Whole School Food Policy

Date of policy: November 2006

Date of review: September 2015

Date of next review: September 2016

Who the review will involve: school staff, pupils, parents, governors.

Senior member of staff responsible for overseeing that this policy is implemented and

regularly reviewed: Sharon Hillyard, Head teacher

Introduction - why we need a whole school food policy

Diet is a contributing factor to the rapid rise in childhood obesity, and it has been

found that too many children's diets are too high in fat, salt and sugar, and too low in

fruit and vegetables. Poorly nourished children, particularly those who are overweight

or obese, experience social and psychological problems, which have a significant impact

on behaviour and performance in schools.

As children spend on average a quarter of their waking lives in school, one big step to

improving the nutrition of children is to offer healthy food and drink choices

throughout the school day. The school environment, attitudes of staff and pupils, as

well as what children learn in the classroom have a major influence on their knowledge

and understanding of health. If encouraged to enjoy healthy food and drink early on, it

is much more likely that these positive behaviours will remain with a child throughout

life.

Development and dissemination process

This policy was formulated by a working party consisting of the head teacher, chair of

governors, parent governor and PSHE Co-ordinator.

The draft policy was circulated to governors and staff. Parents were informed of the

draft policy through the school newsletter and invited to comment. An overview of the

policy was discussed by the pupils during circle time and assembly.

The policy was amended in response to the comments and recommendations that arose

through the consultation period and finally approved by the governing body.

Parents have been made aware of the policy through the newsletter, and pupils through

circle time and an assembly. Staff, governors and catering staff have seen the full

policy, a copy of which is held in the school office and in the document area of the

Portal.

Our aims

We aim to:

Improve the health of the whole school community by supporting pupils and

families to establish and maintain life-long healthy and environmentally sustainable

eating habits;

Help our pupils acquire the skills and knowledge to make healthy choices and set

a good example by offering healthy food and drink, across the whole school day, as

outlined in the National Healthy School Programme;

Integrate our aims into all aspects of school life, including food provision within

the school, the curriculum and pastoral and social activities;

Ensure that all aspects of food and nutrition in school promote the health and

wellbeing of pupils, staff and visitors to the school.

Provide a growing project to emphasise the sustainability of food production,

and to encourage children to take a positive interest in and responsibility for their food

choices.

Our objectives and desired outcomes

We shall accomplish our aims through food education, including the development

of skills such as cooking and growing, the food served in school and core academic

content in the classroom.

We shall work towards the following objectives:

To increase pupils' knowledge of food production and manufacturing and its

impact on both health and the environment;

To provide opportunities for children to engage in cooking activities at least

once half termly;

To provide children with opportunities for growing produce, and for using this

produce in cooking activities; (as part of the school’s Bronze status in the Food

For Life Partnership).

To ensure pupils are well nourished at school, and that every pupil has access to

safe, tasty, and nutritious food, and a safe, easily available water supply during

the school day;

To ensure the food provision in school reflects the ethical and medical

requirements of all pupils and staff, e.g. religious, ethnic, vegetarian, medical

and allergic needs;

To encourage parents/carers who provide food and drink for consumption at

school (packed lunches, snacks, etc.) to meet the same standards as food

provided by the school;

To ensure that food and drink available before and after school meets the same

standards as that provided by the school (e.g. breakfast/after school clubs and

playgroup)

To make the provision and consumption of food an enjoyable, social and safe

experience for all;

To encourage children to develop appropriate skills for choosing and preparing

healthy meals;

To ensure adequate provision for children who have specific dietary

requirements in relation to a medical condition (this may conflict with healthy

eating principles), e.g. cystic fibrosis;

To introduce and promote practices within the school that reinforce our aims,

and to remove or discourage practices which negate them.

