Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Chef Jamie Oliver to open school in London for kids who do poorly at school

From Metro in the UK:


Jamie Oliver (pictured) is following up his crusades against poor school dinners by improving education.

The TV chef, who struggled with dyslexia in the classroom, is setting up his own summer school to help teenagers fulfil their potential.

Their progress will be filmed for a forthcoming Channel 4 series.

Programme-makers are seeking youngsters who have ‘not got on well at school for various reasons’.

They could be victims of bullying, gymslip mothers or perhaps share Oliver’s literacy problem.

Teenagers who have been privately educated are also welcome at the ‘inspiring school with a difference’.

The 35-year-old chef began to move away from traditional cookery shows when he launched his 15 restaurant in London in 2002.

It was staffed by underprivileged young people who were trained as chefs and filmed for a TV series.

He later launched his campaign to ban junk food from dining halls in his Jamie’s School Dinners series in 2005.

And he tried to improve the health of the nation with his 2008 Ministry of Food series.

Last week, Oliver launched a new nationally-recognised cooking skills qualification for secondary schools which will be available from September.

His new show is seeking people from the London area only.