It’s time to make new memories of school food

Many of us in our fifties and sixties have very different memories of school meals than our children and grandchildren do. Back then, it didn’t really matter too much if you loved or hated them – sitting down with your classmates for a hot plate of food at midday in the school hall was just something we all did.
    
Over recent years, the lure of the nearby fish and chip shops and supermarkets offering pre-packaged, on-the-go snacks have tempted teenagers off-site, and a vicious circle has been created where lack of customers has meant less money for schools and caterers, leading to less meal choice and drab dining areas in need of a spruce, leading to – yes, you guessed it – more children taking their money elsewhere.
    
With the creation of the School Food Plan and the announcement of Universal Infant Free School Meals from September 2014, it’s clear that this is a time of great change for school food.
    
But with the majority of the media’s attention being focused on the policies around primary schools, increasing the take up of school meals across all year groups has seemingly taken a back seat. Yet if we’re to reach the target, set by the School Food Plan, of at least 70 per cent of children having school meals, we need to get talking about change, and more importantly, embracing it.

A POSITIVE CHANGE
In schools change happens continually, whether it’s major and linked to changes in policy, curriculum or funding, or whether it’s small changes which arise from other processes. Change is not always welcomed because it can appear threatening, time consuming or costly, however it’s absolutely key to improving things, especially school food and the school dining experience. So why should schools focus on food and improving the dining experience?

School meals contribute to the development of good food habits, including positively influencing what children eat at home. We know that a third of children are now overweight or obese by year six and healthy school meals provide a good dietary balance which helps combat this worrying statistic, and is vital for growth and development. Our research shows that when children eat a healthy school lunch in a pleasant environment, they concentrate better in afternoon lessons, which has got to be something which makes any head teacher sit up and listen.

By getting the school food service right you can positively influence other issues, such as attainment and behaviour. The Children’s Food Trust’s research shows that when children eat better, they do better – so working on your dining experience means you’re working on your educational priorities, too.
    
Undergoing big changes can seem like a complicated and daunting task, but there are two important principles that can make the whole thing a lot easier to manage and give you a better chance of success. Firstly, adopt a whole school approach, and secondly, work to understand barriers to change so that you can overcome them.

A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH
Every school is different and each faces different challenges. But schools which successfully increase school food take-up generally adopt a ‘whole school approach’ to food and healthy eating. This means that food and healthy eating messages are integrated into the whole life of the school, and lunch is treated as an important part of the school day. It means the cook and the catering team are treated with the same importance as all school staff, and that school leadership teams include everyone in the planning and change processes – especially the children, because they’re ultimately the customers.
    
Misunderstanding is one of the main barriers to implementing change. This normally arises when there is a lack of good communication with the people who may be affected by the changes, causing resistance. This can happen when no explanation is given for the changes or those affected by them are not first consulted and involved in the process. Self-interest is another barrier. It’s natural for people to worry about the consequences the change will have on them such as the fear of losing their job, being asked to do a role they are not trained for or one they don’t want to do. By including catering staff, lunchtime supervisors, students and their families, making them feel like their opinions are heard and taken into account, making them aware of the benefits and giving them time and support to adjust, you stand a much better chance of making positive, permanent changes.

SUPPORT IS AT HAND
So what help is available? We at the Children’s Food Trust have already worked with more than 250 primary and secondary schools to help them improve their school meals service at low or no cost, as part of the Trust’s Small Step Improvements programme. It gives schools the tools they need to achieve long term, sustainable improvements to their school meal service.
    
The programme works by bringing together groups of schools to trial small, low cost or no cost changes working with the whole school community. Each school brings both the head teacher and the cook to three workshop sessions. The head teacher leads the change and the cook is seen as a vital member of staff to make this happen.    
    
So far, it has helped bring about an average increase in school meal take up of eight per cent. From an investment of £500, participating schools have seen an average increase in turnover of more than £2,500 in just six months, with one school increasing turnover by £12,500. Local authority-delivered services saw an average increase in turnover of £41,000 from an initial investment of £10,000, with one local authority increasing turnover by £63,000. These are figures schools can’t ignore.
    
The School Food Plan support provided by the Children’s Food Trust and its partners gives local authorities the opportunity to pass on training to the schools in their area. This gives schools the skills necessary to make simple but effective changes to increase the take up of meals by improving the overall dining experience for pupils. Their team – usually the cook and the head teacher – attend workshop sessions, helping them to identify, trial and monitor changes. Following this, many schools have told us that the relationships between the school’s leadership team and catering staff have improved, and that they’ve felt motivated and skilled enough to continue their work long term.

EXCELLENCE AWARD
In March last year, the Children’s Food Trust launched its Excellence Award, a new national award scheme to recognise schools, nurseries and other childcare providers for excellence as champions of healthy eating and nutrition for children. The national accreditation scheme was highlighted in the government’s national School Food Plan as a way of helping schools to improve standards.
    
The Manchester Health Academy in Wythenshawe became the first school in the UK to receive our Children’s Food Trust Award.
The Academy met tough criteria on its food policy, menus, the dining experience children have, staff training, giving children opportunities to learn to cook and how actively staff encourage children to eat healthily, thanks to practices and menus delivered by Manchester City Council’s catering arm, Manchester Fayre.
    
Helen Walker, Health/Humanities Curriculum leader from the Manchester Health Academy, said: “We make sure that our students are equipped for the future by emphasising the importance of a healthy lifestyle. We work closely with our lead sponsor, the Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust to embed health across the curriculum. We are delighted to report that the Manchester Health Academy is the first academy in the country to be awarded the new Children’s Food Trust Award.”

A BIG TASK
To a busy head teacher, business manager or caterer improving school food can feel like a large task on a long list of priorities, but by tackling it one step at a time we know it can be done.
    
With many of our Small Step Improvement schools reporting positive effects across the whole school, the benefits to pupil’s health and wellbeing are undeniably worth the time invested.

FURTHER INFORMATION
www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk