Ashton Gate Primary
School Case Story Universal intervention for
increasing fruit and
vegetable consumption
Date: April 2015
Universal intervention to increase the number of
pupils eating more fruit and vegetables during the
day specifically focusing on playtime snack.
Ashton Gate Primary School is a larger than average-sized
primary school in South Bristol and is due to expand
further to a 4 form entry, from September 2015. The
proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is
below average and those from minority ethnic groups and with
English as a second language form groups that are smaller in
proportion than those seen nationally. Most pupils are from a
White British heritage.
The proportions of pupils who are eligible for the Pupil Premium or
that are supported through school action, school action plus and
with a statement of special educational needs are below average.
The school prides itself on being a caring, happy,
learning community where every child is able to
reach their full potential.
What needs were identified, and how?
This case story focuses on a health & well-being change
for the whole school: children eating more fruit and vegetables
each day specifically through their break time snack. We aimed to
increase the number of pupils who ate a portion of fruit or
vegetables at break time and to promote and
emphasise the healthy eating message
throughout the school and to parents.
The need was identified due to some teachers
often reporting that children appeared sluggish
and lost concentration just before lunch (during
core lessons) and even though there is a whole
school policy of ‘only healthy snacks of fruit and
vegetables at break times’, it was felt that many
children choose not to eat anything during this time.
When investigating the need further, many of KS1 children choose
not to eat their free snack at break time and KS2 did not eat
anything; over half of the whole school did not eat any fruit or veg
on the day data was collected. Just under a quarter of all KS2
children reported that they ‘usually never had fruit or veg at break’.
This, we felt, was a reason for a lot of waste and a wasted
opportunity for children to gain 1 of their vital 5-a-day.
We felt that as a school, we needed to promote the healthy eating
and 5-a-day message more and highlight the importance of the
break time snack linked to improved concentration and sustained
energy.
What outcomes did we focus on?
The principal outcome was to increase the number of
pupils who reported that they were eating more fruit and
vegetables throughout the day and to specifically increase
the number of pupils who ate a portion of fruit or
vegetables at break-time.
What activities / interventions did we put into place?
During the baseline data, children were asked for the
reasons that they weren’t eating fruit and veg during play
time: ‘Want to play’, ‘Don’t have enough money at home’,
‘takes up break time’, ‘Not hungry’, ‘Forget to bring it from
home’ and they were also asked for ideas that would
encourage them to eat more fruit and vegetables:
‘Posters/reminders’, ‘fruit basket out on
the playground’, ‘free fruit
handed out’, ‘greater variety’,
‘stickers’, ‘if all my friends ate
it as well’, ‘eat in the
classroom before playtime’.
Some of these issues were addressed straight away.
We found that after KS1 classes had received their fruit for the day,
there was often a lot of excess waste. These leftovers from all KS1
classes were accumulated twice a week and offered free to KS2
children on the playground by newly appointed ‘Fruit monitors’.
‘Green monitors’ were also introduced to
collect the fruit waste in compost bins.
Monitors have been given coloured caps so
they are instantly recognisable to other
children. Stickers are given out to children
who eat a piece of fruit at break (whether
brought in from home or handed out).
Photographs of children enjoying eating this
fruit or veg are taken and added to our ‘Spotted’ display (as part
of a new large Healthy Eating display board in the dining hall).
The ‘Energy benefits’ of fruit and veg as break time snacks have
gone out as a reminder in the
newsletter for parents.
A Healthy Eating display board
has been created in the main
hall (dining hall) which includes
a large, bright ‘Eatwell plate’,
Break time fruit and veg
‘Spotted’ photos and other
Healthy eating messages showcasing the importance of Healthy
Eating in Ashton Gate.
in the school’s latest newsletter. Jossy’s recipe will form part of a
Recipe booklet of all the competition healthy recipes.
What did we achieve and how did we know?
In classes from Reception to Y6, as part of the PSHE teaching
programme during Term 4 or 5, there has been a focus on Healthy
Eating with every class looking at how to keep the body healthy and
why it is important. A focus has been on eating 5-a-day.
As an extra challenge, Year 5 designed and made ‘balanced healthy
pizzas’ based on including something from each food group.
Emphasis was on the correct proportion of each group!
As part of this whole school focus on the
importance of a healthy diet, Ashton Gate
promoted and offered children the chance
to enter the ‘Bristol Healthy Schools Young
Chef of the Year’ as part of the Food
Connections festival in May. Dishes were
designed to encourage children to enjoy
eating a healthy diet with fruit and vegetables. A
pupil from Year 6 won a place in the final round of
the competition, competing against other finalists
from other Primary Schools, and was awarded
second place. Her achievement was celebrated in
assembly, on the website and her recipe and
photograph of her 'Nemo Noodles' and ‘rice and
fruit dessert’ are displayed in the Dining hall and
The main aim of these interventions was to increase the number of
children who ate fruit or veg as a snack during break time and to
make the healthy eating message more prominent in daily life (in
school and out). Parents say: ‘I have noticed a real difference in his
enthusiasm to bring a healthy snack to school; it’s never easy to get
him to eat his whole 5 a day but he is wanting to certainly try now’.
Even though snacks at break time are only allowed to be fruit or
veg, out of 451 children, 125 reported they never ate fruit
and veg during break time. Now only 75 report that they
never eat fruit or veg at break time. So we have increased
fruit and veg consumption during break time, across the
school, from 196 children to 322 children.
One child commented, ‘A lot more people are
eating fruit and I do now because I don’t have
to leave my game, the fruit monitor brings in
to me!’ Teachers reported that they noticed a
difference with sustained concentration
before lunchtime. A Governor says: ‘This goes
a long way to reinforce and enhance our
Healthy Eating policy’.
Many children volunteered to be ‘fruit’ and ‘green’ monitors and all
seem excited to receive their ‘Healthy Choice’ sticker and actively
seek them out! One fruit monitor said, ‘Stickers are definitely
encouraging children to eat the fruit’.
There is a lot less waste throughout the school as children are
feeling proud that what waste they do now produce is mainly cores
and peelings which go to composting the garden! The healthy
eating message is now more prominent and high profile across the
whole school which shows how important promoting healthy
lifestyles is. The Headteacher says: ‘I am delighted that the children
have made the most of this opportunity to eat fruit at break time’.
Our future plans.
From September 2015, the school will provide a tuck service to Key
Stage 2 children. They will have a choice of wholemeal toast, fruit
or a fruit smoothie/milkshake. This will hopefully be run by Year 5/6
children.
The school hopes to sign up to ‘Let’s Get Cooking’ and begin a
cooking club to cook a range of ‘healthy options for packed
lunches’. Samples of these dishes will then be handed out on the
playground for other’s to taste and the recipe will be then
published in the newsletter and website.