Improving the dining experience in schools

Contents

Introduction 3

Benefitsofimprovingpupils’diningexperience 3

Whatisagoodschooldiningexperience? 4

Stepbystepplan 5

Schooldiningexperiencechecklist 19

Integratingwithotherschoolfoodprojects 20

Curriculumlinks 21

Sourcesoffurtherinformation 24

Introduction Benefits of improving pupils’ dining experience

Thisguidancebookletbrings

togetherideasandsuggestions

foryourschooltohelpimprovethe

experiencepupilshaveatlunchtime.

Withtheexceptionofvoluntary

grammarandgrantmaintained

integratedschools,schoolmeal

provisionandaccommodationisthe

responsibilityoftheeducationand

libraryboards(ELBs).

Ifyouareconsideringimplementing

anyoftheideasorsolutionswithin

thisbooklet,pleasecontactthe

cateringserviceatyourELB,which

willbehappytohelp.Ifyourschoolis

planninganewbuildorarenovation,

considerthecommonissueswithin

thisbookletandtrytoaddressthem

attheplanningstage.

Improvingpupils’diningexperiencewillhavea

positiveimpactontheuptakeofschoolmeals

andthewiderschoolday.

Themainbenefityourschoolcanexpectfrom

improvingthediningexperienceforpupilsisa

happierandcalmerpopulationofchildrenand

youngpeople.Improvingthediningexperience

atlunchtimewillalso:

• encouragepositivebehaviouramongpupils;

• supportincreaseduptakeoffreeschool

meals;

• makeasignificantcontributiontoyourhealth

andwellbeinginspection.

3

Gooduseofcolour,images,messages,information,well-planned

seatingandmusiccanhaveanenormouseffectonthesenseof‘space’

inadiningarea.

Pupils’surroundingscanhaveanimpactontheirsenseofwellbeing,

andintermsofchangingtheculture,ethosandunderstandingof

healthyeatingmessages,schoolshavefoundthatfocusingontheir

diningroomsisinvaluable.

Butthereisnosimplesolutionandno‘onesizefitsall’.Oneschool’s

noisyatmosphereisanother’shappeningbuzz.Roundtablesmaywork

inoneschool,whiletallstoolsmaybethesolutioninanother.However,

noamountofgoodseatingandattractivemenusanddisplaysatany

schoolwilltemptthepupilstoeathealthierfoodiftheyarefrustratedby

havingtospendtoomuchtimequeuingduringtheirlunchbreak.

Likeeveryoneelse,childrenandyoungpeoplewillappreciateand

bemotivatedbytherightatmosphereandorganisationintheirdining

space.Todevelophealthiereatinghabitspupilsmustrespectandenjoy

theenvironmenttheysitin.

Asuccessfuldiningspaceisallaboutgooddesign.Justasimportantis

theneedforclearleadershipandasharedvisionofwhatwillwork.Alot

ofvaluableadjustmentscanbemadewithonlymodestchangesanda

smallamountoffunds.

4

What is a good school dining experience?

5

Anychangestoimprovetheoverallschooldiningexperienceneedstohaveeveryone’ssupport.

Agreatwaytoensurethishappensistoadoptawholeschoolapproach,whereyoucan

developanethosthatsupportsandpromoteshealthandwellbeingandtheparticipationof

everyonewithintheschoolcommunity.

Assesstheneed

Beforeimplementinganychangestotheschooldiningexperience,assesswhatneedstobe

done.Usesurveysanddiscussionstoidentifywhattheproblemsareandanyclearsolutions.

Thiscouldbeachievedatanassembly,parents’eveningorviatheschoolnewsletter.Make

apointofobservingthediningroomexperience.Makenotesandtakepicturestorecord

theareasforimprovements.Theresultswillhelpprovideinformationonwhetherpupilsand

parentswantchangestothediningexperience.Forinspiration,visitotherdiningspaces,cafés

andrestaurants.Takeintheviewsofthewholeschoolcommunity,includingpupils,teachers,

caterersanddiningroomsupervisors.

Formanactiongroup

Anenthusiasticactiongroupmadeupfrommembersoftheschoolcommunitywillbeessential

tofollowthroughwithanychanges.Seniormanagementsupportandinvolvementwillensure

thesuccessofanychangesyoumake.