Desired outcomes:

Staff are trained in practical food education;

Pupils choose healthy and nutritious food across the school day and enjoy it;

The whole school is aware of how they are transforming school food;

There is a reduction in behavioural incidents in the eating areas;

The school meets the new school food standards;

Pupils can plan and cook healthy food;

There are snacks available that are not rich in salt, sugar and fat;

There is increased fruit and vegetable consumption;

All pupils achieve a healthy body weight.

All pupils are able to access the sustainable growing project in school

Management and co-ordination

There is an identified middle leader who oversees all aspects of food within the school.

Their role is to ensure the following:

Establish an effective structure to oversee the development, implementation,

monitoring and review of this policy and to encourage a participatory approach to

achieving the objectives by setting up a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) to

include the PSHE co-ordinator and governors with responsibility for healthy eating

Provide an environment that is both physically and socially conducive to the

enjoyment of safe, tasty, nutritious, environmentally sustainable food and drink.

Establish a process for reviewing the formal curriculum to ensure information

relating to food and nutrition in different lesson areas is consistent and up to date.

Ensure the school complies with current National Nutritional Standards for

school lunches.

Ensure that outcomes of the Policy contribute to the completion of the self

evaluation process, including the Ofsted SEF and National Healthy School Status.

Monitoring, evaluation and review

The achievement of the objectives and desired outcomes of this policy will be

monitored, evaluated and reviewed by senior management, governors and SNAG

members.

Staffing and staff development

All staff, including support and catering staff, need access to professional development

and support relating to food, nutrition and basic food hygiene. A range of provision will

need to be identified that meets staff needs across a range of roles and

responsibilities.

Areas of staff expertise and individual staff development needs will be identified

through existing staff development systems. This will be ascertained through staff

audit and performance management.

Curriculum organization, planning and delivery

We will ensure that the taught curriculum and food provision throughout the school day

present a consistent message. There are opportunities to explore issues around food in

many subject areas. We undertake to capitalise on these opportunities in order to:

Bring the subject "alive" through curriculum links and projects that provide

ongoing contact with food professionals.

Develop an understanding of the role food plays in cultural diversity and

knowledge of food in other cultures.

Help to promote and raise awareness of environmentally sustainable food

production methods and socially responsible food marketing practices.

Both curricular and extracurricular activities will help pupils develop an understanding

of food issues, including: growing; hygiene and safety; preparation; nutrition; healthy

lifestyles; and the food industries. Pupils will engage in cooking activities at least once

per half term.

In accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum

requirements with respect to healthy eating, pupils will be taught:

Physical Development – Early Years Foundation Stage

PD8 - to recognise the importance of keeping healthy and those things which

contribute to this.

KS1 Science curriculum 2014: “...describe the importance for humans of exercise,

eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene.”

The school uses the following resources to teach pupils about food and healthy eating:

Fresh fruit and vegetables,

Magnetic food – make a meal kit,

Growing, preparing and cooking food,

Cooking facilities, teaching assistants qualified with food hygiene certificates,

Books, posters, video’s, DVD’s, ICT resources, e.g. science – healthy eating,

County Visitors.

Assessing, recording and reporting pupil progress

Pupils' knowledge, skills and attitudes to food are assessed within the Foundation Stage

and within PSHE and science in Key Stage 1, in line with the whole school assessment

policy.

Partnerships

The school values working in partnership with parents/carers and with the wider school

community and sees it as an essential part of promoting healthy lifestyles. Partnership

working will be promoted through policy development, home-school contracts, working

with food and drink suppliers, health professionals, Healthy Schools Staff, the school's

contribution to the local community, work with parents, links with the local Food for

Life Partnership flagship school, healthy eating weeks and School Nutrition Action

Group (SNAG),

Inclusion

Exhall Cedars Infant School and Nursery aims to offer all children equal access to the

range of educational activities incorporated in the Early Years Foundation Stage and

Key Stage One Curriculum.

Each and every child will be encouraged to develop intellectually and socially within the

security of a happy, lively and stimulating environment.

Governors, Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Parents will work together ensuring that

all children in our care will be enabled to become well motivated, adaptable, self reliant

and responsible citizens.

