Memorandum submitted by The Food for Life
Partnership
SUMMARY
1. School food is part of pupils' education
and should be inspected as such. A nutritious lunch contributes
to understanding of healthy lifestyles and brings immediate benefits
to students' behaviour, concentration and ability and inclination
to learn. Existing Ofsted inspection criteria, however, are currently
inadequate to inspect the quality of food on offer in schools,
to assess whether or not meals meet the mandatory nutritional
standards or register the extent to which schools promote their
lunch service.
2. Inspection has a critical role to play in
encouraging and maintaining high standards of school food, food
education and culture. Inspection criteria for school food should
be extended to cover all the potential benefits good food can
bring to pupils' education, health, social skills and behaviour.
Inspection should assess the degree to which schools promote their
meal service and therefore achieve financial viability through
adequate take-up, including review of the quality of food culture
in the school, which has a demonstrable effect on take-up figures.
The inspection of school food should remain within the responsibility
of the main schools inspectorate, whichever body that is to be,
as the influence of good food and food culture extends to every
realm of school life.
3. In the case of new Academies or for other
schools operating with greater autonomy, the role of Ofsted should
be to provide an accountability mechanism from schools to parents
and funders. Academies should demonstrate how the decisions they
have made have used food to promote pupils' health, wellbeing
and attainment.
Recommendations for Government
4. We recommend that Ofsted, or any inspectorate
for schools, should:
— Assess
a "whole school approach" to good food and food culture.
— Inspect
school's adherence to the nutrient-based standards.
— Assess
head teachers' commitment to promoting the lunch service.
— Inspect
breakfast clubs and other food access initiatives for disadvantaged
pupils.
— Inspect
food growing in schools.
— Include
pupils in inspection of school food and educational opportunities.
— Involve
parents and families in inspection of school food.
— Ensure
that school food remains the responsibility of the main schools
inspectorate.
5. The Food for Life Partnership is a network
of schools and communities across England committed to transforming
food culture. At FFLP schools great food is matched by food education,
cooking lessons, on-site food growing and improvements to the
dining area. We currently work with over 2,500 schools in England
and more than 200,000 meals are served to Food for Life standards
daily.
6. The Food for Life Partnership is funded by
the Big Lottery Fund and led by the Soil Association, bringing
together the practical expertise of the Focus on Food Campaign,
Garden Organic and the Health Education Trust.
— The Soil Association is
the UK's leading environmental charity promoting sustainable,
organic farming and championing human health.
— The Focus on Food Campaign
is the leading food education support programme for teaching cooking
in the UK's primary and secondary schools.
— Garden Organic is the UK's
leading organic growing charity dedicated to researching and promoting
organic gardening, farming and food
— The
Health Education Trust is the national charity dedicated to initiating
and supporting work with children and young adults to encourage
the growth of healthy lifestyles.
7. FFLP takes a "whole school" approach
to decision-making, involving catering staff, teachers, families
and the pupils themselves; promoting personal responsibility and
ownership at every stage. Head teachers report that this approach
brings improvements in attendance, behaviour, attentiveness in
class and attainment, as well as increasing take-up of school
lunch (see Appendix B for FFLP case studies).
Scope of our submission
8. Our expertise is food in schools. Our response
will therefore be confined to commentary on the importance of
adequate inspection of school food and food culture, and the role
of inspection in promoting the "whole school" approach
essential to achieve the high take-up levels that will in turn
secure a financially viable lunch service. We are not in a position
to comment on Ofsted's role in other institutions. We do not
propose that inspection is all that is required to improve or
maintain the quality of food in schools but that it is necessary
contribution to improvement of school food and food culture. We
believe that FFLP has the evidence and experience to help address
the following of the Education Committee's concerns:
— What
the purposes of inspection should be (in schools).
— The
impact of the inspection process on school improvement.
— The
weight given to different factors within the inspection process.
— The
role of Ofsted in providing an accountability mechanism for schools
operating with greater autonomy.