Manyschoolsdecidetoorganisediningexperienceimprovementsthroughtheirschoolcouncil

orbyformingaschoolnutritionactiongroup(SNAG).Thegroupshouldinvolve:

• aseniormemberoradviserfromthecateringservice;

• arepresentativefromtheseniorschoolmanagementteam;

• pupilsfromtheschoolcouncilortheSNAG,ifinplace;

• aparentrepresentative;

• arepresentativefromtheboardofgovernors;

• ateacherwhohasresponsibilityforhealthandwellbeing.

Alsoconsidersupportfromthewidercommunity,forexamplelocalbusinessesandhealth

professionalssuchascommunitydietitiansandschoolnurses.

Step by step plan

1. Gettingstarted

Step by step plan

Makeproposals

Alltheinformationyourgroupgathersneedstobemadeintokeyactionpointsthatyourschool

wouldliketotakeforwardandpresenttoseniormanagement.Thereisaneedtoberealistic.

Changestaketimeandcommitmentandcanrequireadditionalfunding.Ensurethatyour

outcomesareachievable.

Ifadditionalfundingisrequired,speaktothecateringmanageratyourELBorsenior

managementteammember.Otherareasforfundingmayincludeyourparentteachers

association.

Implementandreviewactions

Youwillneedtofocusonthebudgetyouhaveavailabletomakethechangesandmeet

regularlytomonitortheprogressofyouractionplan.Youwillneedtoevaluatethechanges

madeandanyimpacttheyhavehadonpupilsandtheschool.

Childrenandyoungpeoplearemorelikelytoeatahealthymealatschooliftheyhaveaseat

andatable.Agooddiningspaceisanexcellentopportunitytogivethemanexperienceofa

diningsituation,whichtheymayormaynotgetathome.Italsopromotessocialskillsanda

timetositandeatwithfriends,providingtimeawayfromthepressuresoftheclassroom.

Maximisingspace

Ifthediningareaisusedasamulti-purposearea,considerpurchasingnewfurniture.Thereare

optionsavailableforfoldableand‘stationarychairs’.ContactthecateringmanageratyourELB,

ortheappropriatememberofstaffwithingrantmaintainedintegratedandvoluntarygrammar

schoolswithresponsibilityforthediningroomanditsfurniture.Adiscussionwiththisperson

mayhelpyoutomaximisethenumberofseatsavailablewhilestillhavingsufficientroomfor

pupilstomovefreelyaboutthediningroom.

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2. Providingagooddiningspace

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Extraindoorspace

Isthereroomtohaveextraindoordiningspaceelsewhere?Thisneedn’tbenextdoortothe

kitchen.Youmaywantanextradiningspaceasanoptionforolderagegroups.Thereareways

thatyoucanmakespacethatisusedforotherpurposesfeellikeadiningspaceduringlunch

break.Speaktoyourcateringmanager,asfoodhygieneandhealthandsafetyissuesneed

carefulconsiderationwhenexploringthisoptionandmayimpactontheprovisionofmeals.

Outsidespace

Ifnotalreadyinplace,istheresomeoutsidespacewhichcouldbeused?Youcouldlookat

areasoftheplaygroundwhichareunderused,considersettingupanawningtoaddshadeon

sunnydays,ortoprotectwhenit’sraining.

Mobilefoodserver

Discusswiththecateringservicethepossibilityofprovidingadditionalfoodserviceareas.

Thesecanbesoupurnsontrolleys,or‘grabandgo’optionsforhealthysandwiches,saladbars

andbakedpotatoes.Ensurethereareseatsandtablesavailable.

Casestudies

• Inanew,largepost-primaryschoolthekitchenhasbeendesignedinsuchawaythatthe

dedicatedsixthformareacanbeservicedthroughoutthedaybythesamekitchenfroma

separateservicepoint.Thepupilshavebeenconsultedaboutthefurniture,whichwill

includearangeofmoremoderncafeteriastyleoptions.

• Anintegratedpost-primaryschoolhasextendedtheirdiningroomtoincludespaceoutside.