Through the implementation of our policies and the monitoring of our practices, we will

endeavour to enable all of our children to reach their full potential.

Appendices

Appendix 1: National Healthy School Status criteria for the Healthy Eating core

theme.

Appendix 2: Sources of support and information.

Appendix 3: Frequently asked questions about new school meals standards (from

School Food Trust)

Appendix 1 : National Healthy School Status criteria for Healthy Eating

The Government’s vision is that all schools will become Healthy Schools. To achieve national Healthy School Status, schools must meet minimum criteria in four core themes: Personal, social and health education

Healthy eating Physical activity Emotional wellbeing National Healthy School Status criteria for Healthy Eating Pupils have the confidence, skills and understanding to make healthy food choices. Healthy and nutritious food and drink is available across the school day. The school… 2.1. has an identified member of the SMT to oversee all aspects of food in schools;

2.2. ensures provision of training for staff in practical food education, including diet, nutrition, food safety and hygiene for staff;

2.3. has a whole school food policy – developed through wide consultation, implemented, monitored and evaluated for impact;

2.4. involves pupils and parents in guiding food policy and practice within the school, and enables them to contribute to healthy eating and acts on their feedback;

2.5 has a welcoming eating environment that encourages the positive social interaction of pupils (see Food in Schools guidance);

2.6. ensures healthier food and drink options are available and promoted at break, lunchtimes and in breakfast clubs as outlined by Food in Schools guidance (if established or planned);

2.7. has meals, vending machines and tuck shop facilities that are nutritious and healthy (see Food in Schools Guidance) that meet or exceed national standards, and is working towards the latest DfES guidance on improving school meals service;

2.8. monitors pupils’ menus and food choices to inform policy development and provision;

2.9 ensures that pupils have opportunities to learn about different types of food in the context of a balanced diet (using the Balance of Good Health), and how to plan, budget, prepare and cook meals. Understanding the need to avoid the consumption of foods high in salt, sugar and fat and increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables;

2.10 as easy access to free, clean and palatable drinking water, using the Food in Schools guidance;

2.11. consults pupils about food choices throughout the school day using school councils, healthy school task group or other representative pupil bodies.

Appendix 2 - Sources of information and support

National Guidance/Resources

Food in Schools Toolkit and website www.foodinschools.org Toolkit available from:

DH Publications Orderline quoting reference 267050 Tel: 08701 555 455 Fax 01623 724 524 Email: dh@prolog.uk.com National Curriculum Guidance Key stages 1 - 4 Available from www.teachernet.gov.uk or www.qca.org.uk SNAG “The Chips are Down” cost £15.00 Available from: P O Box 132 Stockport SK1 3YW Available from Department of Health – www.dh.gov.uk

Department of Health (DOH), Wellington House, 133 - 135 Waterloo Road London SE1 9UG, Tel: 020 7972 1366

- School Fruit and Veg Scheme (Information for parents, teachers and summary of the Scheme (2003) - Choosing Health: Making Healthier Choices Easier (Chapter 3 – Children and Young People Starting on the Right Path)

Food Standards Agency www.food.gov.uk or www.eatwell.gov.uk (Information on healthy lunchboxes and school dinners, water and soft drinks, games to promote healthy eating and children’s eating habits to promote) Every Child Matters: Change for children (Information concerning school schemes, why the changes are necessary, useful web-sites) http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/health/obesity/ School Food Trust (Information regarding transforming school meals and requirements for school lunches) www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

Local Support: www.warwickshire.gov.uk (Information regarding school meals, menu’s, promotions, pupil activities, free school meals)

