In July 2024, the Barratt Foundation provided support to Chefs in Schools through its grants programme. Later, in November, the Barratt Foundation team visited Woodmansterne School in Streatham, South London, to experience firsthand the impact of Chefs in Schools.
In 2019, Chefs in Schools worked with Woodmansterne, an all-through school, to overhaul its previously uninspiring food provision, which relied heavily on frozen and unhealthy food.
Chefs in Schools helped the school to recruit Chefs Jacob and Sam, former street food entrepreneurs, who received specialised training from the charity to adapt them into the education setting. Since then, they’ve transformed the kitchen and reimagined school meals, preparing everything from scratch with locally sourced produce. Students enjoy familiar dishes like pasta and curry, but with elevated touches such as homemade naan, chutneys, and even beetroot ketchup to accompany fish and chips. Seasonal salads introduce children to new flavours, and chefs engage directly with students, discussing the food and taking feedback. Staff also dine alongside the pupils, fostering a communal atmosphere in the dining hall.
Beyond the plate, Jacob and Sam have revolutionised food education at Woodmansterne. They’ve run entrepreneurial courses, teaching students about business planning, menu design, and pitching. Renowned chefs have visited for cooking sessions and Q&As, inspiring pupils further. Here’s what Jacob had to say:
“What I love about being a school chef is that I get to dedicate all my time to feeding those who deserve it the most – our children. Unlike cooking for customers in a restaurant, feeding kids is more than about presentation or prestige. It’s about building their foundation for life. The unfiltered feedback they give us daily reminds me that this work is real, honest and essential. Feeding children is about care and community.
A big turning point for me over the past six years has been giving the kitchen a face. Showing that we’re a team of real people, not a faceless operation. Our kitchen is a part of the community, a place where decisions are made with care and collaboration and where everyone can feel involved in the process of nourishing our students.
Since joining Woodmansterne 6 years ago we have gone from feeding 500 students a day a sub par meal, to feeding 1500 a day a scratch cooked, nutritious lunch. We have been teaching an all through food curriculum for all our students, from nursery to sixth form. We have opened a bakery, a weekly deli sale and now a school farm. We’ve proven that with supportive leadership, good links to great charities and an enthusiastic community, change is possible!”
– Jacob Taylor, Executive Chef and Head of Food Education at Woodmansterne School
Chefs in Schools is on a mission to transform child health school by school, class by class, and plate by plate. Woodmansterne is an inspiring example of the incredible impact this charity can have on children’s health and wellbeing, and ultimately, their futures.