Theschoolhasprovidedwoodentablesandbenchesforpupilstoeattheirlunchoutside.

Thisoutsideareaisusedthroughouttheyeardespiteourweather!

Step by step plan

Makingthediningspacefeelinviting

Placeofrelaxation

Setyouractiongroupanaimtounderstand,fromthecustomer’spointofview,whatwillmake

thediningroomaplaceofrelaxationandcomfort.

Namethediningspace

Haveacompetitiontogivethediningspaceaname,likeacaféorrestaurant.Itpromotes

referencestomeetingandeatingthere.Createanartprojecttodecoratethediningspace,in

keepingwiththenewname.

Displaypupils’artwork

Considerputtinguppupils’artworkorotherdisplayworkandchangingitregularlybased

onthemesorprojectsinyourschool.Youmaywishtochooselocalartworktorepresentthe

themeofthediningarea.Introduceathemedtable,givingeachclassaturnovertheyeartobe

responsibleforthis.

Softmusic

Dependingontheacousticsinthediningspace,musiccaneitheraddordetractfromthenoise

levels.Iftheacousticsareright,softmusichasbeenfoundtorelaxchildrenandyoungpeople,

andcanencouragethemtoreducethenoiselevelssothatthemusiccanbeheard.Themusic

selectionsneedtobesensible,butcanbeausefulincentiveforpupilsiftheyareallowedto

choosewhatisplayed.

Temperature

Reviewthetemperature:isittoohotortoocold,doesthischangewiththeseasons?Speak

tothosewhoareresponsibleforthespaceandlookatpracticalsolutionssuchasheaters,

coolersorcoveringbrightwindowsinsummerwithadjustableblinds.

Colourofthewalls

Ifyourdiningroomistobepainted,considerwhatcolourtouse.Thecolourofthepaintcan

helptocoolorwarmtheroomoraffectthefeelingofspace.Anewbrightcolouronjustone

wallorasectioncouldhelp.

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Definedzones

Agoodwaytomakealargespacefeelmorecomfortableandinterestingistohavedifferent

zonesorspacesdefined.Thisisparticularlyusefulifyouhavedifferentagegroupstocaterfor,

orpupilswithdifferingneeds.Thiscanbedonewithdifferentcolours,furnitureandfurnishings.

Post-primaryschoolsmightconsiderusinglongwallsorroomdividerstocreatespaceswhere

barswithhighstoolsprovideadifferenttypeofspacetoeatin.However,becarefulthisdoes

notcutoutspaceorlight.

Youngerpupils

Inbothprimaryandsecondaryschoolsitisimportanttothinkabouttheyoungestmembersof

theschool.Lookatwaystointroducethemintothebusydiningareagently.Haveadedicated

seatingareawhichisawayfromthehustleandbustleofthequeuesandservery.Someschools

havesetup‘buddy’systemswhereolderpupilsprovideextrasupporttoyoungerpupils.

Casestudy

Alargeprimaryschoolhasbeenrunningasuccessfulbreakfastclub.Over70childrenattend.It

wantedtolookatmakingthebreakfastclubmoreinvitingtoallchildren.Throughhelpfromtheir

ParentTeachersAssociation,theschoolinvestedinalargeplasmaTVandCDplayer.There

areseparateareaswherechildrencanfinishofftheirhomework,read,playgamesorjustchat.

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Step by step plan

Makingaroomusedforotherpurposesfeellikeadiningarea

Stackabletables

Thesearecommonlyfoundinschoolswherethediningroomisusedasamulti-purposearea.

Findtableswhichcanbeeasilystackedorstoredaway,sotheycanbeputinthecornerorina

storeroom.Sometablescomewithwheelstomakeiteasytotransportthem,thoughthesewill

needalargerstoragearea.

Tableclothsandsettings

Usetableclothsonserviceanddisplayareasasaquickandeasywaytochangethe

atmosphereofaroom.Picturesofbrightlycolouredfruitandvegetablesonvinyltablecloths

willreinforcethehealthyeatingmessage,andtheycanalsobewipedclean.Whynothavea

competitiontodesigntheschooltableclothorplacemats?

