Education Business

The problem of childhood obesity is now considered one of the UK’s most pressing health issues. And it’s no surprise. The facts alone are alarming: over a quarter of kids in the UK are overweight, with some health experts predicting that this generation will be the first to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.

Family traditions
Yet, the problem runs much deeper than clogged arteries and expanding waistlines. Put simply, many families across the country now eat out of a foil package and a microwave. And many children simply couldn’t set apart a mango from a mandarin – let alone begin to fathom how to peel one.
    
It’s not a happy vision of our future. And it does not bode well if we hope to create sustainable communities.
    
As ever, the problem faced by schools is still a delicate one. How do you introduce the ideals of healthy eating without appearing to question the proper preserve of parental choice? And how do you engage with young children who are suspicious of new foods in a fun and interactive way?

The academy
Husband and wife duo, Paul and Sue Cooper, believe that they have used their combined experience of 40 years in catering and education to come up with an innovative, interactive and fun solution – The Junior Chefs’ Academy, an airy and theatrical way of educating kids about new foods and nutrition.
    
Paul – who previously lectured in hospitality and catering management – recalls the troubling revelation that planted the seed that eventually grew into Junior Chefs: “I was involved with a government initiative aimed at 14-16 year olds. On day one it became apparent that three out of the twelve students had not only never eaten broccoli but were incapable of identifying it.
    
“Sue and I were deeply shaken at this basic lack of food awareness. Not only detrimental to their health, but almost condemning them to a life of food ignorance.”

Enjoying cooking
As disturbing as this anecdote may be, the culture of Junior Chefs is a far cry from social commentary. And although they may be tackling a deadly serious issue, the mantra is simple – keep cooking & have fun with food.
    
Sue – who is a mother of two young children and has previously worked with young adults with learning difficulties – reveals that it was her experiences with her own kids that helped her and Paul bring together the key ingredients that make up Junior Chefs.
    
“I remembered being in the kitchen with my kids and it struck me how much they loved to be involved, they love working with their hands and enjoyed tasting the results of their talents.” she said.
    
“As all primary school teachers will know young children are like sponges. They absorb everything. Their capacity to take in facts is extraordinary. The art is just how – quite literally in our case – you feed them that the information.
    
“That’s why interactivity and child participation is at the heart of everything we do. And we believe that we’ve got it right.”

Appealing to all
Sue is, however, not the only one who thinks that they’ve got the recipe right; the reports from primary schools across Merseyside and Cheshire have been glowing. And their success figures – which Sue, the organisational ying to Paul’s creative yang, is quick to recount – are testament to the appeal of their product.
    
“We worked with 22,500 kids last year. And we will work with upwards of 45,000 kids in 2009. This equates to over 250 schools across the north west. And we also finished runners up in the prestigious Liverpool Echo Kickstart Business Awards.
    
“The levels of repeat business have been absolutely fantastic. We have built some really strong relationships with head teachers, and have received some superb feedback. I’m delighted that we are proving a helpful resource.”

Star support
If the success of a Junior Chefs’ session lies in its all singing, all dancing approach; it is perhaps apt that a Michelin starred celebrity chef with his own brand of fancy footwork has been quick to champion the cause – Gary Rhodes.
    
“I have been delighted to have been a part of The Junior Chefs’ Academy,” said Gary.
    
“It’s vitally important that we educate children about the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet and give them the practical skills to achieve it. Through the Junior Chefs Academy these skills can be achieved while having good fun.
    
“I have been delighted with the work done by Sue and Paul. They can help kids to become educated about nutrition, whilst also having lots of fun.”
    
Paul reveals that having Gary on board has been an exciting opportunity for kids, parents, and teachers to meet one of the world’s most renowned chefs: “If young kids associate new foods with fun, then they become more open minded – all the learning about nutrition and the smarter dietary choices will follow.”
    
Maura Williams is the head teacher at William Stockton Primary School in Ellesmere Port. The school’s intake reflects the areas challenging socio economic problems – a large proportion of children from single parent families, a high percentage of ‘English as Additional Language’ (EAL) students and among one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the country. But Maura notes that Junior Chefs has played an indispensable role in enabling the school to meet its obligations in relation to the Every Child Matters (ECM) initiative.

“From a head teacher’s perspective, it is a very cost effective form of outsourcing. Junior Chefs meets all the objectives of ECM. And it also brings together a multitude of different elements from across the curriculum, including science, art and drama,” she said.
    
“Most importantly, however, it’s also great fun for the kids and the messages are communicated brilliantly. Because of this, it’s especially impressive how much it can appeal to the EAL students. Across all of our year groups the children have loved it.”

Special needs covered
Paul agrees that ECM (Every Chef Matters) has filtered through everything they have tried to achieve and he is happy that this comes across: “Increasingly, we have been delivering sessions to Sure Start nurseries incorporating initiatives involving parents and children, young mothers and dads groups. We work with a number of community projects including the Deaf Society and have also been running sessions in many special needs schools.
    
“I don’t think that we can sit back and condemn a generation of kids to problems like diabetes and heart disease. We need to break the cycle now.”
    
Paul confides that primary schools will remain at the heart of The Junior Chefs’ Academy. And the reason is simple: fun – his own, as much as that of the kids.
    
“I have worked in lecturing for a number of years, but I’ve never gotten as much enjoyment from working with an age group as I do now. The kids are so genuine and so enthusiastic that it makes every session refreshing and new,” he said.
    
“It’s great fun. And the sense that we are positively affecting and changing thousands of children’s attitudes to food gives us genuine job satisfaction.”

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