9. In this submission to the Education Committee
we will be drawing on our experience working in over 2,500 schools
in England, and an extensive body of evidence linking nutrition
with health and behaviour and good school food with improved nutrition
for the pupils to eat it, particularly poorer pupils. We are also
supported in our assertions by the three professional advisory
bodies that support the Partnership; our Caterers' Circle, Cooks'
Network and the Educators' Panel of head teachers.
10. For more information about the Food for Life
Partnership see: www.foodforlife.org.uk
SUBMISSION OF
EVIDENCE:
OFSTED AND
INSPECTION OF
FOOD IN
SCHOOLS
11. Food in schools is essential to maintain
pupil's health and help them achieve to the best of their ability,
helping the government meet the aims of its school policy: high
standards of attainment and reducing the gap between rich and
poor pupils. Inspection criteria can drive change and communicate
the government's priorities to schools, pupils and families. We
need a coherent approach to school food across all government
initiatives for schools. A consistent school food policy, including
inspection as part of this strategy from Government, will bring
the most benefits from each intervention and make the most of
government investment.
The importance of food in schools
12. All of the evidence from research into the
benefits of good school meals indicates improvements in pupil
health, behaviour,[105]
motivation and ability to learn and achieve.[106]
A healthy lunch and breakfast has been shown to improve attendance,
behaviour and concentration.[107]
A pleasant dining experience at lunchtime improves social skills,
and the efficiency brought by having enough seats or short queuing
times encourages pupils to stay and eat the food. In turn, a secure
customer base will promote the economic viability of the catering
service and allow a virtuous circle of continued improvement to
school meals, pupil health, behaviour and achievement. Inspection
of school food can help prioritise its role in schools and achieve
these benefits for pupils.
13. Until very recently, however, central government
made no funding available for school lunches except to cover the
approximate cost of pupils' free school meals (FSMs). Compulsory
competitive tendering by local authorities in the absence of mandatory
food standards created a situation in which school meal providers
were under pressure to deliver least-cost solutions at the expense
of nutrition and quality. Kitchen and dining room infrastructure
suffered chronic underinvestment and in many situations the facilities
disappeared altogether. The FSMs themselves were commonly reduced
to a "brown bag" of sandwiches of indeterminate nutritional
quality. School food needs continued support from government,
including adequate inspection, to maintain the educational opportunities
and demonstrable benefits to health.
14. A number of published studies have shown
that hungry children behave worse in school, registering reductions
in fighting and absence and increased attention when meals are
provided.[108]
More specifically, two studies have found that school children
who received supplements of essential fatty acids showed less
aggression, compared with controls, when they were placed under
stress.[109]
The School Food Trust has shown that pupils in primary and secondary
schools behave significantly better in class and remain more "on
task" in the afternoon after a nutritious lunch[110].
15. A majority of the studies investigated during
the 2006 Food Standards Agency systematic review of nutrition
and pupils' performance noted good evidence that eating breakfast
is beneficial to the performance and behaviour of school children.[111]
Schools that have breakfast clubs also report improved behaviour
in the classroom.
Two studies found that individuals who ate something for breakfast
every day reported better mental well being than those who had
erratic morning routines.[112]
Immediate benefits include improved memory[113]
and a sense of calm under challenging conditions.
16. Few children have a perfectly healthy diet
in the UK, but poor nutrition affects disadvantaged pupils most
of all. While many young children may be consuming too much energy
and becoming overweight or obese (the UK already has the highest
rate of childhood obesity[114]
in Europe), many children, whatever their energy intake, are also
malnourished; i.e. they are not meeting daily vitamin and mineral
requirements.[115]
As
Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families Tim Loughton
acknowledged in the Commons, "free school meals have an important
role to play in addressing poverty and inequality... [they] often
represent the only nutritious meal in some children's day".[116]
17. Although Free School Meals are available
in all schools for the worst-off children, without a supportive
school food culture many children are stigmatised for taking FSMs.
Additionally, without adequate take-up from the rest of the school
a hot school meal service is not viable. Schools are not obliged
by law to provide anything more than FSMs and a cold sandwich
can pass for a meal. Decline in the lunch service means children
eligible for FSMs may miss out on a freshly-cooked hot lunch and
all the nutritional benefits that entails.
