Assistant headteacher shares the 'one thing' that gets her kids to school on time

The children 'get excited' according to the deputy head of Holly Hill Church School in Rubery
-Credit:Jonathan Hipkiss/Birmingham Mail


Getting kids up and into school on time can be a challenge, especially in the winter months when the mornings are cold and dark. Now an assistant headteacher has shared her secret to success.

Holly Hill Church School in Rubery offers breakfast for every child in school, thanks to the Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools scheme. Whilst teachers were hoping the additional fruit and veg would fuel their pupils' bellies and minds, they didn't realise it would also lead to improved punctuality.

School bursar Michelle Evans goes out each weekend to buy the fruit and veg using the gift card provided by Tesco so that they have provisions to offer the children each morning. She said: "We are based in one of the most deprived parts of Birmingham. If we can relieve pressure on parents, we will do what we can."

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Assistant headteacher Cally Parsonage explained: "As a result of the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools scheme, we've seen greater punctuality and it's taken that pressure off parents.

"The children get really excited. They run straight over to the big red trays in the morning to find out what fruit and veg they've got. It gives opportunities for children to try a wide variety of fruit and vegetables from nursery through to Y2 and this gives them healthier bodies and minds."

She added: "The children look forward to the breakfasts because we have a conversation around the food and this helps to build oracy and vocab. We have a really strong focus on, as John Wesley (theologian) said, 'living life to the fullest' and are doing all we can to enable that for our children.

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"Parents have responded well to the fruit and veg, they've been actively talking about it because they know their children are having breakfast."

Research by FareShare among 10,000 teachers, found that 28% of teachers across England have brought in food for pupils in the last term, which is up from 26% in summer term 2023. And only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation.

The Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools project has been developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation to provide funding for more than 140,000 pupils in 400 schools to receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day. Now the supermarket is launching phase two of the scheme by offering slow cookers into schools to enable children to prepare their own soups and casseroles either to eat at school or take home to their families.

For children taking part in the scheme, Tesco hopes to see their overall fruit and veg intake increase by 23%, based on the average 5-a-day intakes in school-aged children. Across the school year, the British Nutrition Foundation estimates this would increase intakes by 7% for vitamin A, 25% for vitamin C, 14% for folate and 10% for fibre based on average intakes of these nutrients in children.

Michelle Evans added: "It reduces pressure on parents to provide breakfast on the go. The cost of milk and bread has gone up so if we can provide some relief, that's a good thing."

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She added: "We're close to a Greggs Outlet which doesn't help with a healthy journey because it's cheap. We're hoping the children taking back food they've cooked in the slow cooker might encourage families to eat more healthily at home."

The school runs coffee mornings to support parents, has a food bank pantry and runs seven after school clubs each week. Staff engaged with various local initiatives to be able to provide Christmas gifts for kids.