Louise Davies founder of Food Teachers Centre

My name is Louise Davies and I am founder of the Food Teachers Centre. More than ever, current
research shows how important it is for young people to eat a healthy diet to protect them from
serious illness. But we also see the big social divide that exists globally that prevents this. One in 3
children joining secondary schools are overweight, obesity is doubled in areas of greatest
deprivation. Education provides an important platform to address inequalities and provide
knowledge and skills that can lead to healthier lives. Our community group supports 10,000 teachers
in their vital work, making a difference to 3 million children.

We started our community in 2013 to bring every food and nutrition teacher together in one big
virtual staff room, a safe professional space to seek advice and share good practice. Many teachers
are the only food and nutrition teacher in their school.
Our mission is to

1. Unite the teacher’s voice and elevate the importance of food teaching
2. Empower teachers by providing training, resources, mentoring, and a platform for
   immediate trouble shooting
3. And to Support wider society through schools, offering children equal access to cooking
   with free ingredients
   More than 25,000 staff have attended professional development training with us, and 10,000
   teaching resources have been shared to empower teachers and support staff. We’ve achieved this
   with no government funding or membership fees. We are open to all teachers who need our
   coaching and mentoring. So, its sustainable for years to come.
   The idea of a ‘teachers centre’ is based on the excellent 1980s and 1990s model of real CPD centres
   that existed centres in Local Authorities like ILEA. Our virtual ‘Teacher’s Centre’ was a response to
   the lack of local and national specialist support with the demise of local authority advisers, lead
   practitioners and supporting organisations. Our Centre utilises new technologies, not requiring a
   physical space, but providing the same high-quality service that our traditional teachers centres
   were recognised for. Our 20 strong volunteer leadership team are experts in their field.
   As one teacher commented recently… this is a….
   ‘A very special team of generous and caring people who have generated the best ideas and resources
   for all to share’
   We mobilise partners and charity funding so that we can, for example, deliver 8 tonnes of mussels
   from Dorset and 10,000 portions of Alaskan salmon all over the country to 36,000 children, who had
   never cooked with fish before. To us it is obvious, that well fed children will learn more and that
   every child deserves a healthy life – it’s just as important as teaching reading and writing.
   Others are not hearing us – from policy makers and headteachers – the perception that this is ‘ a bit
   of fun cooking’ needs to be challenged, as the current hierarchy places academic over practical. So in
   the context of rising inequality, obesity pandemics, and the climate crisis. We want to continue and
   grow our current activities and to amplify our voice in the ecosystem about the importance of having
   healthy, sustainable and accessible food for all.
   If you think you would like to help young people lead healthier lives, then JOIN US – we would love to
   hear from you. Thank you https://foodteacherscentre.co.uk/