School Meals are in the spotlight this week as children go back to school and the new Government standards come into force.  But Cyril the Squirrel, the school meals mascot for Nottingham City, has been keeping food in the news and educating children about food throughout the six week holiday.

Cyril has his own club on www.myschoollunch.co.uk/nottingham and members can read all about his latest news, learn about healthy eating and its importance and enter fun competitions.  On the site visitors can read about where in the world Cyril visited each week of the school holidays and the food he tried in each country.  From Cyril’s weekly postcards children can learn that croissants are popular in France, paella is loved in Spain, that Italians enjoy pasta, and much more. 

There is also a fun competition that children can enter where they have to answer questions about different countries in the world and tell Cyril where they went in the holidays and what they enjoyed the most.  The competition runs until 31^st October 2006 and there is £50 worth of Argos vouchers up for grabs.  Pupils from schools in Nottingham City can enter by visiting www.myschoollunch.co.uk/nottingham/kids and registering to join Cyril’s club. 

www.myschoollunch.co.uk is a website aimed at Primary school children, parents and teachers.  It includes a funfair of educational games for children, an interactive kid’s club to encourage healthy eating, information about the school meals service for parents and downloadable lesson plans for teachers. 

Jacquie Blake, School Catering Operations Manager, from Neighbourhood Services at Nottingham City Council said: “We believe it is important to show children the different foods eaten in other countries and encourage them to try new things.  Cyril is very popular in the city’s schools and lots of children log on to read his latest news.  We regularly have competitions on the website to encourage children and parents to come back to the website and find out what is happening at school lunchtimes.  This competition is a great way for the children to learn something new and reflect on what they have done over the summer as they start the new term. “