Safe Food…School Meals Information available from County Caterers: Primary School Catering Guidelines Secondary School Catering Guidelines Healthy School Lunches for Pupils in Nursery Schools/Units Healthy School Lunches for Students in Secondary Schools Available from: Warwickshire Caterers Shire Hall Warwick CV34 4UB 01926 - 412804 Schools Fruit and Veg Scheme – (Supply/deliver fruit and veg into schools) Local Contact – Catherine Goodridge 0121 612 1460 Catherine.Goodridge@wwb-pct.nhs.uk Local distributors: Warwickshire – MWW Fresh – Mark driver Tel: 0121 331 2720 Fax: 0121 331 4590 Coventry area – Arthur Brett Catering Ltd – Robert Stephens Tel: 01216436336 Fax: 01216436392 Local Dieticians (Available to support policy development and food in schools implementation) South Warwickshire Community Dietician Ruth Breese Ruth.Breese@swh.nhs.uk North Warwickshire Community Dietician Helen Clegg hclegg@nhs.net Healthy Snacks Award (System for schools to gain rewards for developing healthy provision and guidance for snacks consumed in school) Contact School Nurse for more information

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: THE NEW SCHOOL LUNCH STANDARDS Note

Correct as at 14 September 2006; for any updates, please see http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/ General

How do these standards compare with the existing standards? The new standards are much tougher than the existing standards. They not only

tighten up on the types of food that can be offered in schools but also set out

what the nutrient content of a school lunch should be and, importantly, encourage children to make healthier choices.

The new food-group standards will apply across the school day to breakfast clubs, lunches, tuck shops and vending machines, as well as after-school clubs.

How will the standards be enforced? The food standards will be mandatory, which means schools will have to comply

legally. If they do not, anyone will be free to complain to the Secretary of State who can issue a direction to the school if necessary.

In addition, Ofsted will be monitoring a school’s approach to healthier eating as part of their regular inspection of schools.

Parents also will be a key player in monitoring the quality of food at their children’s school.

Where can I see the new standards? The new standards are available at www.teachernet.gov.uk/healthyliving.

Which schools will be covered by the standards?

Coverage will be as follows:

Primary Schools Will be required to follow new “food based” and “nutrient based” standards.

Secondary Schools Will be required to follow new “food based” and “nutrient based” standards.

Maintained Special Schools

Will be required to follow new “food based” and “nutrient based” food standards (implementation September 2009). The regulations do not apply to food provided at maintained special schools after school hours or at the weekend.

Maintained Nursery Schools

Will be required to follow the existing “food based” standards introduced in 2001.

Non-Maintained Nursery Settings – private and voluntary sector.

Not covered by the standards.

Maintained Boarding Schools

Will be required to follow new “food based” and “nutrient based” food standards. The regulations do not apply to food provided at maintained boarding schools after school hours or at weekends.

PRUs Will be required to follow new “food based” and “nutrient based” food standards.

CTCs Many CTCs already have healthier eating awards. There will be no requirement for CTCs to adhere to standards in regulations for maintained schools. However, most CTCs have already converted, or will soon be converting to Academy status when the position with academy policy will apply.

Academies Academies will be expected to apply the same standards as maintained schools, but the obligation will come through their funding agreements rather than legislation.

Non-Maintained Special Schools

Will be required to follow new standards by virtue of paragraph 12(6) of The Education Non-maintained Special Schools 1999 regs.

Children’s Homes Not covered by these standards.

Why do maintained nursery schools not need to follow the new standards? DfES is currently consulting on The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, which will place on providers a specific welfare requirement that “children are provided with nutritious food and drink to meet their needs”. The EYFS will also include good practice for providers. Providers will be directed to a range of information about nutritional standards, including the updated Caroline Walker Trust guidance on which the new school meals standards are modelled. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has provided a grant to the Caroline Walker Trust, to update its guidance “Eating Well for Under-5s in Child Care”, associated menu planner software and training pack, to ensure these materials are brought into line with current nutritional recommendations (e.g. new salt targets). DfES is currently considering whether it can build on this work and develop new guidance materials for food and drink in early years settings. What about packed lunches? Will there be standards for them?

Any free, or paid for school lunches will need to meet the standards, regardless of whether the lunch takes the form of a packed lunch.