18. We know that in FFLP schools the quality
of the school meal and dining experience encourage more children
from all backgrounds to eat a healthy lunch, in turn supporting
a financially viable lunch service. At FFLP schools, great food
is matched by food education, cooking lessons, on-site food growing,
visits to local farms and improvements to the dining area. From
enrolment with the programme to receiving their Bronze, Silver
or Gold award (less than two years), meal take-up in participating
schools increases on average by 23%, with our best practice schools
reporting take-up of over 80%. The national average increase in
take-up this year was 2.1% in primaries and 0.8% in secondaries.[117]
This "whole school approach", integrating food into
all aspects of school life, is the most effective way to achieve
high levels of take-up and its benefits for the good mental and
physical health of the school population, particularly disadvantaged
pupils (please see Appendix B for examples of FFLP schools where
this whole school approach has dramatically increased take-up).
19. School Food Trust research[118]
has shown that school meals are now consistently more nutritious
than packed lunches. This is of particular concern for children
from lower-income families, whose packed lunches contained more
fat, salt and sugar and less fruit and vegetables than children
from wealthier backgrounds. The Trust's recent report into children's
eating habits found that children are more likely to try new foods
during school lunch or cookery classes, in the supportive environment
of their peers, than they are at home.[119]
This suggests that school food is instrumental in encouraging
children to eat a balanced diet, with implications for their mental
wellbeing and behaviour. Parents know that they cannot maintain
their children's good food habits if they are not supported by
schools. Standards at school must also set a model for the food
outside of the school day.
20. Food culture and education in schools (including
cookery classes, food growing, farm visits, nutrition action groups
and health education) provide excellent educational opportunities
for pupils with a diverse range of learning requirements. The
kitchen and garden are effective teaching environments for literacy
and numeracy, science, history and geography. Including students
in decision-making, such as in the FFLP's model of School Nutrition
Action Groups, helps develops life skills and promotes participation
in the school and wider community.
21. Evidence linking horticulture with improved
wellbeing has found a diverse range of beneficial outcomes that
are likely to influence pupils' time at school, including lower
rates of crime, lower incidence of aggression, greater ability
to cope with poverty, better life functioning, greater life satisfaction,
and reduced attention deficit symptoms.[120]
Allowing children to grow food can also encourage increased consumption
of fresh fruit and vegetables, potentially improving both physical
health and pupils' ability and inclination to learn.[121]
Gardening is also exercise, even for the least athletically inclined,
and physical activity has been shown to increase the brain's production
of "happy" hormones like serotonin and endorphins, which
improve feelings of wellbeing and motivation. Our experience at
Food for Life Partnership schools is that children develop self-esteem
in learning to grow their own food and learn to take responsibility
for their own actions. This is particularly true in the case of
disadvantaged pupils, who frequently display the most problematic
behaviour.
22. Meanwhile, at FFLP schools a calm and sociable
dining environment teaches children social skills, and prepares
them to be receptive in afternoon classes. FFLP schools in disadvantaged
areas also report an increase in attendance, as well as improved
behaviour.
23. Finally, involving parents and families in
school lunch and food education has considerable scope to extend
the benefits of healthy food and to help parents to understand
and address their children's health, behaviour and achievement
at school. At Food for Life Partnership schools we encourage the
participation of the whole school community, including families
and local residents, spreading the benefits of healthy food and
food skills.
24. Families need the knowledge and skills to
make informed food choices and by promoting a whole school approach
to food and health through appropriate inspection Government can
ensure that they have them. The majority of adults in the UK have
passed through UK schools: there is no other as advantageous an
occasion to influence the population's food skills, knowledge,
health and behaviour and to secure the immediate benefits to pupils'
attainment.
The purpose of inspection of food in schools
25. School lunch is part of the educational experience
of children in school and should be a priority for inspection.
