Fellow's Profile
Rab Brownell
Fellow's Profile
Rab Brownell
Neurodiversity and school food - creating inclusive school food systems for everyone
Fellowship
- Themes
- Focus
-
Creating inclusive school food environments for neurodiverse children
- Countries
- Fellowship year
-
2026
- Supported by
- Locality
-
London
Biography
I am a food educator at a primary school in Hackney and have spent my career helping schools create healthier and more inclusive food environments for children. Over the past decade I have worked across schools, public health and policy, from teaching children cooking in London primary schools to leading a flagship school food programme in Tower Hamlets. My Fellowship focuses on neurodiversity and school food, exploring how school meal systems can better support pupils with sensory and additional needs, and the policy levers that make this possible.
I will explore innovative approaches in the USA that make school mealtimes more inclusive for neurodiverse children. I'm interested in how schools can create calmer dining environments, improve children's experiences of food, and ensure every pupil feels able to participate in school meals.
My motivation comes from seeing first-hand how the dining room can affect children's confidence, wellbeing and sense of belonging. I hope this Fellowship will help develop practical tools that schools and local authorities can use to create more inclusive school food environments for all children.
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
Disclaimer
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
