Food and Fun, also known as the School Holiday Enrichment Programme, is a school-based summer programme that aims to address health, social and educational inequalities through the provision of healthy meals, food and nutrition education, physical activity and providing enrichment opportunities to children in areas of social deprivation during the school holidays.
‘Food and Fun’ was piloted in Cardiff in 2015 and with Welsh Government funding has grown steadily with 21 local authorities delivering the scheme in 2019. Food and Fun’ is managed by the Welsh Local Government Association supported by a national steering group with dietetic representation.
‘Food and Fun’ schemes are run in schools that have a Free School Meal eligible population of over 16% and runs for a minimum of 12 days over at least three consecutive weeks during the school holidays.
Nutrition is part of the core and essential criteria. All ‘Food and Fun’ co-ordinators are required to attend the Level 2 Community Food and Nutrition Skills Course to ensure evidenced-based, consistent messages are disseminated through the programme and continue during the school year.
All children attending the scheme receive fun, interactive food and nutrition sessions developed by Public Health Dietitians in Wales with resources to aid delivery.
The Children’s Right2Food Campaign is a nationwide initiative to ensure every child in the UK can access and afford good food, and was shaped by the findings of the Children’s Future Food Inquiry.
Led by Young Food Ambassadors from across the UK and coordinated by the Food Foundation, the campaign calls for government action to tackle children’s food insecurity and inequalities in childhood obesity, and puts forward its vision in the Children’s #Right2Food Charter.
The Curriculum for Wales Framework includes curriculum requirements and guidance to support the design of the new curriculum.
As part of the Framework there are 6 Areas of Learning and Experience, one of which is Health and Wellbeing which provides a holistic structure for understanding health and wellbeing. A healthy balanced diet is specifically included within the statement of what matters ‘developing physical health and wellbeing has lifelong benefits’, but can also cross into the other statements of what matters as well as other areas of learning.
