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A nutrition training course given by Furness Training gave school catering staff the added spice of working together as a team on a learning project.

Every member of Furness Academy North Side catering department took part in the training, which also gave staff the chance to learn new skills.

New government guidelines on healthy eating for school students gave catering managers at the academy site the opportunity to involve every member of their staff in the new NCFE Nutrition and Health course. Kitchen Manager Helen Hall and Catering Manager Jane Beach were both involved. They found the training day beneficial in a whole variety of ways. Helen said: “This was the chance to educate the whole kitchen staff and the midday supervisors – the whole catering department in fact – into what the guidelines entail. We already knew all of the things that the course asks for but this got them thinking again. They have had training on it but that was here, in the kitchen. To go outside the workplace and do the training, and get it from someone other than us – their managers – they take in more. It was a proper exam, so everyone was very tense. But we all did it together.”

Jane said: “It was team work. Because we did it as a group, it brings us together. It gets all the staff involved and everybody understands because we all did it together. I think the staff have benefited a great deal. Helen added: “It involved a bit of cooking for the girls as well, and some of them haven’t cooked before, so that was good for them. They enjoyed it.”

Both Jane and Helen believe a good working knowledge of the new guidelines has already resulted in healthy food options designed to provide key nutrients for young people. I think a lot of good things will come from it, and it will lead to more healthy eating among the students,” Jane said.

The kitchens at Furness Academy North Side open to students three times a day – around 8am for breakfasts, around 11am for break time and from about 11.45 to 2.15pm for dinners. Staff work different hours, but generally clock up between five and six hours a day, organising, preparing and serving snacks and meals.

The students are offered a variety of breakfasts, break time snacks like bacon buns, crumpets and tea cakes and at dinner time take part in one of two sittings for hot dinners, sandwiches and fruit.

The NCFE Nutrition and Health course at Furness Training was designed for health and social care workers who wish to improve their knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating and results in a National Qualifications Framework Level Two qualification.

Photograph: Copyright Northwest Evening Mail