Case study detail
Children at St Matthew’s Primary school enjoying their healthy break
Fighting a Legacy of Ill Health
Contributed by:
Mariam Saleemi
Is this case study truly sustainable?
Review it now!
Average Rating: 3
Read the reviews for this case study
Are you the author of this casestudy? Update it now.
Picture one of the most socially and economically deprived areas in the north of Ireland, unemployment rates stubbornly high and the health status of its residence the envy of no one. Children’s health in the area is a matter of major concern, up to 30% of children in the area are not registered with a dentist.
Additional images
Click to see a slideshow of these images
Overview
Picture one of the most socially and economically deprived areas in the north of Ireland, unemployment rates stubbornly high and the health status of its residence the envy of no one. Children's health in the area is a matter of major concern, up to 30% of children in the area are not registered with a dentist.
Three years ago the principal from St Matthews Primary School, Joe McGuinness, decided to tackle these problems face on and counter this legacy of ill health. The school undertook an unusual yet innovative approach to improving the health of local schoolchildren – it set up a fruit co-operative with all schoolchildren on the school register enrolled as members.
The school's healthy eating programme, based on the values of the co-operative movement: self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity, only buys its fruit from a supplier that guarantees fair trade supplies.
Everyone is involved in the initiative from the school caretaker, who arrives each day with his fruit truck at the classroom doors of primary two and primary five, to the fruit monitors in primary six and seven, who take the class order every morning and collect it directly from the caretaker's stores.
In the first two years of the scheme’s operation, children purchased an amazing 58,705 pieces of fruit. Given that there are 278 children on the register, this means that each child consumed an average of 211 pieces of fruit each. Not a bad achievement for children who lived on chocolate bars, hot dogs, Chinese and Indian takeaways!
The pupil’s parents have been fully informed about the programme and have given their children 100 % support. The profits generated from the co-operative have been ploughed back into a savings scheme, based on the credit union model of savings and investment, and shared between the children through individual savings plans. Each child in the school received a savings account with an opening balance of £5. Each year profits will be re-invested in the children through the saving scheme.
The knock on benefits of the health programme has been huge. Not only have the children’s health improved, their concentration is better in the classroom, litter around the school has dramatically reduced because of the ban on snack foods and chocolate bars and waste fruit is shared between the school wormery and a flock of 40 parrots bred by one of the school’s teachers.
This inner city school is taking on other numerous unique ideas to improve the physical and emotional health of its pupils. Each child has been given their own water bottle and water is made freely available throughout the day, collaborative rather than aggressive play is encouraged by playground coordinator, a softened recreation area with shrubberies and benches has been installed and a resident play therapist is helping children overcome difficult emotions and experiences.
The benefits of the pupil’s fruit co-operative are having a wider reach than just within the school grounds, parents are benefiting too. Some 78 mothers and fathers from 176 families at the school have signed up to certified courses in ICT, literacy, numeracy and parenting skills.
“Omnium rerum principia parva sunt” -Everything has a small beginning” (Cicero)
Key features
education
food
health
Key data
Project Team:
Cost:
Local Authority:
Rate this case study
