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A friend sent me an article this week from the BBC. It’s headline reads: Cookery Classes to be Compulsory; Cookery lessons are to be compulsory in England’s secondary schools for children aged 11 to 14. The article goes on to say that the move is part of the strategy to tackle obesity, as experts believe that 1 million children will be obese in a decade.

While it isn’t perfect, I am in LOVE with this idea.  Part of the appeal is that their government is taking an interest in the health of their children and that they are doing something pro-active about it.   What a stark contrast to our own government, who is making cuts left and right in education, but pours tons of money into international conflicts!  California, which has a better economy than some WHOLE countries in the world, is ranking towards the very bottom of school performance in the US.  We can hardly get and keep good teachers, let alone get the budget to train additional teachers in “cookery.”

The video that comes with the BBC news article discusses that these classes, while not super time intensive, will not only teach the kids the basics about the foods that they can and should be eating for a healthier lifestyle, but will also teach them practical life-long skills that they can depend on when they are out of school.

One would hope that parents are taking on part of this challenge at home, but as we all know, time is short – especially when both parents are working.  It is fantastic that schools are playing a part, and that the parents who have the time, energy and interest, can reinforce it at home.

I wonder where they are getting the funding to do this program… As a cookery teacher, myself, I would love to be involved.

What do you all think?

ps.  I love the word cookery!

p.p.s.  I can tell when people from England find my website online because my stats program shows “cookery” as one of the search terms