Recipe for Success Gordonstoun’s Phased

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

GORDONSTOUN’S PHASED LEARNING MENU

Eleanor Bradford explains how Gordonstoun’s innovative, new approach to diet has raised students’ academic performance and boosted their energy levels.

There is no a multitude of scientifi c studies which demonstrate the link between food and mental and physical wellbeing. As a society, our teamed with poached eggs, homemade artisan bread and Hollandaise sauce, containing essential fatty acids to absorb vitamins A, D and E. knowledge of nutrition has grown more sophisticated and we are beginning to understand the impact of complex nutrients on both physical and mental performance. According to a recent University of East Anglia study, nutritional intake was associated with mental wellbeing scores in children of all ages.

As one of the UK’s few remaining full-boarding schools, where students are provided with learning and activities seven days a week, Gordonstoun takes its responsibility to provide healthy and tasty food very seriously. Active Revision Course We did ordonstoun fi rst put the latest scientifi c dietary kno ledge a lot of into practice in 2018. Its ‘Active Revision’ course each Easter offers a combination of ‘brain-boosting’ research foods rich in essential nutrients with exercise sessions to aid revision. The results proved spectacular, with all students on the course improving by at least one grade in their exams compared to their mocks, and 60% improving by two grades.

Lockdown provided the opportunity that the catering team needed to review this model and apply it to the menu all year round.

“We tried to take positives from COVID,” says Catering Manager Jamie Campbell. “When we came back last year, we thought, ‘What can we do with the menu?’ COVID was an opportunity to make big changes which tied in with the ethos of the school. As chefs, we are every bit as much a part of that ethos as the teachers, so we designed the Phased Learning Menu.”

The idea behind the Phased Learning Menu was to match the Refectory food more closely with Gordonstoun’s uniquely challenging curriculum. The school is well known as a pioneer of character education and its curriculum includes sailing and expeditions in order to build skills for life such as teamwork, responsibility, compassion and resilience in the face of a challenge.

Weekday mornings now see a breakfast to boost concentration, memory and focus. Porridge comes with a ariety of health-boosting options such as sun o er seeds, goji berries and cranberries; omega-rich smoked salmon is Releasing energy On Fridays and Saturdays, students are active in sports and clubs, therefore a new Carb and Protein ar offers chicken, fi sh, rice and holegrain bread to boost carb and protein intake. Alongside this, there are nitrate-rich fresh vegetables to help oxygenate the blood uring exam periods the amount of fi sh and antioxidants on the menu is increased and during inter-house sporting competitions there is an increase in carbohydrate and low-fat meat or protein-rich alternatives. “We did a lot of research,” adds Jamie. “We don’t claim that our breakfast, for example, is going to cure this or do that, but studies have shown that the ingredients in our breakfast wake you up better or release energy more slowly during the day and that benefi ts the students ho are facing a packed day of lessons and activities.” It took three to four months to develop, test and phase-in the ne menu hich feeds more than fi e hundred students and up to three hundred staff. The result is a three-week plan which repeats over six to nine weeks before it changes and the whole pattern begins again. Students were integral to the process, providing what Jamie describes as “very honest” feedback! “This season we’re going to be back playing hockey matches again,

...very honest feedback

so it’s very important for me to get the nutrients in,” says Year 13 student Keira, who likes the new food offer. “We’ve noticed the changes in the menu, especially recently; there’s been a lot more rice and noodles incorporated into our diet, which is the carbohydrate we need to release energy slowly when we’re doing a prolonged activity.”

ard or and fi nan al n e en

“The ambitious menu took hard work, dedication and fi nancial in estment, explains ordonstoun s rincipal, Lisa Kerr. “We now invest 25% more in nutritious ingredients. Due to COVID it’s hard to compare this year ith other years, but e are already seeing the benefi ts in terms of improved focus in the classroom and more energy for activities. Above all, though, we are all enjoying the tasty new dishes on the menu!”

To the uninformed, the menu board might not look that unusual. A typical day could include roast chicken with a spicy crust, potato wedges and vegetables; or tacos; or roast aubergine for vegetarians. However, look more closely and you ill fi nd that the chicken crust is made with quinoa and the vegetables are all colourful and fresh, ha ing been sourced from ithin fi e miles of the school otatoes are baked rather than fried and the taco raps contain hole heat our almon is e en smoked in the school’s own smokehouse using wood chips from a windfall tree which once grew on campus.

According to Jamie Campbell, some of the new vegetarian options have also proved a surprise hit. “They’ll ueue out of the door for our baked hole cauli o er steak,” he said, “and they also love our Quorn nuggets. Even the committed meat-eaters love these dishes..”