Menuboards

Menuboardscanallowpupilstoseequicklywhat’sonoffer.Afterlunchtrydisplaying

tomorrow’smenuoutsidethediningroom.Menuboardscanbecolourfulandfun.Speakto

yourcateringserviceifyouwouldliketoconsiderthisoption.

Decoration

Ifthehallisusedforotheractivities,suchasphysicaleducationordrama,considerdecorating

thehallwithajointtheme.Whynothaveasportscafétheme,orathemefromaplayora

ShakespeareorHarryPotterproduction?

Planning

Ifpractical,avoidplanningactivitiesforyourhallimmediatelybeforeorafterlunchtime.Thiswill

reducepressureoncateringstaffforclearingawaytables,andlessenthepossibilityofchildren

andyoungpeoplerushingtheirmeals.

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Staggeredlunchtimes

Ifyouhavetoprovidelunchtoalargegroupofpupils,youmaywanttointroduceastaggered

system.Hereareanumberofdifferentwaysastaggeredsystemcanhelp:

• Haveonelunchtimeperiodwheneveryoneisonabreak,butstaggerthetimeswhenpupils

arriveintothediningroom.

• Haveasetamountoftimeallocatedtolunchforeachyeargroup,butstaggerthestart

timesoftheselunchtimeperiods.

• Someschoolshavehadsuccesswithplanningatimetablewherethestarttimesoflunch

arestaggeredaroundthelastmorninglesson,sothatpupilsstarttheirlunchbefore,during

oraftertheirlastmorninglesson,dependingonwhichdayoftheweekitis.So,onsome

dayspupilswillhavealunchthatstartshalfwaythroughtheirlesson,andtheywouldcome

backtofinishthelessonafterlunch.Thisallowsyoutomixyeargroupseasilyandensure

thatthereisanevenspreadofearlierandlaterlunchtimesforeveryonethroughouttheweek.

Whenlookingatstaggering,ensurethatthesystemyousetupisflexibleenoughtoallow

childrenandyoungpeopletorelaxandenjoytheirfood.

Reviewlengthoflunchbreak

Itmaybethatyourlunchbreakcouldbeextended.Reviewthereasonsforthetimingofyour

currentlunchbreak.Hasitjustalwaysbeenthatway,orhasitbeenchangedtomanage

behaviour?Ifithasbeentomanagebehaviourconsiderotherwaystoapproachtheissue.

Increasinglyschoolsareshorteninglunchbreaks.Thiscanbecounterproductive,leadingto

stressedpupilswhohavehadlittletimetodigesttheirfood,relaxandrecovertoconcentratein

afternoonlessons.

Introduceacashlesssystem

Acashlesssystemcanspeedupthebuyingprocessandisparticularlyusefulinlargerpost-

primarydiningrooms.Thiscanbedoneusingbiometricorswipecardsystems.Ifyourschool

mealserviceisprovidedbytheELB,specificfundingneedstobediscussedandagreed.

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3. Managinglunchtimes

Step by step plan

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Multiplepoints

Speaktoyourcateringserviceaboutprovidingmultiplepointsatwhichyoungpeoplecan

chooseandcollecttheirfoodaswellasmultiplepointsatwhichtopay.Haveaseparatequeue

topayandaseparatequeueforchoosing.Staffingcostsandspacewillneedtobeconsidered.

Labelfood

Thisenhancespresentationandwhenpupilsgettothefoodcounteritwillreducetimeand

repetitivequestionsaskedofthecanteenstaff.Thiswillalsobeanopportunitytoshowwhether

particularmealsmeetspecialrequirementssuchasnutallergies.

Mealdeals

Considerintroducingmealdeals,whereawholemeal(perhapsconsistingofahotdish,apiece

offruitandadrink)aresetatoneslightlyreducedprice.Thisreduceschoicetimeandcan

encourageyoungpeopletotakehealthiermeals,particularlyiffavourablypriced.

Circulatethemenu

Circulatethemenutoeveryonebeforetheygettothedininghall.Thiswillreducethetime

takentochoosewhattohave.Postalargesignadvertisingthemealsthatday,orthatweek,

outsidethedininghall.Someschoolssendmenusroundatlessontimesandmanyschools

sendmenushome.Thisisagoodwaytoinformparentsabouthowtheirmoneyisbeingspent.

Whereavailable,plasmascreenscanbeusedfordisplayingandpromotingthecateringservice.

Grabandgo

Tospeeduptheprocessofgettingameal,lookatproviding‘grabandgo’menuitems,which

canbequicklypickedupandtakentothetill.Thiscanworkforhealthyfoodoptions.Provide

avariationofgrabandgoitemsdaytodaytoensurenutritionalbalancethroughouttheweek.

Speaktoyourcateringserviceregardingthis.

Pre-orderingsystem

Speaktoyourcateringserviceregardingthissystem.Itisparticularlyusefulforthosewhohave

extra-curricularactivitiesduringtheirlunchtimes.Thecateringservicemayneedtoconsider

aseparatecollectionandpaypoint,ortointroduceaseparateserviceforthosedoingspecial

activitiessuchasschoolcouncilmeetings.Primaryschoolsmightconsiderlettingthepupils

choosetheirmealsduringregistrationandgivingthemcolouredstickerstoshowtheirchoice

whentheygoupfortheirlunch.

Involvethepupils

Involvepupilsintheprocessofplanningtheirlunchtimesandthefoodavailable.Theywill

appreciatetheimportanceoflunchtimeandhaveagreaterfeelingofownership.Astheyare

thecustomers,lunchtimeshouldfeelliketheirservice.

Designthemenu

Haveacompetition,orclassescouldtaketurnsondesigninganddisplayingtheweeklymenu.

Thiswillattractattentiontothefoodandthediningspace.

Tastersession

Havetastersessionsforparentsandpupilsregularly,andencouragepupilstotryalittleof

somethingnewwheneverpossible.Withpatience,theirpalatescanchangeandtheywillbe

lesslikelytosaynotonewthingsinthefuture.

Attractivefoodpresentation

Ensurethatthefoodlooksfreshandhasnotbeenondisplaytoolong.Haveanattractive

servery,anddishupfromservingdishesifpossible.Anattractivesaladbarnearthetillwill

oftenencouragechildrenandyoungpeopletotakealittlebitofsaladwiththeirmeal.

Promotesocialinteraction

Allowpupilshavingpackedlunchesandhotmealstosittogether.Thiswillpromotesocial

interactionandallowfriendstosocialisewhileeating.Itwillalsoensurethatpupilsdonothave

tomakeadecisionaboutwhethertoeatschooldinnersorpackedlunchbasedonsittingwith

theirfriends.

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4. Encouraginghealthyeating

Step by step plan

Promotethefood

Thiscanbedoneonspecialoccasionsorperhapsbyintroducingaregularthemedday.Some

schoolshavespecialeventssuchasfoodfestivals,topromotetheworktheyhavedoneon

meals.Themoreschoolfoodispromotedoutsidetheschool,themorelikelypupilswillwantto

beinvolved.

Rewardhealthyeating

Incentivesandrewardschemestopromotegoodbehaviourandhealthyeatingchoicesare

operatingsuccessfullyinmanyprimaryandpost-primaryschools.Supportthisbyhavingrules

ortargetsforhealthyeatingtoensurepupilsareawareofwhatisexpectedfromthem.

Casestudy

AvoluntarygrammarschoolinDungannonhasintroducedanincentivetopromotehealthy

eating.TheSNAGorganisesahealthyeatingcompetitionlinkedtothecashlesssysteminthe

schooldiningroom.Pupilsmaybuildupbonuspointsontheirownpersonalaccountswhen

theypurchasehealthiersnacksormealssuchasfruit,vegetablesorthedaily‘healthyspecial’.

Prizesareawardedattheendofeachtermtothoseineachkeystagewhohavegainedmost

bonuspoints.

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Freeschoolmeals

Insome,butnotallschools,therecanbeastigmaaroundcollectingfreeschoolmeals.Ifitis

anissueinyourschoolthenusingcashlessorticketsystemsforallpupilsmaybesolutionsto

consider.

