PUPILS in Dorchester will be growing their own fruit and vegetables and learning to eat healthily after they were picked as a flagship school.

The Prince of Wales Primary School has been picked by a National Lottery project - The Food for Life Partnership (FFLP) to revamp its food education and food culture over the next five years.

The school will become one of only seven flagship schools in the South West.

The 160 children will grow their own fruit and vegetables in allotments, learn how to cook with fresh, local and organic food and visit local farms.

Headteacher Peter Farrington said: "It is more important than ever that young people learn in school about the impact of food on their health and that of the planet. It is our belief that if we educate the children about how to make the right food choices then they will keep this knowledge for life.

"It is about encouraging children to taste and try new foods and learn to enjoy food that they prepare."

He added: "Our school has always been unusual in the area because it still provides hot school lunches for about a sixth of the children, which is very rare here."

The school will now receive thousands of pounds worth of help for the initiative with experts visiting the school and the children attending cooking classes on a special catering bus.

The school will also revamp its school dinner menu using at least 75 per cent fresh food, 50 per cent sourced locally and 30 per cent organic food.

FFLP regional co-ordinator James Cleeton said: "The Prince of Wales School has been selected as a flagship school because it is committed to giving food the priority it deserves - as part of its commitment to the long term welfare and skills of pupils."

Mr Cleeton added that the partnership was looking for more schools in the area wanting to take part and said he hoped to involve the community to put healthy food at the heart of learning.

He said: "We want to inspire rather than cajole our young people to eat a healthy, climate-friendly diet by giving them an opportunity to see how food is produced and to cook and grow their own."

The school's caterers Scolarest are appealing to parents to come up with inventive ways to improve the school dinners.

For further information on the scheme visit: www.foodforlife.org.uk