Inspectors should investigate the quality of food on offer in
schools as well as the school's good food culture and the extent
to which the head teacher promotes the lunch service (for instance,
through investment in dining facilities or use of food in the
curriculum), which would both encourage students to eat the food
on offer and secure a range of the benefits above.
26. Education secretary Michael Gove wishes to
simplify the inspection process and to focus inspection on four
key areas; quality of teaching, leadership, pupil's behaviour
and safety, and their achievements.[122]
More detailed inspection of the school food and the degree to
which it is integrated into a school's approach would encourage
a high quality of teaching, secure significant benefits to pupils'
behaviour and readiness to learn, and contribute to pupils' good
health. Encouraging healthy food habits and securing take-up of
school meals will protect the health of young people during their
time at school and beyond it. Without this, no school can claim
to have successfully achieved a safe environment in which pupils
can learn to the best of their ability.
27. Inspection criteria indicate how important
government considers particular functions of schools. In the experience
of FFLP, schools are motivated by Ofsted inspections to develop
or maintain particular aspects of their service. In showing head
teachers how good food can help improve their curriculum, plus
encourage good behaviour, motivation and concentration, FFLP has
seen increased interest in participation in our programme. When
schools receive good results from Ofsted they are further encouraged
to proceed with the aspects of the programme that have helped
attain the good results. In this way inspection can be used to
promote aims of government school policy.
28. Government school policy want to raise the
standards of attainment for all and to "close the gap"
between rich and poor pupils. Good food at school improves concentration,
motivation and behaviour, meaning children get a fair chance to
learn and achieve and to contribute fully to an adult working
life. Good food education, including cooking and growing, gives
children the skills and knowledge they need to take responsibility
for their own diet and the health of their future families.
29. It is a legal requirement that schools are
inspected and that inspections cover a broad selection of outcomes,
not simply a narrow interpretation of educational attainment.
Section 5 of the Education Act 2005 states that inspectors must
report on (amongst other things):
how far the education meets the needs of the range
of pupils at the school;
the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
of the pupils at the school;
the contribution made by the school to the well-being[123]
of those pupils; and
the contribution made by the school to community
cohesion.[124]
While a simplification of the inspection process
is to be welcomed, pupils have the legal right to a school culture
that promotes their health, wellbeing, safety and gives them the
opportunity to learn to the best of their ability. Inspection
criteria and processes must recognise their role in achieving
this.
30. A thriving school food culture contributes
to social and cultural development of students, diverse educational
needs, pupil and staff safety and wellbeing and cohesion of the
whole school and wider community. At FFLP schools, involving students
in food growing or cookery provides excellent learning environments
for diverse student needs; teaching children where their food
comes from contributes to cultural and social development; horticulture
can improve wellbeing and motivation; and the whole school and
wider community get involved in decision-making. FFLP schools
routinely gain "outstanding" assessments in areas where
the Partnership have helped to integrate food skills and education
into the curriculum and policy of the school. (Please see Appendix
B for examples of Ofsted reports from FFLP schools).
31. Existing inspection criteria are inadequate
to ensure schools meet the mandatory nutrient-based standards
now in place, meaning that the government has routine means of
checking whether schools meet the standards or not. For all children,
the nutrient-based standards that are now in place in primary
and secondary schools (if schools adhere to them) provide pupils
with a healthy balanced meal, going a significant way to providing
a healthy diet overall, and for some pupils providing the majority
of a child's daily nutrition. The only current inspection criteria
to mention food, however, simply says that, "Inspectors
may take account of different groups of pupils':
uptake of school meals and selection of healthy food,
and
understanding of the benefits of physical exercise…
and a healthy diet and how they have adopted these into their
lifestyles".
32. There are no criteria which monitor the actual
quality of food on offer, assess whether or not it meets the nutrient-based
standards, or monitor take-up levels or the school's efforts to
promote its dining service. The School Food Trust and school caterers
acknowledge that adequate take-up levels are essential to allow
the catering service to become economically viable and secure
the benefits of healthy lunch for all students. Ofsted inspections
should include investigation into the quality of food on offer,
particularly to assess if it adheres to the nutrient based standards,
if inspection is to assist the government meet its objectives
for healthy, attainment and equality at school.