Specialeducationalneedsanddisability

Diningspacesshouldmeettheneedsofallpupilsincludingthosewithspecialeducational

needs(SEN)anddisability,whethertheycanaccessthespaceindependentlyorwith

assistance.Itisessentialtoconsultthesepupilsabouttheirneeds,andalsotoconsulttheir

parents,teachersandsupportstaff.

Planningconsiderationsshouldcoverissuessuchasqueuingandpayingsystems,viewing

foodoptionsateyelevel,andaccessingseatingareas.Pupilsshouldbeencouragedtomake

theirownlunchchoices.Diningspacesmayrequiremorespaceoraflexiblelayouttoallow

accessforindependentwheelchairusersandtheircarers,tositanddinealongsideothers.

Diningtogetherisasocialexperience,promotingasenseofbelongingandinclusion.Reviewthe

provisionforpupilswithspecialeducationalneedsbringinglunchboxes.Cantheysitintheroom

withtheirfriends,oraretheyseparated?Cantheypurchaseadditionalitemsatlunchtime?

However,somepupilsmayneedamoreshelteredenvironmentwithscreeneddiningspaces

offeringsomeprivacyandaquietcalmspacewithsubduedcolours.

Culturalissues

Workwithyourcatererstoconsidertheneedsofvegetarians,vegans,andcultural

requirementssuchashalal,orkosherfood.Includeaneedsassessmentinapupilsurveytoget

abetterunderstandingofyourschool’sculturalneeds.Clearlabellingwillhelpthechildrenand

youngpeoplemakeappropriatechoices.

Foodissues

Thereareanumberofdifferentfoodissueswhichcanimpactonsomepeople’sexperienceof

eatingmeals.Considerhowthosewhosufferfromeatingdisorderslikebulimiaandanorexia,

thosewithfoodallergies,foodphobiasorpeoplewhoareoverweightorobeseexperience

lunchtime.Balanceanunderstandingoftheirneedswithensuringtheydonotfeelalienatedor

setapartfromotherpupils.

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5. Meetingeveryone’sneeds

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Step by step plan

Newsletters

Writetoparentsaboutanychangestothemenuandupdatethemthroughyournewsletters.If

notdoingsoalready,sendthemenushome,orputtheminaprominentplacesotheycansee

whattheirmoneyisbeingspenton.

Alwaysaskforfeedback

Thiswillallowyoutoknowwhatisworkingandwhatcanbeimproved,aswellasprovidingan

opportunitytoclearupanymisconceptionsabouttheserviceyouprovide.

Inviteparentsforlunch

Inviteparentstojoinlunchtimeswiththepupilsiftheywantto.Thiscouldbeonaparticular

dayoftheweek,orifyouareable,anydayoftheweek.Youwouldneedtoconsiderthecost

implicationforadditionalmeals.

Inviteparentsfortastersessions

Inviteparentsinfortastersessionsduringorafterschool,orintheevening.Itisagreat

opportunitytoinvolvethecateringteamintheevent,totalkaboutanychangeswhichhave

beenintroducedtothefoodservice,andgetdirectfeedbackfromtheparents.Tomaximise

attendance,holdtastersessionsaspartofotherparentevents,egYear1andYear8induction

evenings.

Involveparents

Involveparentsintheprocessofdevelopingthechangesyouplantomake.Someschools

havehadspecialeventssuchasfoodfestivalsorthemedays,topromotetheworktheyhave

doneonmeals.Thiscouldalsobeanopportunitytocollectfundsaswellasraiseawareness.

Parentalconcern

Letparentsknowwhenyouareaddressingspecialissues.Theremaybefearsthatyoucan

easilyalleviate,egbylettingparentsknowwhatyouaredoingtoensuremealsareallergy

friendly.

6. Gainingsupportfromparents

Lengthoflunchbreak

Asdiscussedonpage11thelengthofyourlunchbreakcanimpactonpupilsinanumberof

ways.

Workinglunches

Lunchtimesareoftenusedforextracurricularactivities,suchassports,clubsorgroups.

Considerprovidingworkinglunchesforclubsandgroups,suchastheschoolcouncilmeeting.

Thiswillaidsocialinteractionswithinthesegroups,increasetheirtimetoeatmeals,andreduce

queuesfortherestoftheschool.