The Government has no plans to introduce standards for packed lunches that are brought from home. However, the School Food Trust (SFT) and Food Standards Agency have produced advice for parents on healthier packed lunches.

Schools can also have a role in determining what a packed lunch should and should not contain if they choose to do so. Some schools for example already have school food policies that ban certain products from being brought into school in packed lunches.

Won’t children just opt for bringing in packed lunches rather than eating healthier school meals?

The choice over whether to choose a packed lunch or school meal is clearly one for parents and their children to make. However, a key element of any strategy for maintaining a successful school meals service will be encouraging and persuading children to take up a school meal. Greater take-up will provide economies of scale and a more viable and cost effective meal service.

FSA research has shown that packed lunches are generally less healthy than school lunches which meet the current statutory standards

How will we know if sausages contain banned carcass parts, or whether a product has been deep fried as part of the manufacturing process?

When considering procurement arrangements, schools and caterers should ensure that suppliers of all products, including meat products, can demonstrate that they can meet the standards. The required standards should form part of the contractual agreement. If there is any reasonable doubt as to whether any products being supplied against the contract comply with those standards, they should not be accepted. In such circumstances, the procurement department should be notified and an alternative means of meeting the requirements should be considered, bearing in mind any contractual restrictions limiting use of a different supplier.

How do cakes/biscuits figure in all this? Cakes and biscuits can be served as part of school lunches. For other times of

the day, the SFT will issue clarifying guidance which will cover this point.

Should there be only one choice of healthy meal at lunchtime? The SFT suggests limited choice within a range of healthier options. Some

choice is necessary to cater for diverse cultural needs (e.g. vegetarian, halal). In secondary schools especially, where children have been used to unrestricted choice, restriction to a single option may discourage take up of healthier meals.

Where can schools and caterers go for support? The SFT, working with Healthy Schools and other partners, will be providing

practical support and guidance to schools, local authorities and catering providers on meeting the standards for school food and encouraging children and young people to eat healthier food.

I’m not sure if [product name] meets the standards or not. Where can I go to get

advice? You can call the School Food Trust’s helpline on 0800 089 5001. Where

necessary, decision on specific products will be made following discussions between the Trust, the Food Standards Agency and DfES.

BANNED FOODS

What will be banned and what happens if children won’t eat healthier meals? The new food-based standards will effectively ban low quality burgers from

school lunches, as well as chocolate, crisps, and sweetened fizzy drinks. The standards will also limit how often schools can offer deep-fried food such as chips.

Healthier meals don’t have to be more expensive or less popular. For example the Barking Abbey School in London reworked its menu to significantly reduce the amount of manufactured food on offer and meal uptake has actually increased by 30%.

So what exactly will be banned and what not? The SFT guide to the food based standards will provide advice on this.

Why isn’t the guidance available now? Now government has announced the standards, the School Food Trust will work

to produce a guide to introducing the food based standards as quickly as possible, aiming to publish late June.

Does this mean no more chips? The new standards require that no more than two deep fried foods can be served

in any single week. That includes deep-fried chips and oven-baked products which have been deep-fried as part of the manufacturing process.

What about chocolate and other confectionery, excluding cocoa powder used in chocolate cakes and biscuits?

Confectionery, chocolate and chocolate-coated products will not be available.

And savoury snacks? The only savoury snacks allowed will be nuts and seeds with no added salt and

sugar. Fruit and vegetables should also be available.

Why are nuts allowed when children might be allergic? This is a matter for local decision making. The Government considers that

headteachers and school governors are best placed to make decisions that take into account local circumstances.

Why is the Government demonising particular sorts of food by banning them? The Government believes that there are no “bad” foods, but a significant number

of children and young people have bad diets. Evidence shows that even where healthier food is available, many children tend still to choose less healthy options, particularly food which is high in fat, salt and sugar. The School Meals Review Panel’s advice to Ministers recommended that choice should be restricted as a means of encouraging children to make healthier choices.

