HEALTHY living at Ballard School has been recognised with a national award.

The New Milton independent school won the healthy eating category at the Independent Schools Association's national conference.

Good practice at the school was recognised after changes were made to encourage students to eat healthier.

Healthy eating now features heavily in the school curriculum, especially during PE, PSHE and Home Economics classes.

Vending machines have been removed pupils now have the option of a salad bar at lunch times.

The school has also limited the availability of unhealthy foods such as sausages, samosas, Yorkshire puddings and potato wedges whilst introducing more homemade foods such as scotch eggs, soups, wholemeal bread and fresh rolls.

Headmaster of Ballard School, Alastair Reid said: "It’s fantastic that all the effort we have put into improving the health and wellbeing of our students has been recognised. Most important to us is that our students continue to learn more about food and how to stay fit and healthy. We will continue with our efforts to keep Ballard at the forefront of healthy eating schools in the UK.

The healthy eating initiative was spearheaded by the School’s Head Chef, Richard Whiting, and member of the PE Department, Dan Winch, who said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award. However, we will not rest on our laurels. We’ll continue to develop new and innovative approaches to healthy eating and are planning many more initiatives; including competitions, more sugar reductions and healthier options at lunch time."

The ISA Conference also saw Ballard School shortlisted for a number of other awards. These included an award for Outstanding Provision in Sport where they were finalists. At the individual level, one of their students was also a runner up in the National ISA Art Award (Key Stage 3) for a clay head artwork.