Eatingandsocialtimes

Allocatespecificeatingtimesandsocialtimes.Thisisparticularlysuccessfulinprimaryschools

asitensuresthatchildrendonotrushtheirfoodforplay,andlearntorelaxandenjoysocial

timeinthediningroom.

Casestudy

SeveralprimaryschoolsintheWesternEducationandLibraryBoardarearanascheme

wheretheyinvitedparentsandgrandparentstolunch.Theywereinvitedinondifferentdays

dependingontheyeargrouptheirchildwasin.Theparentsandgrandparentswerehappy

topayfortheschoolmealandsatwiththeirchild.Theexperiencewasenjoyedbyallandit

providedanopportunityforparentstoseewhattheschool’scateringserviceprovided.Many

parentswereunawareofthechoicesavailable.Schoolsthattookpartintheschemenoticedan

increaseinpupilstakinglunchesfollowingtheevent.

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7. Providingthetimetoeat

Step by step plan

Senseofownership

Thiswillbereinforcedevenfurtherifyoungpeoplehaveasenseofownershipovertheirdining

room.Lookatwaystoensurethatpupilsareinvolvedintheprocessofdesigninganynew

featuresandfutureupdatesinthediningroom.

Removetension

Lookatwaystoremovetensionfromthediningexperience.Forexample,childrenandyoung

peoplecanfeelrushedif,whiletheyarestilleatinglunch,supervisorscomeandclearaway

tables.Queuescanalsobetense.

Promotesocialskills

Inbothprimaryandpost-primaryschoolsitisimportanttothinkabouttheyoungestmembersof

theschool.Ifyouareabletopromotesocialskills,suchastablemanners,andfamiliarisethem

withtheprocessoftheschoolmealinanopenandnon-threateningway,theywillbeableto

carrythisintotheirfutureyearsatschool.

Diningroomrules

Spendtimeinassemblymakinglinksbetweenyourschoolrulesanddiningroombehaviour.

Alternatively,developadedicatedsetofdiningroomrules.Thiswillensurethatpupilswillknow

whatisexpectedfromthematlunchtimeandrulescanbereferredtobystaffpresentinthe

diningroomtoreinforceandpromotegoodbehaviour.

Teachersmixingwithpupils

Lookatgettingteachersinvolvedby,forexample,encouragingthemtositamongthepupils.

Sensitivitiestotheneedsofteacherstohavetheirownbreakshouldbeconsidered.Teachers

inschoolswhohavesuccessfullydonethisspeakofthegreatbenefitstothechildrenand

youngpeople,andstaff-pupilrelationships.

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8. Promotinggoodbehaviour

Haveyouidentifiedthechangesneededinthediningroom?

HaveyouinvolvedtheschoolcouncilorSNAG?

Haveyoutalkedtotheseniormanagementteamandgottheirsupport?

Haveyoutalkedtotheschoolcateringservice?

Areyouclearaboutwhatyouwanttoachieve?

Isadditionalfundingneeded?

Haveyoumadethebestuseofthediningspace?

Haveyoumadethediningspacefeellikeadiningroom,whenitneedstobeusedforother

purposestoo?

Haveyoumadethespacefeelinviting?

Haveyoumadequeuesasshortaspossible?

Haveyouensuredthatpupilshaveenoughtimetositandeatwhilestillkeepingbehaviourin

check?

Doyouencouragepupilstoenjoyhealthyoptions?

Doyouinformparentsaboutmenuchangesandgettheirsupport?

Haveyouensuredeveryone’sneedsaremet?

Haveyouplannedhowyouaregoingtomonitorandevaluatetheimpactofthechanges

made?

Casestudies

• OneprimaryschoolinNorthBelfasthasintroduceda‘goldentable’torewardgood

behaviourfromchildreninthediningroom.EveryFridaythebestbehavedpupilssitata

specialtablewithatablecloth,flowersandfancyglasses!

• Whenapost-primaryschooldiningroomwasrefurbished,thepupilswereinvolvedinthe

choiceoffurniture,floorandwallcolours.Asaresult,therewasasenseofownershipofthe

environmentandeveryonestillcommentsonhowwellthearealookstoday.