The Government wants children to eat a healthier diet and believes that to help achieve this it is necessary to limit children’s access to certain foods/drinks whilst they are at school. However, once outside of school we would ask parents to support the drive to encourage their children to continue to eat a balanced diet. This means eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and limiting the amount of sugar, salt and fats that they consume. It is also important that food served is consistent with what children learn in the classroom.

Where is the legislation that supports these new mandatory standards? Regulations to give the food-based standards statutory force will be introduced in

September. Regulations giving the food other than lunch and nutrient-based standards will immediately follow Royal Assent for the Education and Inspections Bill 2005, anticipated by January 2007.

Where can I get more information about the nutrient standards and the standards for other school food?

In due course, the SFT will produce guidance on these standards.

STANDARDS FOR OTHER SCHOOL FOOD What about food served at mid-morning break?

Food served at mid-morning break will be covered by the standards for food served at other times of the day, i.e. non-lunch.

What about other school outlets? Will all chocolate be banned etc? What about sports or diet drinks?

Vending machines and tuck shops will be required to meet similar healthier standards as school meals – replacing crisps, chocolate and sweetened fizzy drinks with water, juice, milk, fruit and healthier snacks.

This will mean chocolate and non-chocolate sweets such as chewing gum, wine gums, marshmallows, etc. will be banned as well as savoury snacks like crisps, salted nuts and tortilla chips. Sweetened fizzy drinks will also be banned.

Schools will have until September 2007 to comply with these standards although they should start to prepare now.

What about the income that schools get from vending machines? Some schools receive income from selling chocolate, fizzy drinks etc in their

vending machines. Those schools will need to prepare for the change. But many more do not gain financially as the profit goes to the vending contractor. And schools are now moving to healthier vending and making a profit from it.

The Food Standards Agency report, “Vending Healthy Drinks” in 2004 found that school vending machines selling healthier options were popular and made a profit. Just 12 healthier drinks machines in a small number of secondary schools dispensed no less than 70,000 drinks of juice, milk and water.

Why not allow diet drinks and low salt/low sugar snacks? Surely they are not unhealthy?

The Government accepted the School Food Trust’s advice that all diet drinks and flavoured water should be banned. There is evidence to show that diet drinks can cause dental erosion.

The Government also wanted to make the standards as simple as possible for schools to follow. Advice from both the SMRP and SFT was to make the standards as simple as possible, including broad categories.

Won’t children just buy unhealthy snacks and drinks from outside school and bring them in?

Clearly children may choose to bring in from outside foods that are banned from being sold in schools.

The Government has no intention of imposing bans on food being brought in from outside. Those are matters for schools and parents to consider at local level. Many schools already have a snacking policy, which limits the types of food children are able to bring into school either as a snack or as part of a packed lunch, and we encourage them to do so. Schools can implement this as part of their non-statutory decision-making, in the same way as deciding a policy for school uniforms.

In order to support schools, DfES and SFT will work with schools that have moved or are moving to providing healthier food in vending machines and tuck shops; and with industry players, to identify effective ways of making changes to provision and educating pupils about making healthier choices.

Why wait until September 2007 to regulate for food served at other times of the day? Doesn’t this just mean that children will buy unhealthier food from other outlets if they don’t like the lunches?

DfES has to wait for Royal Assent of the Education and Inspections Bill to have the power to implement standards for other school food. However, the department thinks that it is sensible to make the requirement at the beginning of a school year, so that schools and industry have time to make the changes and can consider a whole school approach.

TRAINING FOR CATERING STAFF

Training for school cooks? In September 2005 DfES introduced a new vocationally related qualification at

Level 1 that recognised for the first time the crucial skills and experience that school cooks bring to their work.

The aim of the qualification is to give school cooks and caterers the basic knowledge and skills to deliver a healthier meals service. It has been specifically designed for staff involved in the preparation and service of school meals. It enables school cooks to learn:

o the different food groups and their proportions in a healthier, balanced diet as recommended by government guidelines;

o those food commodities which are more likely to contribute to a healthier diet;

o how catering practices can be modified to improve the nutrient content of meals and cafeteria services available to school children;

o how to market and promote healthier meals to pupils – crucial if we are to change children’s eating habits in school.

DfES is reviewing and refining the VRQ to ensure that it meets the new standards.

There are already well over a hundred qualifications related to food, nutrition and catering which are funded by the LSC. DfES is working with food and education experts to ascertain which of these qualifications, or units from them, are relevant to school caterers. Where a need is found for a specific skill, which does not form part of one of these qualifications, new units or qualifications will be developed to cover that area.

DfES is looking at including such units in the Training and Development Agency for School’s nationally accredited vocational qualification for school support staff. This will enable progression from Level 1 to Levels 2 and 3 and will also help school caterers to feel that they are part of the whole school team.

Procurement Guidance Contract variation guidance

Where can I find the contract variation guidance? The DfES has produced guidance which is on the Healthy Living section of

Teachernet alongside the draft main Guidance on Procuring School Meals. Available at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthyliving/foodanddrink/procuringmeals

Why has this additional guidance been produced? It became clear when DfES consulted on the main contracting guidance last year

that additional guidance was needed to help those schools locked into long term contracts to vary those contracts.

Who is it aimed at? The Guide is primarily aimed at schools. Some of the schools contacted during

preparation of the Guide had a very basic level of knowledge about contracting and were uncertain about what to do if they were unhappy with the service delivery. The Guide is intended to help them with this.

What does the Guide include? The Guide sets out the reasons why some contracts will need to be changed. It

sets out some of the basic terminology used when dealing with contracts and will help schools to understand the different types of contractual relationship that exist and which sort of contract they have. It sets out how a school can carry out a review of its current contract, including how it can decide whether it is getting value for money and what the options are if a school decides that it wants to make a change. It also emphasises the importance of getting advice from a local authority procurement specialist or others with previous experience of dealing with contracts if they do not have those skills.

Will this provide enough support for schools – surely they need more support than just guidance?

DEFRA are leading on to provide better support and training for people responsible for procurement including sustainable food procurement. The DfES Centre for Procurement Performance will be working with the School Food Trust to provide support to local authority buyers on contract negotiation and food procurement. The CPP is also developing an approach to coordinating procurement at a regional or sub-regional level to provide better support for authorities and schools in areas such as catering contracts.

What can local authorities do if they are unhappy about an existing catering contract – including where this is part of a PFI contract?

Where school meal contracts are not working well, DfES expects local authorities to take a strategic lead in improving arrangements. Where contactors are not fulfilling their obligations, the authority should withhold payment in line with the terms of the contract. DfES will always be happy to discuss where individual authorities are having difficulties.

Main guidance on procuring school meals

What is happening with the draft main guidance produced last year? This is being updated to reflect the new standards announced today as well as

comments received during consultation.

Sustainable procurement

The School Meals Review Panel recommended that the procurement of food served in schools should be consistent with sustainable development principles and schools and caterers should look to local farmers and suppliers for their produce where possible, tempered by a need for menus to meet the new nutritional standards and be acceptable in schools. Does the Department agree with that recommendation?

DfES fully supports the emphasis given to PSFPI in the School Meals Review Panel’s report and encourages schools and local authorities to give serious consideration to meeting sustainable development principles. The DfES main procurement guidance contains advice on sourcing ingredients using local suppliers. The guidance is being further developed following discussions with the National Audit Office.

The Department has in place a “Food Procurement Action Plan”, which sets out how we will address the objectives of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative. Action taken has mainly been through promoting good practice by publishing case studies on Teachernet, and promoting PSFPI objectives through other work on school meals, including through the commitments made in the Healthy Living Blueprint, and the Secretary of State’s determination to improve school meals.