CHILDREN at a Tavistock school are enjoying more leisurely lunches this term, under a new initiative tied in with healthy eating.
The lunch break at Tavistock Primary School has been extended by 15 minutes ? a move which headteacher Joe Flynn believes will prove popular with everyone.
Mr Flynn said: ?We have also separated the children who have cooked meals and those who have packed lunches.
?It?s much more civilised in the hall now, because there is less waiting and it?s quieter. Those having sandwiches eat at circular tables in their classrooms and we have found it?s a much better arrangement.
?We want manners and social interaction to be more highly praised than speed ? families enjoy talking to one another over the meal table ? I see no reason why we should not do that in school.?
Mr Flynn said in the past, the children were working longer hours than they needed to, so the decision to extend the lunchbreak did not impact negatively on lessons.
?It also means the staff are actually managing to eat some lunch now. Before, some of them didn?t get any time to eat, what with sorting out things at the end of a lesson and preparing for the next one,? he said.
The head said he was also holding on-going discussions with Devon Direct Services, who provide school dinners, about changes to the menus.
?They are looking at how we can improve food further, in terms of healthy food, locally sourced, with a good choice and encouraging children to choose to have a hot meal,? said Mr Flynn, who said the moves coincide with a county council review of the nutritional value of school meals, in an effort to reduce the quantities of fat, sugar and salt in the food service to children.
Tavistock Primary School has already been awarded the sought-after Activemark Gold status for its promotion of physical exercise and last term was awarded the Healthy Schools Award for the third time running.
Pupils and staff also take part in an early-morning wake-up routine designed to exercise lungs and hearts. The children are also given exercises to stimulate both sides of the brain.
Mr Flynn said: ?When both sides of the brain are fired up, a chemical called serotonin is released and research has shown the brain works better for up to five hours afterwards.
?This means the children are in a much more receptive state to learn for most of the school day.?
Phil Norrey, the county?s director of education, said: ?Concentration on children?s health is going to be an integral part of our work over the coming decade. It takes a healthy diet and regular exercise to produce a health body and all the research shows that fit and active children tend to be the best learners.?