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School dining experience checklist

Integrating with other school food projects

Therearemanynaturallinkswhichcanbemadetootherschoolfoodprojects,dependingon

yourschool.Linkstoimprovingdiningprovisioncouldinclude:

• Encouragingpupilstomaketheirownbreakfastclubcornerorcaféinthediningroom.

• Ensuringthatwaterisfreelyavailableandpromotedtoallpupilsinthediningroom.You

couldconsiderincentivestoencourageincreasedwaterconsumption.

• Makingsurethat,ifthereisavendingmachineinthediningroom,itisfullystockedforthe

lunch-timeservice,helpingtoreducequeuesandwaitingtimes.

• Usingpostersorpupils’artprojectstopromotehealthiereatingmessagesinthedining

space.

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Thediningroomenvironmentprovidesacontextforawidevarietyofcurriculumlinks.

Primary

Thearts

Pupilscoulddesignamural,sculptureormosaicforthediningroomwall(youmaybeableto

engagetheschoolcommunitytohelpplanandpainttheartwork).Pupilscouldhelptodevelop

anewareatodisplaythemenu.

Personaldevelopmentandmutualunderstanding

Pupilscoulddesignaquestionnairetogatheropinionsfromtheirpeersandfromstaffregarding

improvementsneededtothediningroom.

Mathematicsandnumeracy

Whendrawingupplanstoimprovethediningroomenvironment,pupilswillbeusingand

applyingnumeracyskillsandproblem-solvingstrategies.

Languageandliteracy

Whynotencouragepupilstowriteapoem,songorshortstorybasedonwhattheyeatand

drink?Thiscanbedisplayedinthediningroom.

Post-primary

Thearts

Art and design–awonderfulopportunityforpupilstousetheircreativityandimagination.

Colour,form,texture,patternanddifferentmaterialsandprocessescanallbeusedtocreatean

attractiveandstimulatingsocialenvironment.

Music–encouragepupilstocomposeorproducemusicalpiecesaroundfoodanddrinkthat

couldbeperformedorplayedinthediningroom.WhynotplanaCDofsuitablemusicforthe

diningroom?

Scienceandtechnology

Usingadigitalcameratorecordthediningroomenvironmentbeforethemake-over,pupils

couldcollectfeedbackfromusersregardingsuggestionstopromoteaccessibility,social

aspectsofeatingorhelptoreducequeuing.

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Curriculum links

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Learningforlifeandwork

Local and global citizenship–involvepupilsinaschoolcouncilorSNAGprovidingaforum

wheretheirviewsandopinionswillmatterandcounttowardschange.

Personal development–developingsocialskillsbyeatinganddrinkingwithfriendsandpeers

inthediningroom.

Forfurtheradviceandsuggestionsgoto:

www.ccea.org.uk

www.nicurriculum.org.uk

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Sources of further information

Thefollowinglistprovideslinkstofurther

resourcesandinformationthatmay

supportyouinimprovingyourdiningroom

environment.

TheDepartmentofEducation

www.deni.gov.uk

TheDepartmentofEducation’swebsite

providesinformationontheplanningand

designingofschoolbuildings.

TheDesignCouncil

www.designcouncil.org.uk

TheDesignCouncilsiteprovidesdetails

ofworkdoneinpartnershipwiththe

DepartmentforChildren,Schoolsand

FamiliesinEngland.

TheNorthernIrelandSchool CaterersAssociation

www.nisca.info

TheNorthernIrelandSchoolCaterers

Association(NISCA)wasformedin

January2002.UntilthatdateNorthern

Irelandwasoneofnineregionsofthe

LocalAuthorityCaterersAssociation

(LACA),theprofessionalbody

representingcateringmanagersand

supplierswhoprovideservicestoall

sectorsoflocalauthoritiesinEngland,

WalesandScotland.

See:www.laca.co.uk

ThisresourcewasoriginallydevelopedandproducedbytheHealthPromotionAgencyforNorthernIrelandaspartoftheSchoolfood:topmarksprogramme.ItwasjointlyfundedbytheDepartmentofEducationandtheDepartmentofHeath,SocialServicesandPublicSafety.