Logo of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts' "Adopt a School Trust," featuring a fork, knife, and chef's hat design, with charity number 1087567.

About Adopt a School

Developed by the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, the Adopt a School programme encourages healthy eating habits in children, cultivates an enthusiasm for food and cooking and offers young people an insight into the exhilarating world of hospitality.

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We work with chefs and hospitality professionals who are keen to share their knowledge and passion with the next generation, training them to deliver our much-loved food education programme before matching them with local schools.

Since launching the Adopt a School Trust in 1990, our core food education programme has benefited five generations of primary school-age children—encouraging positive eating habits, cultivating an enthusiasm for food and cooking, and embedding lifelong messages around health, food provenance and sustainability.

Our sessions are proven to enhance the Design Technology curriculum in primary schools, support food teaching in secondary schools and offer inspiring career insights to participants of all ages. At our core, we strive to teach the basics of cookery without the need for cooking facilities, which many schools and home settings lack. Add-on experiences such as our Chef on the Farm programme extend the learning beyond the school walls.

To find out how we work with schools, start with our Core Programme information.

We are always looking for more Volunteer Chefs! To ensure the quality of the programme, we require any hospitality professional registering to become an Adopt a School ‘Chef’ to complete essential volunteer training with us.

As part of the charity’s ongoing digital transformation, we are currently in the process of transitioning to on-demand training resources, to be accessed by volunteers online and followed up “live” in schools where real-life sessions are taking place. For more information, please get in touch with the team:

Call: 07887 437 359
Email: adoptaschool@royalacademyofculinaryarts.org.uk

What our schools say

  • “The class has really benefited from Adopt a School. We have a high percentage of children in receipt of free school meals, so this was especially beneficial for them.”

    Teacher, Wallands Primary School

  • “These sessions provide opportunities for me, as a teacher, to find the cross curricular links and encourage the children to apply the learning of the skills and knowledge in other areas of the curriculum.”

    Teacher, Flash Ley Primary School

  • “Our children absolutely loved the sessions. They're still talking about them now! We had lots of photos sent in of the children making bread at home."

    Georgia Young, Teacher, Oakfield Primary Academy

  • "The children got to practise listening to instructions and waiting for their turn. The session also supported their mathematical understanding of measuring and seeing how maths can be used in day to day life.”

    Georgia Young, Teacher, Oakfield Primary Academy

  • “Your programme is inspirational. The knowledge children gain and the pride they feel in creating their own food is something that builds on their life skills for the future.”

    Teacher, Warstones Primary School

“Children need to re-connect with their food and Adopt A School is the model that should be used for their future”.

— His Majesty King Charles III at Adopt A School’s 20th Anniversary event.

Man in suit and tie standing beside a sign for "Chefs Adopt a School."

OUR SPONSORS

The Adopt a School programme would not be made possible without the generous support of our sponsors and funders for specific projects.