The most innovative aspect of the menu, though, is its close alignment to the curriculum. Chefs worked closely ith the examination offi ce to match meals to the exam schedule ay ng focused

“The new, healthier menu has helped students to remain focused in the classroom and during assessments,” said Deputy Head Curriculum, Danielle Cowan. “If you want to give yourself the best chance of success, do some research on brain-boosting foods, select the ones you enjoy and build them into your weekly meals. My top tip is that dark chocolate aids memory!”

“We added brain-boosting foods such as spinach and red kale, and made sure they were available the day before the exam and on the day of the exam, says Jamie. “But we never forget that young people want comfort food, too. When students heard about the ne menu, they thought that fi sh and chips and pi a would be stripped out, but because they are here seven days a eek they ha e to ha e fun food, too o-called ‘junk food’ does provide some nutrition and certain fats. Those foods are still there, but perhaps more spaced out than before.”

It’s been a long but rewarding process for the efectory team, ho ere recently fi nalists for a healthy eating a ard in the ndependent chools of the ear 2021 awards. ●

ELEANOR BRADFORD, Eleanor Bradford, a former BBC correspondent, is the Head of Marketing and Public Relations at Gordonstoun School.

ELEANOR BRADFORD,

a former BBC correspondent, is the Head of Marketing and Public Relations at Gordonstoun School.

TRAINING FOR EDUCATION

Oh no, not ANOTHER training course!

Ever had that feeling of completing compulsory training and wishing the hours away? We have all felt it. But why does training have to be boring and tick box? As educators ourselves, we are focused on making lessons for our students engaging and interesting, but often our own training is death by PowerPoint, dull and unmemorable. Completing annual safeguarding training doesn’t necessarily refresh or challenge current knowledge, it is often a tick box requirement that we know we must go through.

Training shouldn’t be like this though – it should be engaging, different and fun and lead to long lasting change. But so often, training doesn’t inspire; whether that is in front of a computer screen and simply moving the course along to get to the end and achieve the certificate or sitting at the back of the training room wishing the time away as you see slide 212 of 500 appear!

At Eighteen Seventy, we have created a new training business from the ground up but with the experience and passion of the ted Learning team. The business is built by people with an educational background (including qualified teachers) who too often have sat through these types of courses and wanted to make learning FUN and memorable for everyone who attends one of our courses. We also wanted to make them relevant to the world of education. Too often off the shelf products are shoe-horned into the world we all work in and not really fit for purpose or understanding the uniqueness of working in education.

Regardless of the subject matter, people need to enjoy learning. So, we create real experiences by using drama in all our courses.

Visit our website for more information & examples of our drama-based work www.eighteenseventy.co.uk

What is Drama Based Learning?

We use professionally trained actors who lift the learning off the page by creating something observational and participative without ever using role-play. This approach appeals to the sense of feeling, aswell as the more traditional senses of seeing and hearing. By approaching our delivery this way, we create a connection to the learning. If we are training in how to have a difficult conversation this isn’t just the theory – we see a difficult conversation play out between two characters sent within your organisation and based on our initial DNA call with you. This ensures it feels real and those attending the learning connect with the characters and scenario and recognise that it takes place within their own work environment. By observing a drama-based scene we can intertwine the theory, discussion and best practice and observe what a brave conversation should look like if this process is followed. Learning that is experienced and felt is much more likely to be embedded than just learning that was heard or seen.

We also use actors of all ages to play the roles of students and staff, so it really resonates. We utilise talent behind the scenes to write our scripts and bring different perspectives to the training.

Why use Eighteen Seventy?

Our courses are designed by educators FOR educators – whether you are student facing or support staff, we have first-hand experience of developing impactful content that learners enjoy and engage with. We deliver courses around inclusion, equality and diversity, mental health awareness, getting stuff done, brave conversations, coaching and mentoring, emotional intelligence, leading through change and more.

Don’t just take our word for it!

Eighteen Seventy

crafted a bespoke package of anti-racism training for us which addressed the issues we needed to consider in a sensitive but unambiguous way. It had a significant impact on raising awareness and understanding of language and behaviours. It has also had a lasting legacy in terms of initiatives which followed on. I feel we were provided with the skills we needed to have these conversations. The actors were very good and adapted well to our challenges.

The whole experience was interesting, useful & inspiring.

I had to attend virtually and it felt like I was really there! I really enjoyed the acting aspect of it and it was useful to be able to observe things they were doing.

Learner from Thames Learning Trust commented: