Bath & North East Somerset Council - Food for Life Project

Food for Life Project

Final Report

The full version of this report is available as a PDF document which you can download from the related documents section on the right of this page.

Background – The National Picture

School meals funding was the biggest single item delegated to secondary schools during the second phase of the government’s fair funding initiative in 2000. Primary and Special schools can opt for delegation. Where a school has a delegated budget for meals, the governing body take on a responsibility for the provision. Clearly in some schools where meal provision was not seen as a priority, nutritional standards had declined and choice was limited (Storey et al 2005)

Following concern about quality of children’s diets and the contribution of school meals, Statutory National Nutritional Standards were reintroduced in April 2001. These standards set out the frequency with which school caterers must provide items from the main food groups (starchy foods, milk and dairy, fruit and vegetable, meat, fish and alternative sources of protein). They apply to all maintained schools in England.

Evidence suggests that these food based standards were not working partly because they were neither based on nutrients nor adequately monitored. (Food for Life Action Pack October 2003)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned research which confirmed these concerns. One study in secondary schools showed that the majority of children were not making healthy food choices. Moreover practices in the dining room intended to promote healthy eating had little positive influence on pupil’s choices.

(Nelson et al: 2004)

A further study by DfES carried out in 2003/2004, which examined nursery, infant and primary schools highlighted a number of key factors that impeded effective food and nutrition education in a significant proportion of the settings visited:

· In the schools, there was rarely a coherent programme of food and nutrition education that built children’s knowledge and understanding of healthy eating in a planned and systematic way. As a result children’s knowledge of food and nutrition was generally poor and what they learned had very little impact on what they chose to eat and drink, even though they had the opportunity to select from a range of options.

· Teachers and others involved in food and nutrition education lacked accurate and up-to-date nutrition knowledge and the skills they needed to teach children how to prepare and cook food.

· The meals provided in most of the schools did not complement sufficiently the healthy eating messages that the teaching sought to convey (DfES, FSA 2004).

Clearly there were concerns about the quality and health issues relating to food provision in schools. These concerns were set against a background of further concerns about the rapid rise in obesity and associated health risks to the population, particularly in relation to children and young people.

Childhood origins of adult disease

It is estimated that a third of deaths from cancer and a quarter of deaths from heart disease could be prevented by changing the food we eat. Other benefits include controlling weight and preventing diabetes, arthritis and mobility problems.

Changing diet has more effect the earlier it starts, but changing is worthwhile right throughout life. Most children in the UK eat too much fat, particularly saturated fat, added sugars and salt. On average children from the lowest social group tend to eat 50% less fruit and vegetables than those from the highest social groups (ONS 2000)

Current recommendations are that everyone should eat at least five portions of a combination of fruit and vegetables each day. Yet average fruit and vegetable consumption among the population in England is currently less than three portions a day. Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces the risk from heart disease, stroke and cancer by up to 20% as well as helping to maintain a healthy weight

Reducing the amount of salt in the diet to within safe limits can reduce the chance of developing high blood pressure and reduce the chance of developing coronary heart disease by 8% and stroke by 22%

Reducing the amount of saturated fat and fatty food in the diet lowers the risks

from heart disease and some cancers. The so-called ‘Mediterranean’ style of

eating food rich in polyunsaturated fats, fibre and other beneficial nutrients has been shown to reduce the level of risk in those who have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. (Choosing Health 2004)

Overweight and Obesity in children

A key target in the ‘Choosing Health’ white paper is to address rising levels of obesity in primary school age children. The underlying principles are to establish good eating habits and patterns of physical activity in these children (and their families) with the expectation that these healthy behaviours will be carried into adult life.

The national levels of obesity in 5 year olds in England and Wales have risen from less than 9 to over 11% from 1997 to 2003. Over the same period the levels of overweight in children of the same age in England and Wales have risen only slightly from around 13% to just over 14%.