33. Inspecting the quality of school food and
food culture will assist schools to use this effective model to
secure benefits to education, health and achievement. Good food
and food culture can help schools demonstrate several of Ofsted's
existing criteria, including the following:
Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they
enjoy their learning.
Pupils' behaviour.
The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles.
The extent to which pupils contribute to the school
and wider community.
The extent to which pupils develop workplace and
other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being.
The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and
cultural development.
The effectiveness of the school's engagement with
parents.
The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning
and well-being.
The effectiveness with which the school promotes
community cohesion.
The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources
to achieve value for money.
The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.
The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being.
34. By including explicit reference to food and
food culture in the inspection criteria Ofsted can encourage schools
to prioritise the most effective way to gain success in achieving
the above aims. Inspection of school food culture, and the quality
of food and dining experience, will ensure that the school is
effectively promoting its lunch service and increasing take-up.
With high take-up the lunch service can become economically independent
of government subsidy, ensuring efficient use of government resources.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
ACTION BY
THE GOVERNMENT
35. We recommend that Ofsted, or any inspectorate
for schools, should:
— Assess
a "whole school approach" to good food and food culture.
Ofsted should develop inspection criteria that would prioritise
the Food for Life Partnership's demonstrably successful "whole
school" model of good food, food culture and education. This
not only addresses the quality of food available in schools, but
also encourages take-up of the school lunch; ensuring the good
food is eaten, the lunch service remains economically viable and
schools' dependence on government money is minimised. Criteria
would cover the use of food as a teaching aid, the suitability
of the dining facilities, cookery and food growing facilities
and the subjects' presence on the curriculum, and student participation
in decision-making about school menus and food-based educational
activities.
— Inspect
school's adherence to the nutrient-based standards. Since
the introduction of the food and nutrient-based standards in schools
in 2008 and 2009, there have been demonstrable improvements to
the nutritional quality of food in schools. Local authorities
(or the schools themselves if they have opted-out of LA catering)
are responsible for ensuring that the food they serves meet the
standards but there are no means of inspecting whether or not
this happens and Ofsted has no criteria in which to assess adherence.
Ofsted inspections should include assessment of compliance to
the standards. Although it is clearly beyond the scope of inspectors
to analyse menus on the day of a school visit, the full assessment
should include a report of the school's nutrient analysis of their
menus (by the local authority or school itself, as appropriate).
The inspectors could take a copy of the menu available on the
day and compare it to the school's nutrient analysis and communications
to parents.
— Assess
head teachers' commitment to promoting the lunch service. The
most effective way to increase take-up of school meals, and therefore
gain the benefits of good food for more pupils and make the lunch
service more independent of government support, is to improve
the whole school food culture. This includes putting cookery and
food growing on the curriculum, improving the dining facilities
and involving pupils in decision-making. Head teachers have greater
control over these activities that the caterer and caterers frequently
complain that their heads do not do enough to help promote the
service. One manager from a large national caterer said he would
"fully endorse…any incentive for a head teacher to improve
the meal service". Ofsted inspectors should request a business
plan from the head teacher that details how they plan to continue
improvement to their lunch service and assess the activities in
the school around food and education. Please see Appendix B for
examples of schools that have successfully used the whole school
model to increase take-up.
— Inspect
breakfast clubs and other food access initiatives for disadvantaged
pupils. Take-up of breakfast clubs, Free School Meals
and other healthy food incentives should be assessed as indications
of a school's commitment to disadvantaged children. The school
food culture, promoting participation in healthy food initiatives
and encouraging take-up of FSMs, should be assessed to ensure
the school is promoting the safety and attainment of every child.
— Inspect
food growing in schools: Food growing should be a part
of the curriculum and the school's self-assessment forms should
include a question relating to the school's use of outdoor space
for growing food. Inspectors should take that into account when
assessing the head teacher's commitment to improving the school's
food culture and lunch service.
