CHILDREN queuing eagerly for carrots is not a typical sight, but that is what is in demand at a school in Wroughton.

Wroughton Junior was one of 13 schools in Swindon to receive a plaque for achieving Government-rated healthy status last Thursday.

They represented 73 per cent of schools in the borough that have fulfilled 41 steps to help make pupils healthier and happier.

Teachers turned up to collect the awards at the University of Bath in Welcombe Avenue.

Healthy snacks are a major priority for Wroughton Junior and its tuck shop stocks cheese on crackers, bread and butter and chopped vegetables.

Jo Garton, deputy head at Wroughton Junior, said that healthy food was a craze among pupils.

She said: "There is always a big queue for it. Most of the children seem to be waiting for carrot sticks, which are surprisingly popular.

"The children are definitely aware of healthy eating and it is covered in the curriculum.

"We all talk about how hard it is to get our five a day of fruit and vegetables, but we all try.

"We also have a school nutrition group looking at ways to implement healthy choices."

Encouraging youngsters to walk to school is one of the other issues in the healthy curriculum'.

Eirian Painter, healthy eating co-ordinator at the school, said: "We are happy to receive the award after a year-and-a-half of work."

Physical activities and anti-bullying measures are also part of schools' efforts to achieve healthy status. The next level is to work towards a certificate of merit.

Katrina Carpenter, Swindon Council healthy schools co-ordinator, said that all headteachers were trying to reach the Government goals.

"All schools are interested in achieving healthy status," she said. "We are one of the few areas where every school is involved.

"It is all about the health and wellbeing of young people in Swindon."

Anna Colledge, the director of social and personal education at Churchfields, said that the school canteen was proving particularly well supported "We are proud of our healthy eating programme," she said.

"We have a good canteen. It had a lot of input from children and the council helped us choose the caterers. And it hasn't made a loss."

There's plenty more juice in this scheme!

ONE town primary school is especially proud that its pupils don't fit the worrying national trend of unfit kids weaned on junk food. St Catherine's RC Primary School in Stratton received its healthy status award plaque from Martin Coles of Swindon Council's education department. The school is now planning the next stage of its healthy schools programme, building on the good work and franking the status that will remain in place until 2010. Rosalind Brock, class teacher and healthy schools co-ordinator at St Catherine's, said the scheme had divided into four areas - physical activities, healthy eating, health and social education, and drugs and sex education. Staff and pupils celebrated gaining the status with a health week in July, but only received the award officially at last week's ceremony. Mrs Brock said: "I will be having a meeting in January to set new targets based on continuing the focus on physical activities during play and lunchtimes. "We have an undeveloped pond area, and that's something I'd like us to tackle. Gardening is good exercise, and it would be good to clear the area and make it into a sensory garden, but we also need to find out what the children want to do. It's all about making a healthy life fun."