Boarding school nutrition programs
Boarding school nutrition programsPractical nutrition support for your boarders, house staff and kitchen team.
Looking for a nutrition speaker for boarding schools? Our dietitian-led programs are built around boarding life: the dining hall, the sport timetable and the evenings when boarders are looking after themselves. We work with students, staff and kitchen teams together, including evenings and weekends.
- Accredited Practising Dietitians
- Students, staff and kitchen
- Trusted by Ascham and Barker
Built for boarding
Trusted by leading schools
Why boarding is different
Boarders face food challenges day students do not.
Families expect boarding schools to go beyond routine meals and nurture the whole student. Well balanced eating supports focus, memory, mood and academic performance, and for boarders living away from home, it also builds independence and confidence with food.
Limited control
Meals are set, so boarders need skills for making good choices from what is on offer.
Communal eating
Eating in a big dining hall brings social pressure that day students rarely face.
Sport and meal times
Training and competition have to fit around house meal schedules.
Habits for life
The routines boarders build now shape how they eat after they leave school.
What's involved
Choose the format that suits your boarding community.
Every boarding house is different, so there is no one size fits all package. Start with a single session or build a program across the year.
Boarder nutrition workshop
An interactive session on the specific challenges of eating well in a boarding environment.
- Navigating the dining hall and communal eating pressure
- Fuelling sport within house meal schedules
- Practical habits without full control over what is available
Great for: a first session or a single year group
Cooking class
Boarders learn to prepare simple, balanced meals and snacks.
- Builds food confidence and independence
- Practical skills for life beyond the boarding house
- Works well for smaller groups
Great for: senior leadership and life skills programs
Multi-year nutrition program
A structured program across year groups that builds nutrition literacy step by step.
- Foundational habits in junior years, performance and independence in senior years
- Pre and post evaluation
- Impact report for school leadership
Great for: schools that want measurable change
Advisory support
Termly access to Alex and Anna across the school year for your staff.
- Staff Q&A sessions and student drop-in workshops
- Kitchen menu consultation
- Written guidance for house staff on safe, supportive nutrition conversations
Great for: staff who want a dietitian on call
Also available: whole-school year group workshops, sessions for kitchen and catering teams, and parent or family content.
Who it supports
The whole boarding community, in one program.
Boarders
Year group specific sessions, cooking demonstrations and supermarket excursions that build practical skills year on year.
House staff
Staff join the sessions, so everyone shares the same language and feels confident answering boarders' nutrition questions.
Kitchen team
Menu consultation and sessions that connect what is served with what boarders are being taught.
What staff and boarders say
Trusted by the people running boarding houses.
Ascham Boarding has been fortunate to work with The Biting Truth over a number of years to deliver a bespoke nutrition program for our various age groups. The targeted workshops are year group specific and provide the boarders with practical skills to take with them as they move through their boarding life. Through educational sessions, cooking demonstrations and excursions to supermarkets, the boarders gain buildable skills each year.
Alex and Anna have always been so flexible in delivering opportunities that work within our budget and timetable, coming in the evenings and weekends.
Our staff participate in the workshops as well, gaining shared language and insight that helps in their everyday conversations.
Through this solid connection, The Biting Truth has also been able to delivered school wide year group workshops for all students, not just boarders, furthering connection and learning.
Allysia Heness-Pugh Head of Boarding, Ascham School
Having access to The Biting Truth has strengthened how we support boarders. The sessions are evidence based, realistic and tailored to boarding life. Our staff feel more confident responding to nutrition questions and our students are more settled and informed around food.
Director of Student Wellbeing Barker
Barker College on working with The Biting Truth
Boarding life is busy and you do not always have control over meals. The sessions helped me learn how to make better choices within that and understand what actually helps with stress and focus. It made nutrition feel simple and manageable.
Year 11 boarder
I didn’t really think about food much because meals are just there at boarding. The session made me realise how it affects things like sleep, mood and how I feel in class. I definitely think about it more now.
Year 10 boarder
How it works
From enquiry to proposal in three steps.
Tell us about your boarding community
Year groups, timing and what you would like boarders, staff and your kitchen team to get out of it.
We recommend a format
We suggest the most suitable program and follow up with a clear proposal.
We deliver it around your timetable
Evenings and weekends included, with staff welcome to join the sessions.
Your dietitians
Real dietitians who work with boarding schools.
Alex Parker and Anna Morgan are Accredited Practising Dietitians and the co-founders of The Biting Truth. All our staff are Accredited Practising Dietitians, and all presenters hold a current Working With Children Check.
Our approach is safe and supportive. We do not use weight loss messaging, calorie counting or good and bad food labels.
Questions
Boarding program FAQs
What is a boarding school nutrition program?
A dietitian-led program built around boarding life, covering the dining hall, communal eating, sport and meal timetables, and the habits boarders need to look after themselves. It can include boarders, house staff and your kitchen team.
Who delivers the programs?
All our staff are Accredited Practising Dietitians, and all presenters hold a current Working With Children Check. The Biting Truth was founded by Anna Morgan and Alex Parker, who are also Accredited Practising Dietitians.
How is it different from a standard school nutrition program?
Boarding programs are shaped around the house routine, and they involve staff and the kitchen team as well as students. Boarders have less control over what they eat, so the focus is on making good choices within what is available. Our high school nutrition programs focus on students in class.
Can you deliver sessions in the evenings and on weekends?
Yes. We regularly work around the boarding timetable, including evenings and weekends.
Can we start with a single session?
Yes. Many schools start with a single boarder workshop or cooking class, then build into a multi-year program or ongoing advisory support.
Do you work with house staff and kitchen teams?
Yes. Staff can join the sessions to share the same language, and we offer kitchen menu consultation, staff Q&A sessions and written guidance on safe, supportive nutrition conversations with boarders.
Can you run sessions for the whole school, not just boarders?
Yes. We can deliver whole-school year group workshops, and parent or family content, alongside your boarding program.
Do you measure the impact?
Multi-year programs include pre and post evaluation and an impact report for school leadership.
Is the approach safe for students?
Yes. We do not use weight loss messaging, calorie counting or good and bad food language. Sessions focus on food confidence, energy, mood, focus and independence.
How much does a program cost?
Every boarding community is different, so there is no one size fits all package. Tell us about your school and we will recommend the most suitable format and send a clear proposal.
What year groups do you work with?
Our programs are built for Years 7 to 12. Boarding programs are year group specific, with foundational habits in the junior years and performance and independence in the senior years.
What does a session look like?
Boarder workshops are interactive and practical. They cover things like navigating the dining hall and communal eating, and fuelling sport around house meal schedules. Cooking classes teach boarders to prepare simple, balanced meals and snacks, and work well for smaller groups. Staff are welcome to join, and we can run sessions in the evenings and on weekends.
Are your presenters qualified and checked?
All our staff are Accredited Practising Dietitians, and all presenters hold a current Working With Children Check.
How do we book, and do you deliver in our state?
Send us an enquiry using the enquiry form on this page, or call 0423 498 910 or email info@thebitingtruth.com. We reply within one business day. We currently deliver workshops in NSW, VIC and QLD, and offer virtual sessions to schools anywhere in Australia.
Get in touch
Ready to talk about nutrition support for your boarding school?
Tell us about your boarding community, timing and goals. We will recommend the most suitable format and follow up with a clear proposal. We reply within one business day, and pricing comes with our reply.
Prefer to talk? Call 0423 498 910 or email info@thebitingtruth.com.