Rather than focusing solely on school meals, Jo's recommendations encourage schools to build on opportunities that already exist across the school day. They include weaving food education into subjects such as maths, science and geography, helping teachers talk about food in positive, non-judgemental ways, creating more opportunities for children to try new foods with their peers, and building stronger links with families and local food organisations. The aim is not to add another responsibility for teachers, but to provide simple ideas and resources that can complement what schools are already doing.
The project formed part of Jo's MSc Health Promotion placement at the University of Brighton, where she worked with the Lewes District Food Partnership to explore how schools could create healthier food environments. Drawing on the latest nutrition and public health research, she developed practical recommendations to help improve food literacy, tackle health inequalities and support children's long-term wellbeing.
Jo said: "When we talk about healthy eating, people often think about school dinners, but children learn about food in so many different ways. Every classroom conversation, every positive food experience and every opportunity to try something new helps shape their relationship with food.
"I wanted to create something that schools could realistically use. Many teachers are incredibly passionate about supporting children's health but they're already under huge pressure. My aim was to bring together the latest evidence into practical ideas that are affordable, easy to implement and can make healthy eating feel like a normal part of everyday school life."
The Lewes District Food Partnership works with local organisations, schools, businesses and communities to build a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system across the district. The Partnership commissioned the project to explore how schools could better embed healthy eating into everyday life and now plans to use Jo's recommendations to help inform future work with primary schools across the district.
Hilary Schan, Coordinator of the Lewes District Food Partnership, said: "We're delighted to have worked with Jo on this project. Supporting children to develop positive relationships with food from an early age is essential for their health, wellbeing and future opportunities, but we know schools are facing increasing demands on their time and resources. Jo's work has brought together the latest evidence in a way that is practical, accessible and achievable for schools. The recommendations recognise that healthy eating is shaped by the whole school environment, not just what's on the lunch menu, and provide realistic ways to weave food education and positive food experiences into everyday school life.
“We look forward to building on this work with our local schools and partners to help create healthier food environments for children across the Lewes district. We're also keen to continue working with Jo as she develops her career in community health, as she has already brought tremendous value to the Partnership through her insight, expertise and commitment to improving outcomes for local communities."
Jo returned to university to study Health Promotion after completing an undergraduate degree in Nutrition, with the ambition of working more closely with communities to tackle health inequalities and improve access to nutrition support.
She said: "This placement showed me how universities can work alongside local organisations to create practical solutions to real community challenges. It's given me the confidence to pursue a career in community health, where I can help people build healthier relationships with food and improve access to nutrition advice."
Jo is also putting her community health ambitions into practice as a founding member of the Community Health Collective, a new Community Interest Company in Seaford working through the Seaford Living Rooms initiative.
The Collective aims to make preventative health and wellbeing support more accessible and affordable, bringing together practitioners working across areas including nutrition, lifestyle medicine, yoga and osteopathy. Jo is developing the nutrition side of the initiative, helping to provide practical advice for people who might otherwise be unable to afford private nutritional support.
Following graduation, Jo hopes to continue working with the Lewes District Food Partnership while developing her own community nutrition initiatives with support from the University of Brighton's Student Enterprise Team and the NatWest Accelerator. She hopes to build on the work started through her placement by helping more communities improve access to practical, preventative nutrition support.
The placement forms part of the University of Brighton's MSc Health Promotion course, which gives students the opportunity to work alongside external organisations to tackle real public health challenges while creating lasting benefits for local communities.
Jo hopes the blueprint will help support future work with primary schools across the Lewes district as she continues building a career dedicated to improving community health. After graduating, she plans to work with local organisations to help turn research into practical action that gives more children the opportunity to develop healthier habits for life.