Headteacher Mary Collins talks about
healthy school days
Since I took up my role of Head at Franley Junior School I have been keen to
educate our children on the importance of developing healthy habits. I started
by working with our restaurant manager to come up with tasty new menus that
contain lots of healthy ingredients. We change the menu Monday to Friday to
encourage the children to try different things and keep unhealthy fried food to
a minimum. The children have enjoyed the meals and eat a wide range of fruit
and vegetables.
We’ve also rented an area of land near the school for a vegetable garden and
made gardening a part of the school curriculum. Children now prepare the
ground for planting, plant the seeds and watch as these turn into healthy fruit
and vegetable plants. We’re planning to create a child-friendly kitchen so our
pupils can discover the pleasure of cooking. I believe all this gives the children
an understanding of where our food comes from and very important skills that
will stay with them for life.
To support this healthy-eating campaign, we have also made changes to the
amount of physical exercise we get our children to do during the day. We start
every morning before classes with a ‘wake and shake’ session in the
playground when children get the chance to burn off energy with fun exercise
routines. We also have different play times during the day so the playground
isn’t crowded, which means the children can run around safely. To support this
we have also invested in sports equipment such as tennis, football and gym
equipment to encourage the youngsters to take up sports.
But it’s not just the children who are developing a healthy lifestyle. Several of
our teachers have signed up for the Franley Fun Run this summer for the first
time and have started a training programme in order to get fit. Many of our
pupils have joined them and will be taking part in the run as well. I’m sure that
seeing their teachers beside them will inspire them to finish. We have even had
several parents show an interest in doing the event as well, so this is something
we’re all really looking forward to.
Choose the correct answer
1 Since Mary joined the school
A fried food is no longer on the menu.
B the school has employed a new restaurant manager.
C the menu changes daily.
D they serve food two days a week.
2 What does Mary say about gardening?
A It is part of a course of study.
B The children are producing food for the school kitchen.
C The children are learning to cook the food they grow.
D It takes place inside the school.
3 Play times
A only take place at the start of the day.
B result in the playground getting crowded.
C are timed to prevent accidents.
D have not cost the school any money.
4 What does Mary say about the teachers?
A They are all doing the fun run.
B They are training with the children.
C They have done the fun run before.
D They are training with the parents.
5 What would be a good introduction to this article?
A Franley’s new Head Mary Collins explains how she set about getting fit
with the children.
B Read how Mary Collins, the new school Head, reacted when she was
ordered to improve the quality of food on the school menu.
C Mary Collins explains how the first aim she set herself in her new job was
to create a focus on healthy living.
D Since taking on a new job at Franley Junior School, Mary Collins tells us
how she has discovered the joy of healthy living.
Choose True or False for each statement below
1. Fried food can sometimes be served on the menu.
2. Children are forced to prepare the ground for planting and plant the
seeds.
3. A sufficient number of physical exercises is good for students in healthy-
eating campaign.
4. The school doesn’t have a schedule for play times.
5. Parents will join the Frankley Fun Run with their children.
