To mark our 5th anniversary, we’re celebrating the schools and nurseries delivering food education to their pupils!

Prendergast Primary in Lewisham, South London is a state primary school. The school has incorporated TastEd into their curriculum, with the students now participating in food education lessons every two weeks. During these lessons, they explore fresh vegetables and fruits using all of their senses.

Implementing TastEd throughout the school took time and careful consideration. Here’s the story of their journey with sensory food education.

The Trials

Kim Smith, a parent at the school and Co-Chair of the TastEd trial, conducted TastEd lessons with Year 1 as part of the science curriculum to explore the senses.

Following this, Kim implemented TastEd as part of the Healthy Schools Silver Award initiative to demonstrate improvements in children’s diets. She ran TastEd lessons for four weeks with a small group of children of mixed ages and various dietary needs, encouraging them to try different fruits and vegetables. They recorded responses through questionnaires before and after the TastEd lessons, which were submitted as part of their application for the Healthy Schools Silver Award.

Ideas for implementation: The Tasted Week

In preparation for embedding TastEd into the school curriculum the Headteacher and Head of Curriculum met with Kim to discuss the initiative. Initially, they considered running five core TastEd lessons over one term. However, they had several concerns: a) How to balance these lessons with existing lesson plans. b) How to justify dedicating five lessons to TastEd instead of other subjects. c) How to integrate TastEd into the broader curriculum, rather than treating it as a separate subject requiring space in timetabling.

Kim then suggested a new approach: conducting a whole-school TastEd week, with one lesson each day focused on teaching one of the senses. This idea excited the team – they already had a humanities week planned for October, so they transformed it into a food-themed week that would incorporate TastEd lessons. This approach felt more realistic and as it allowed staff to dedicate time to TastEd. They conducted TastEd lessons each day throughout the week. Enhanced teacher training took place beforehand. There was also a session for parents focused on food education and a showcase of the students’ work.

Now

TastEd activities are conducted biweekly for every pupil in the school, from Reception to Year 6. A key aspect of this programs success is TastEd’s connection to different areas of the curriculum in each lesson. The approach of continuing TastEd throughout Primary School ensures that children are repeatedly introduced to a variety of vegetables, which is essential for developing their tastes and life-long healthy eating habits. “We have found the positive exposure to nutritious foods encourage children to want to eat a more varied diet and pupils take ownership and responsibility over their health and wellbeing.”

“From Reception to Year 6, our TastEd lessons immerse children in a wide variety of foods—tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn, ripe and unripe bananas, and even mushrooms! We also connect our learning to key topics, exploring coconuts for Black History Month, squash for Harvest, and seasonal produce as part of our Food Miles topic. We are very lucky to be able to make full use of our fantastic teaching kitchen, which is in action almost every day. From Paella to Chow Mein to Goldilocks’ porridge—we’ve made it all!” – Rose White, Assistant Head Teacher

Huge thanks to Prendergast Primary School for being pioneers of the TastEd method and amazing advocates. We hope their story can inspire other schools to incorporate sensory food education into their curriculums. We want to give all children the opportunity to taste a broad range of vegetables and fruits, build confidence to try new foods, express their taste preferences, and learn to love their vegetables.