Healthy Zones

The Healthy Zones project puts children’s and young people's health centre stage and supports schools to make the healthy choice, the easy choice.

Healthy Zones is part of a wider 10-year programme delivered by Impact on Urban Health and its partners, taking a whole system, cross sector approach, that focuses on creating environments that support and encourage healthy eating and everyday activity in places where children of all ages spend their time; home, school, high streets and green spaces.

Get involved:

To find out how we can help your school, get in touch with our Project Manager Sabine Appleby: sabine@schoolfoodmatters.org

In partnership with Impact on Urban Health, we'll be working alongside 80 primary and secondary schools in Lambeth and Southwark to create sustained changes to school food environments so that healthy food is prioritised throughout the school day.

We provide support to develop:

School food policies
Healthier breakfast club menus
Healthier after school club menus

Our aim is to develop a whole school approach to food and nutrition, putting children's and young people's health first. The project involves everyone across the school community - from parents and catering staff to school governors and students. We offer training and workshops for staff and parents, building the skills and confidence needed to offer healthy alternatives, whilst taking into consideration resources and budgets. Through engaging, hands-on sessions, we also work with students to find out their opinions and ideas, which inform policy changes, recipes and menu design.

We monitor and evaluate the impact of Healthy Zones on young people's health by looking at the food changes schools have made and sustained. We’ll also be speaking to a range of staff and students in the school, as well as other partners.

Aim Foundation and Westminster Foundation

Until April 2023, we will also be piloting Healthy Zones in six schools in Tower Hamlets and Westminster, funded by The AIM Foundation and Westminster Foundation, respectively. Like in Lambeth and Southwark, it can be really hard for families to be healthy in these boroughs and with different demographic profiles and diversity, our pilot will be a fantastic opportunity to deepen and widen our project delivery.

Watch how students at Rotherhithe Primary School in Southwark have been involved in making food policy changes at their school...