rather than just follow custom and practice. We decided to experiment with changing the organisation of baby lunch, reducing substantially the amount of food that was offered tw babies in blended form or already ‘tint wry small pieces Instead, drawing on the approach called ‘baby led weaning we increas- ingly presented babies with chunks of food cutie chunky chips, s0 they can beheld in alii fst. Staff stil spoon- fod bubies mashed and blended food if necessary but only after they have hhad enough time to feed themseves. "This fits well with our ethos of encouraging babies and young chil- dren to make choices in the presence fearing and rusted adults, and els 2 Tong, way fom the horrors I saw years go of babies in nurseriesbeingpract- cally force fed by over-eager staf ‘The next question was how our approach to healthy eating should respond to the needs of two-year olds. Again, I was surprised by what Jered. Although toddlers are much more active than babies, and bigger, their nee for food snot eorespond= ingly grester because their rate of growth and brain development has slowed. This explains in parthow the baby with a good appetie can seem to become a picky, sey toddler Additionally, toddlers’ biological development may make them more ‘wary about unfamilir foods reducing the chances of the more mobile toddler picking up and eating poisonous or harmful substances. We felt confident about giving children more choice at mealtimes rather than wonying undo Ivifthey didnot choose teat much, | | | | ie FURTHER INFORMATION ‘Caroline Walker ‘Trust: wwe, orgy Duke of Cambridge: ‘wevwdukeorgant. couks eFvitandveg et "danger for toddlers” by Amelia Hil, wow guardian. couk/society/2008/ apy t3/ehildren health fsington Primary Care Trust's teatlet onweaning www. istington.nhs. lk/Services- Breastleeding/ MilkAndMore pdt NUTRITIONRESEARCH We are not secing many signs of the ‘childhood obesity epidemic? ‘among children on rell in the nurs- ‘ers. [assumed that this was because children at Kate Greenaway are very zetiveal- day, both inside and outside Temay be so ~ but Twas surprised to find that the evidence suggests that many children are not being fed ‘enough in English nurseries ‘The most thorough piece of research whose findings point that way was uundertazen by Sarah Almond, 2 ¢on- sultant specialist paediatric diet can, who analysed samples from one ‘week's worth of breakfast, snacks, lunch and supper from every murseey in East Sussex. Her study found that most nursery meals were to0 low in calories to provide adequate mutri- | tion, and tha portions were generally 10 small ‘Sarah Almondl told The Observer newspaper, ‘We expected the study to show nurseries were serving chil- ren food that was too high in calo- vies, fa, saturated fat and salt, and Tow in vegetables and fruit Instead, | we found that the majority of murs- cries had gone to the other extreme land appeared to be providing food that was too low in calories, fat and saturated fat and too high in fruitand vegetables? Te seems as if nutrition in early childhood is being driven by 2 desire to proszate adult-style healthy eat- ing, replacing all those crumpers and English muffins that used tobe served st snack times with cucumbers and carrots, and leaving children hungry ‘nd potentially malnourished. For help, we have turned to the excellent Caroline Walker Trust for specialist advice on healthy eating for the under-fives, and have continued to workwith the Duke of Cambridge sestaurent, which is sourcing ingre~ dients and devising seasonal menu plans fr us As wear just aboutto take our next big ster ~ advertising for a nursery cook - je imagine a kitchen that will be properly connected to the nursery, involving children in vegetable and herb growing and helping with some of the preparation, so that dinner oes noe simply arrive on a plate by completely hidden processes. ‘We want our approach to nutti- ton to Ac with everything else that swe do: to be adapted to the specii- ie noeds of children under five, to involve them, and to promote their | autonomy and skills. 30APFIL 2009 NURSERY WORLDS