Clubs praise their £20m national cookery network

20 May 2009

Schools around the country have given a huge ‘thumbs up’ to Let’s Get Cooking, according to research published today.

More than 500 (40%) of the school-based clubs responded to the Let’s Get Cooking survey, which asked what they thought of the programme, its processes, resources and the experience as a whole.
The results were overwhelmingly positive:

• more than 99% of clubs would recommend Let’s Get Cooking to others, with their most popular reason for joining the network being to have fun
• most thought the application process was easy (73%)
  staff were ‘very helpful’ (90%)
• the funding process was ‘easy to use’ (77%), and
• more than 90% said communications were ‘about right’.

Although clubs thought Let’s Get Cooking resources were useful and of high quality, few (12%) had used the network’s online forum. Others highlighted better download times and search facilities as improvement areas for the website.

As part of their feedback, club leaders volunteered comments. Typical examples were:

“We thoroughly enjoy running our club and are oversubscribed for members. It is a real confidence booster as everyone excels in the club. Support from Let’s Get Cooking is great too. This is not only a fun club, but one where valuable life skills are learnt…If it sparks an interest in food then what we are doing is very worthwhile in the long term.”

And
“Most of the pupils make the recipes again at home for their families, which is good. We have had fantastic reports back from parents about how much their children like the club…it is a fantastic asset to the school and our pupils.”

The big vote of confidence comes as Let’s Get Cooking celebrates accreditation by the Royal Society for Public Health for its demonstrator training. This two-day training for club leaders has also attracted praise from delegates, who unanimously rated it as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

Director of Let’s Get Cooking, David Edwards, said: “We’re delighted that so many schools are all enjoying being part of Let’s Get Cooking and that our survey attracted such a high response rate. Comments from clubs refer repeatedly to the excitement and enthusiasm of everyone involved and to the sheer fun to be had from sharing skills in healthy cooking with children and their families.

“We are keen to continue to improve the programme and we will be considering carefully some of the areas clubs have identified as needing improvement.”

The survey was carried out for Let's Get Cooking by Proportion Marketing Ltd during February and March.