Waterthorpe Celebrate Going Gold!
We were delighted to be welcomed at Waterthorpe Nursery Infant School on Wednesday as they celebrated becoming the first school in Sheffield to achieve the prestigious Food for Life Gold Award—the highest recognition available for excellence in food education, school meals and healthy eating.
The award places Waterthorpe among an exclusive group of just seven schools in England to have achieved this accolade, recognising an outstanding whole-school commitment to promoting healthy, sustainable food and giving children the knowledge and experiences they need to begin making informed choices throughout their lives.
We were thrilled to join pupils, staff, and members of the local community at a special celebration assembly to mark this achievement. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and pride shared by everyone involved, with children confidently talking about food, growing, cooking and some of their favourite aspects of their involvement in the Eat Smart and Food for Life programmes.
This success is built on a genuine whole-school approach to food and nutrition. From providing high-quality, nutritious meals and cultivating a welcoming and positive lunchtime experience, to growing a range of fruit, vegetables and herbs including pumpkins, beetroot, tomatoes and potatoes in the school allotment. Waterthorpe has created brilliant opportunities for children to understand where their food comes from as well as developing practical life skills along the way.
As part of the celebration, the school was presented with garden centre vouchers to support the continued development of its outdoor space, along with a fruit tree that will provide learning opportunities for years to come.
Lisa Aldwin, Eat Smart Sheffield Programme Manager, said:
“Waterthorpe Nursery Infants have shown a fantastic level of commitment, giving children the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to make informed food choices while supporting their health, education and the environment. We know this achievement has inspired the whole school community and we hope it highlights the important role schools can play in giving every child the best possible start in life.”
The school also shared its excitement, saying:
“We are thrilled to celebrate achieving the Gold Food for Life award! Thank you to our wonderful local community visitors, Eat Smart Sheffield, and the Food for Life team for joining our special assembly. We are so proud of our children and staff!”
We hope Waterthorpe’s inspiring success encourages more Sheffield schools to begin or continue their own Food for Life journey and work towards Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. It was a pleasure to witness such passion and commitment from both pupils and staff, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact of their work continue to grow.
You can read, listen and watch more about this by following the links below!
BBC News story: Sheffield primary school scoops top award for healthy eating – BBC News
BBC Radio Sheffield soundbite: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002y0y1 (1 hr 37 to 1 hr 46)
Sheffield City Council video: https://youtu.be/SghwFL9GguM