— Include
pupils in inspection of school food and educational opportunities.
Pupils' opinion of their school, including the food
and educational opportunities, are perhaps the most significant.
Additionally, involving students in assessment and decision-making
can improve their motivation, commitment and wellbeing. Ofsted
could provide assessment forms for a selection of students to
comment on, among other things, their school lunch and how effectively
it is promoted.
— Involve
parents and families in inspection of school food.
Parents and families should be invited to comment during a school's
assessment. One of the main purposes of a school inspection is
to communicate the school's achievements to families. Indeed,
one of the aims of Ofsted is to determine "the effectiveness
of the school's engagement with parents." A parent assessment
form could gather their perspective on the lunch service, including
how well the school communicates their commitment to school food
and educational opportunities, plus value for money.
— Ensure
that school food remains the responsibility of the main schools
inspectorate. The influence of good food
and food culture extends to every realm of school life. The most
effective way to secure a financially viable lunch service is
to promote the "whole school approach" to food and education.
October 2010
APPENDIX A
QUOTES FROM OFSTED REPORTS, SHOWING HOW SCHOOLS
USE FFLP TO IMPROVE THE CURRICULUM, PUPILS'
ENGAGEMENT, THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR
CONTRIBUTIONTO THE COMMUNITY
| School | Date of Report
| Summary |
| Twerton Infant School, Bath | June 2009
| "Lessons are planned so that the learning makes links to pupils' everyday life and this captivates their interest. For example, pupils plant their own vegetables, look after them and watch how they grow. They then pick them when ready and use them to provide a delicious meal to enjoy, thus promoting lifelong learning. The school is justifiably very proud of its silver award for Food for Life Partnership Scheme. Pupils have an exceptional understanding of how to keep healthy and know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. "
|
| King's Meadow Primary, Southport, Berkshire
| May 2009 | "The teaching of these subjects is made more meaningful to pupils through an excellent range of topics and themes, which are enriched extremely well by an impressive array of extra-curricular activities such as gardening [and] cookery…"
|
| Coppice Farm Primary, Nottingham | January 2009
| "Staff have planned a curriculum which meets pupils' needs well because they find it engaging, relevant and fun. A good example of this is the innovative work on the "Food for Life Partnership" project, which has been extended to involve parents in providing healthy meals at home."
"We feel that without FFLP we would not have achieved those top grades just yet". (Teacher Jo Sharpe from Coppice Farm).
|
| St. Peter's CoE Middle School, Old Windsor, Berkshire
| June 2009 | The school's FFLP Flagship status is mentioned with ideas such as the "cross curricular food and farming initiative" which have, "captured the pupils' imaginations and extended their learning as well as strengthening their links with the local business community".
|
| Cowes Primary School, Isle of Wight | March 2009
| "[The pupils] have a very good understanding of how to stay healthy. One of the main reasons for this is because they eat in the school restaurant "La Cocina", which provides freshly cooked food, locally sourced, including produce from the school allotment in the summer. This means that a much larger proportion of pupils now eat a hot meal at lunchtime."
|
| St. Peter's High School, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex
| November 2009 | "The school plays a leading role in promoting healthy lifestyles through the Food for Life programme and a good food technology curriculum. Improvements in the quality of food on offer in the school canteen have been met with much enthusiasm, as shown by an increase in the take up of school meals."
|
| Lydgate Infant School, Sheffield | July 2009
| "Through the 'Food For Life' initiative pupils are taught about food sources, food production, food preparation and cooking skills….Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to live healthily and show an excellent understanding of how the way they live can affect the world they inhabit."
"The "Food for Life" initiative and links with outside agencies such as "Water Aid" , are increasingly helping teachers to link subjects so that pupils can see the relevance of learning and also promotes community cohesion at a global level."
|
APPENDIX B
EXAMPLES OF FFLP SCHOOLS WHERE A WHOLE SCHOOL
APPROACH HAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED MEAL TAKE-UP
CRONDALL PRIMARY
SCHOOL: A "WHOLE
SCHOOL" APPROACH
TO TAKE-UP
SUCCESS
At Crondall Primary School in Hampshire food has become as important
a part of the school day as science or reading, and it shows:
their school meal take-up has gone up from 52.6% take-up in 2008
(when the school enrolled with FFLP) to 72.8% in 2010, an increase
of 20.2%. Head teacher Megan Robinson feels that it is because
the school values food so highly and uses it to teach the school
day that the children themselves want to eat the school lunch.
