The planning
The teaching materials will be developed over the next year and a half. The Louis Bolk Institute is working with the Jong Leren Eten programme, Stichting Special Heroes Nederland, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and Steunpunt Smaaklessen & EU-Schoolfruit on this project. Anyone who would like to contribute ideas or test teaching materials can send an email to Femke Hoefnagels: [email protected].
In the coming period, research will be conducted into how food education programmes need to be adapted to make them appropriate, suitable and easier to use in special education. Subsequently, lessons from the existing programmes Smaaklessen and Weet wat je eet will be adapted. At many Healthy Schools, Smaaklessen and Weet wat je eet are Healthy School activities for the Nutrition theme. The adapted teaching programmes will be tested and evaluated during the 2023–2024 school year. The intention is that all special education and secondary special education schools will be able to use the practical guidance and adapted lessons from spring 2024 onwards.
Why focus on food education in special education?
Healthy nutrition contributes to children's proper development and health, reports the Louis Bolk Institute. More than 5% of all school-age children attend special education. For these pupils, learning healthy and sustainable eating habits is particularly important. For example, the number of pupils who are overweight in special education is considerably higher than the average in the Netherlands. Pupils in special education therefore benefit from learning food skills at school.
However, few teaching programmes about nutrition are currently available for special education. This target group requires different teaching materials from those used in mainstream education, as was already shown by the Survey of the Need for Food Education in Special (Primary) Education conducted by the Louis Bolk Institute last year. Teachers indicated that most available food education programmes do not align with the experiences and abilities of pupils in special education.
More information
More information about this project can be found on the Louis Bolk Institute's page about Food education in special education.