Step 5. Run a training day for school staff
A training day is considered essential preparation for schools
about to run a fruit and vegetable initiative. All schools involved
in your project should be given an opportunity to attend a training
day. They are useful because they:
- Outline the aims and objectives of the project.
- Explain how the project works.
- Provide examples of potential activities with top tips for implementation.
- Give school representatives an opportunity to meet each other
and share ideas and experiences.
- Detail what local support will be available to schools.
"I picked up [the idea} from there. It
stuck in my head and I tried it out here
[in school]. And basically it's gone really well here, really, really
well."
school coordinator
Contact the Sustain Grab 5! office for help and advice in running
a training day. Aim to invite representatives from at least six
schools and suggest to each school that they send up to three representatives.
Participants should include not just the head or a teacher, but
also perhaps a parent, governor or member of the catering staff.
Around twenty participants is ideal for this event.
It is important to give schools plenty of notice about the training
day - at least five weeks - and remember to chase them for responses.
If you have an adequate budget you may want to offer supply cover
for one participant per school (approximately £150 per teacher
per day). When you invite the school indicate that this is on offer
and that they will be reimbursed after the event on receipt of an
invoice.
It is also important to remember that school staff are used to
their formal working days starting early and finishing early. The
training day should reflect this, for example starting around 9am
and finishing around 3.30pm. Lunch at around 12pm is also advisable.
Remember to make sure that the drinks and refreshments offered through
out the day are in line with your healthy eating messages!
See the sample agenda on the following page and accompanying handouts
in section G. These can be photocopying and handed out at your training
day or downloaded from the website, modified and then used. The
‘HO’ reference in brackets on the agenda relate to the
handouts which are numbered accordingly.
Note: The content of the training day reflects the content
of the Grab 5! Action Pack, which gives full details of the Grab
5! process and suggested activities as well as useful tools, such
as sample action plans and surveys. It is advised that facilitators
take a look at the action pack in advance of the training course.
Training Day Agenda (sample)
9.15 Coffee and registration (HO:Reg)
9.30 Introductions
- Housekeeping
- Outline for day (HO1)
- Brief Introductions
9.40 Project background
- Why fruit & veg? (HO2, HO3)
- Barriers to fruit and veg consumption (HO4)
10.00 Setting the scene
- Materials and methodology (HO5)
- Whole school approach (HO6)
- Setting up an action group (HO7)
- School food policy (HO8)
10.30 Icebreaker: find someone who (HO:ice)
10.45 Coffee Break
11.00 Potential project activities (HO9)
11.20 Workshop: Grime Mill school case study (HOW1)
12.20 Lunch
1.00 Participants' experiences
1.20 The process (HO10)
- Assessing where you're at and where you'd like to be
- Developing an action plan
- Monitoring and evaluation
1.40 Local project support
- E.g. Healthy Schools Standard / community dieticians / school
nurse / school caterers
2.10 Workshop - planning specific activities (HOW2, HO11)
3.00 Next steps for schools
3.15 Summary, course evaluation and questions (HO12, HO:ev)
3.25 Close
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