BURGERS and chips are making way for healthy food options at Okehampton College in a radical new shake-up to make pupils the healthiest in Britain.
The college?s healthy school initiative ranges from installing water machines and providing breakfast to taking a hard line on smoking and drugs.
National statistics reveal that 20 per cent of today?s youngsters are overweight and Okehampton College is devising a plan to make sure its pupils do not fall into that category.
Breaking these ties will mean the school can devise its own menus, with a significant input from pupils, in a bid to link catering training and the curriculum directly with the food which is eaten in the cafeteria.
Headteacher Chris Powell said the college was revamping its whole policy on health to encourage children to develop good habits, setting them on their way to becoming successful, happy and healthy adults.
He said: ?We want to match what we are trying to teach in the curriculum with what the youngsters are eating and we can do this better by taking all our catering in-house.
?Devon Direct Services has done a good job, but we think there will be an improvement if everybody who works on site works for the college.?
Water machines are being installed so pupils do not have to resort to fizzy drinks and the amount of exercise being taken, particularly by 14,15 and 16-year-olds, is being looked into.
With many pupils living in rural areas having to travel up to an hour on buses to get to college and some skipping breakfast, the headteacher is keen on offering breakfasts ? a meal which has long been considered as the most important of the day.
?We are also looking at changing the way we do things regarding smoking, alcohol and substance abuse,? said Mr Powell. ?We will be taking a harder line with input from experts and professionals in the field.?
The college is being supported by the Mid Devon Primary Care, which manages health services in the region, and hopes to draw down funding for different initiatives.
Detentions will be automatically given to pupils who are caught smoking but these will be pro-active sessions to encourage them to kick the habit.
Assembles will also feature health and the primary care trust is expected to have an input in personal and social education classes.
Mr Powell said pupils were tending to go for the fast food options because this was the type of thing they were used to eating at home in many cases.
?We want to offer more healthy alternatives to burger and chips and introduce a lot of local produce which is very important as this is an area which depends on agriculture,? he said.
Co-ordinator of the college?s new health programme and head of food technology Jean Harris said the plans tied in well with a catering kitchen and restaurant which would form part of the new technology block.
She said: ?We want the children to be involved in creating menus but the healthy schools initiative is not just about eating well.
?We will be investigating the overall fitness of children and making real inroads into drug awareness.?
Mrs Harris said the work of the college would be ?pioneering?: ?It is our opinion that healthier students concentrate better and will be more successful in later life.?