LBBD are excited to share details of two upcoming LBBD Food Education Network CPD sessions for 2026, designed in response to feedback from LBBD teachers and schools.

These CPDs are free of charge for LBBD school staff to attend. They will cover:

• Culturally Inclusive Nutrition & Recipes, April 15th: Local Nutritionists representing Eastern European, South Asian and Afro-Caribbean Diets will deliver a hands-on CPD supporting inclusive food education and demonstrate practical recipes and activities aligned to Eatwell Plate.
• Inclusive & Sensory Food Education, June 3rd: The Health Education Partnership and TastEd will deliver a CPD exploring sensory food education to support ‘picky’ or ‘cautious’ eaters and inclusive practices to support children with SEN at lunchtimes.

This CPD will support local schoolteachers to deliver culturally inclusive food and nutrition education. With a focus on hands-on activities that can be delivered with children in a classroom setting, teachers can expect to come away with the knowledge and resources to deliver practical and inclusive cooking activities in their classrooms and the confidence to facilitate inclusive discussions around food, health and nutrition with their pupils.

The session will cover the cultural context, key ingredients and typical dishes in Afro-Caribbean, South Asian and Eastern European diets. Delivered by nutritionists who will demonstrate practical food activities, teachers will be provided with classroom-ready resources that can be embedded into lesson planning, with Eatwell Plate alignment, simple, school-appropriate recipes, advice on where to source ingredients locally, and additional learning assets such as vocabulary lists and visual assets.

Trainers:

Asma Haq – Mark’s Gate Relief Project
Asma is a nutritionist and chef working closely with the local community through cooking clubs in Mark’s Gate, and the Kitchen Catalyst training programme, supports residents to become community cooking facilitators, and supporting young people to growing skills on her allotment. Her session will include an introduction to South Asian cuisine, from exploring herbs, spices and where to source them locally, cultural festivals, and a practical workshop exploring how to make samosas in a classroom.

Amaeze Madukah – Diverse Nutrition Association
Amaeze is a nutritionist and co-founder of The Diverse Nutrition Association, which provides communities with education, knowledge and access to culturally sensitive resources. Their African and Caribbean Eatwell Guide is widely used by public health bodies and practitioners across the UK to promote healthy eating in diverse communities.

This session will bring this resource to life, with an interactive overview of Afro-Caribbean cuisines, including a sensory tasting activity using low-prep ingredients (e.g. mango, plantain, coconut milk, spices, beans), encouraging teachers to explore smell, taste and descriptive vocabulary and explore example dishes (e.g. efo riro, jollof, jerk chicken, plantain) to support recognition and discussion in the classroom.

Linda North – The Green Nut Community CIC

Linda is a naturopathic nutritional therapist and health coach who has previously worked with LBBD schools through Love Food Hate Waste workshops for children and families. Her session will introduce Eastern European cuisines, demonstrating fermentation as a traditional, sustainable and anti-food-waste technique. She will explore the health benefits of fermented foods, the ‘food and mood’ connection and share practical ways to inspire children to eat vegetable-rich, affordable diets.

CPD 2: Inclusive Eating – Supporting Picky Eaters and Children with SEN

Date: Wednesday 3rd June
Time: 9:00am–12:00 midday
Location: Company Drinks, Bowls Pavilion, Company Drinks, Bowls Pavilion, Barking Park Lodge, Longbridge Rd, Barking IG11 8TA (parking available on site)

This CPD focuses on creating a more inclusive food experience for all children in school, particularly those who are picky or cautious eaters and pupils with SEND.

The session will explore inclusive, non-pressurising approaches that support children to explore food safely and confidently.  It will also explore why eating environments can be challenging for children with SEN and practical strategies to improve the dining experience, so children are better able to access and enjoy a healthy lunch.

Trainers include:

TastEd: TastEd support teachers to deliver sensory food education, helping children to build curiosity, confidence and a joyful relationship with food. TastEd lessons use the five senses to explore fruit and vegetables in a fun, pressure-free way. The session will demonstrate how sensory food education can help children develop self-awareness and descriptive language, build confidence around food and increase familiarity with new fruit and vegetables.

Attendees will explore how to implement the TastEd approach in schools, which links to the national curriculum and early years framework, supporting literacy, numeracy and oracy. You will also hear from a local LBBD school that has trialled the TastEd approach with teachers, senior leaders and parents as part of a whole-school sensory food education model.

Health Education Partnership: Supporting Children with SEND – Creating an Inclusive Dining Environment

Ofsted routinely observes lunchtimes and breaktimes to evaluate behaviour, safety, inclusion, and overall school culture. While these unstructured social periods offer valuable developmental opportunities, they can be challenging for some children — especially those with SEND due to communication, social, and sensory differences.

Schools often prioritise classroom management, but lunchtime provision has a significant influence on pupil outcomes. Difficult lunchtime experiences negatively impact behaviour, wellbeing and learning for the remainder of the day. Developing a structured, inclusive, and supportive dining environment is therefore essential in ensuring all pupils can access and enjoy the whole school day.

By the end of the session, staff will be able to:

• Recognise behaviour as communication and reframe challenging behaviour as a response to unmet need.
• Develop an understanding of the psychological, emotional, and sensory factors that influence children’s experiences of the dining environment.
• Identify and implement inclusive, practical strategies and reasonable adjustments to increase structure, predictability, and accessibility for pupils with SEND.

The Health Education Partnership will deliver a session focused on supporting children with SEN at lunchtime, practical adjustments schools can make to improve the dining environment and why inclusive dining matters for health, behaviour and learning outcomes.