The children themselves are involved in making decisions about
what is served at lunch and grown in the school garden through
the School Nutrition Action Group, which also has representatives
from the local village and the children's parents. Parents and
members of the local community regularly join the school for lunch,
when the children take visitors on a tour of the school kitchen
and allotment. Mrs Robinson makes sure the school is always well
represented in the parish magazine and the cook contributes a
recipe to the school's newsletter. All this means that parents
and families are reassured about the school's commitment to their
children's food.
At lunchtime, every pupil has a role to play. The oldest pupils
help serve and Year Five are charged with helping Reception to
choose food and finish their plate. The school has raised funding
to invest in a permanent cookery room (which they will rent to
the local community for food education classes) and children grow
some produce for the lunch menu on the school allotment, making
food a central part of the school day and reaping benefits in
increased take-up.
EDEN FOODSERVICE,
CROYDON: FINANCIAL
BENEFITS OF
"WHOLE SCHOOL"
APPROACH
Caterer Eden Foodservice employed a new—member of staff
to make sure their cooks—maintained the—Food for Life
quality standard,—and to promote the FFLP model to—other
schools served by Eden in the London borough of Croydon. They
did so because they saw the immediate benefit of the FFLP programme
to food quality and the financial return of the "FFLP effect"
on take-up.
Operations Manager Michael Calder explains that taking part in
FFLP "gives the children a purpose to have a school meal".
The "whole school" approach to health promotion and
food education engages the children and gives them a reason to
choose a healthy school lunch over other available options.
Eden Foodservice saw the immediate effects that FFLP had on the
quality of food they served, and in turn the take-up of school
meals, over as little as 2½ school terms. This justified
the expense of promotion for one of their existing cooks, Suzanne
Martin at Atwood Primary, whom they employed to support other
Croydon schools to enrol with the FFLP.
Mr Calder is adamant that they have achieved their success with
a straightforward approach to raising food quality and good service
and an honest promotion of the food provenance to parents. Children
will not be fooled by low quality food. Parent engagement has
been key; over 32,000 flyers are sent home every time the menu
changes. A cashless system in the dining hall to reduce queuing
times and shield Free School Meals pupils from stigma have also
contributed to an improved experience for all.
CHARTER'S
SCHOOL, ASCOT,
BERKSHIRE
"The School Food Trust warns that all the time, money and
effort that has been invested since 2005 in transforming school
food is at risk of being wasted unless school canteens work efficiently
and are appealing environments for children.
Charters has seen the number of pupils regularly eating a hot
dinner at lunchtime increase from less than half in 2006 to somewhere
between 60% and 70% now. But, Vanessa Stroud, business manager
at the 1,600 pupil school stresses, the food at Charters is only
part of the explanation for the big jump in the number of children
opting to eat in the canteen. Changes in the dining area itself
and in the organisation of the school day have been just as important,
she says. In 2004, the school introduced staggered lunchbreaks
to help its 250-capacity canteen cope with the number of pupils
who even then wanted a hot lunch. Thus there are now three half-hour
slots for lunch, starting at 11am. That's earlier than in most
schools, but a necessity if Charters is to satisfy demand.
Charters has also spent about £50,000 over the last five
years, improving both its canteen and its kitchen. Replacing old
tables with new folding tables and realigning the seating layout
means the canteen now has the capacity to feed 300 pupils during
each lunch sitting, while new ovens have speeded up food preparation".[125]
105
For instance, the following four studies: J. M. Murphy et al,
"The Relationship of School Breakfast to Psychosocial and
Academic Functioning: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Observations
in an Inner-City School Sample," Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
152, no 9 (1998).
J. M. Murphy et al., "Relationship between Hunger and Psychosocial
Functioning in Low-Income American Children," J Am Acad Child
Adolesc Psychiatry 37, no 2 (1998).
R. E. Kleinman et al, "Hunger in Children in the United
States: Potential Behavioral and Emotional Correlates", Pediatrics
101, no. 1 (1998). Back
106
"Changing Diets, Changing Minds: how food affects mental
well being and behaviour" Courtney Van der Weyer, Sustain,
the alliance for better food and farming. (2005) Page 31 Back
107
School Food Trust, "School Food and Behaviour in Primaries"
and "in Secondaries" (2009) www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/research/research-projects. Back
108
For instance, the following three studies: J. M. Murphy et
al, "The Relationship of School Breakfast to Psychosocial
and Academic Functioning: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal
"Observations in an Inner-City
School Sample", Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 152, no. 9 (1998).
J. M. Murphy et al, "Relationship
between Hunger and Psychosocial Functioning in Low-Income American
Children", J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 37, no. 2 (1998).
R. E. Kleinman et al, "Hunger
in Children in the United States: Potential Behavioral and Emotional
Correlates", Pediatrics 101, no. 1 (1998). Back
109
"Changing Diets, Changing Minds: how food affects mental
well being and behaviour" Courtney Van der Weyer, Sustain,
the alliance for better food and farming. (2005) Page 31 Back
110
School Food Trust, "School Food and Behaviour in Primaries"
and "in Secondaries" (2009) www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/research/research-projects Back
111
Summerbell C et al A systematic review of the effect of
nutrition, diet and dietary change on learning, education and
performance of children of relevance to UK schools. 2006 (FSA
Project Code: N05070). Back
112
A. P. Smith, "Breakfast and Mental Health", Int J Food
Sci Nutr 49, no 5 (1998).
A. P. Smith, "Breakfast Cereal Consumption and Subjective
Reports of Health", Int J Food Sci Nutr 50, no 6 (1999). Back
113
D. Benton, O. Slater, and R. T. Donohoe, "The Influence of
Breakfast and a Snack on Psychological Functioning", Physiol
Behav 74, no. 4-5 (2001). Back
114
www.foresight.gov.uk/OurWork/ActiveProjects/Obesity/Obesity.asp
Back
115
National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2010). www.food.gov.uk/science/dietarysurveys/ndnsdocuments/ Back
116
Hansard, Free School Meals debate, 30 June 2010, 10.46 am. www.parliament.uk
Back
117
School Food Trust, Fifth Annual Survey of School Meal Take-up
in England, July 2010
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/school-cooks-caterers/reports/fifth-annual-survey-of-take-up-of-school-meals-in-england Back
118
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/school-cooks-caterers/reports/school-lunch-versus-packed-lunch-evidence-of-compliance-with-school-food-standards Back
119
"School food helps fussy eaters try new food", Survey,
2 September 2010.
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/news-events/news/school-meals-help-fussy-children-try-new-foods Back
120
ISHS Acta Horticulturae 639: XXVI International Horticultural
Congress: Expanding Roles for Horticulture in Improving Human
Well-Being and Life Quality. "Horticulture, wellbeing and
mental health: from intuitions to evidence" Kuo, F E., 2006 Back
121
Evidence from reviews by, for example, Garden Organic and the
Food Policy Unit of Defra. Back
122
"School inspections slimmed down", Angela Harrision,
BBC News, 23 September 2010. Back
123
The term "well-being" is set out in the Children's Act
2004 as relating to: pupils' physical and mental health and emotional
well-being; protection from harm and neglect; education, training
and recreation; the contribution made by pupils to society; the
[pupils'] social and economic well-being (the five Every Child
Matters outcomes). Back
124
"The framework for school inspection", Ofsted, September
2009. Back
125
"Healthy School Meals Win Over Secondary Pupils", Denis
Campbell, Guardian newspaper, 10 August 2010. www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/aug/10/healthy-school-meals-attract-pupils Back
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