There is a marked social gradient in overweight and obesity in children. Children in deprived areas or from families with lower incomes are more likely to be overweight or obese. The highest levels of childhood obesity are seen in inner city areas. Parental overweight or obesity is the strongest predictor for these conditions in children reflecting the importance of tackling whole families in dealing with childhood obesity. (‘Shaping Up’, Bath and North East Somerset Joint Obesity Strategy September 2005)

Food and academic achievement

Many studies have attempted to examine the link between nutritional standards and academic attainment. Several studies have shown that children eating breakfast can improve their academic performance both in the short and long-term. These seem to be most important in children who already suffer from malnutrition. However, on a physiological level we know that children distracted by hunger or low-energy levels may find it hard to maintain attention in order to learn. (Changing Diets, Changing Minds report, Sustain 2005)

Choosing Health commitments

Children spend on average a quarter of their waking lives in school. The school environment, attitudes of staff and other pupils, as well as what children learn in the classroom, have a major influence on the development of their knowledge and understanding of health. Action to encourage people to eat more healthily, and especially to protect children from unhealthy choices, is set out in Choosing Health and Choosing a Better Diet.(Department of Health 2004)

Choosing Health sets out an action plan to ensure children and young people are supported to choose a healthy lifestyle. An integrated approach will see the benefits of good nutrition taught in the classroom, whilst healthier choices are available at lunch and breaktimes. Outside of school, there will be restrictions on the promotion of less healthy foods to children. In terms of action on nutrition, that means all schools need to be supported in:

· delivering clear and consistent messages about nutrition and healthy eating;

· providing opportunities to learn about diet, nutrition, food safety and hygiene, food preparation and cooking as well as where food comes from; and

· actively promoting healthy food and drink as part of an enjoyable and balanced diet and restrict the availability and promotion of other options.

The Caroline Walker Trust (CWT)

The CWT was set up in 1987 to improve Public Health through good food. It produced its first Expert Report Nutritional Guidelines for School Meals in 1992 and this has been widely used as the definitive document for nutrient- based standards for school meals. To date these standards have not been made statutory in England.

A new, updated report on Nutrient based standards for school food was produced by the CWT and the National Heart Forum in Autumn 2005.

Further information including this report can be found on the website www.cwt.org.uk

The local situation

Against this background, concern was expressed locally from a number of quarters – health professionals, local authority staff, parents/ carers etc about the quality of school meals and the general approach to food issues in schools.

Other local initiatives were also moving forward. The Education, Youth, Culture and Leisure (EYCL) Overview and Scrutiny panel began undertaking a review of primary school meals in Bath and North East Somerset in March 2005

The Bath and North East Somerset Food for Life Project Group was convened for the first time in September 2004 and in December 2004 a group of concerned local parents published a report into School Meals in Bath and North East Somerset (Hanney et al 2004). This group is now known as “Get Real School Meals” . This group strongly lobbied Overview and Scrutiny in terms of changes relating to ‘local’ and ‘organic’ food.

Background to National Food for Life project

The Soil Association developed the National Food for Life Project. In 2002, Jeanette Orrey, now the Soil Association’s school meals policy advisor, got together with two other experts interested in nutrition and local farming to discuss how school meals could be improved. Together with the Soil Association they devised and piloted the first Food for Life projects. The findings, along with other extensive research into school dinners, were written up into the Food for Life report and published in October 2003. The report highlighted concerns and the Soil Association began its lobby on Government for changes to the school meal service whilst working with a variety of schools, councils and individuals to develop the Food for Life programme and implement its targets.

Food for Life’s policy work called for more money to be invested, the development of quantified nutritional standards and to have school meals covered by every school’s Ofsted inspection. It continues to push for change at National Government level as well as offering information and practical support for school communities, councils and caterers who wish to improve their catering arrangements, and work towards the Food for Life targets using a 'whole school' approach.

This programme encourages schools to follow targets that meet the nutritional needs of children, providing fresh ingredients from the local area with a preference for organic produce where possible. Menu development is encouraged to help keep processed food to a minimum, ensuring that plenty of fresh, nutritious food is used and that salt, sugar, harmful additives and hydrogenated fats are excluded.

The National Food for Life targets:

· School lunches should aim to provide food that meets the nutrition targets set by the Caroline Walker Trust

· At least 75% of all foods consumed (over a week) made from unprocessed ingredients

· At least 50% of meal ingredients sourced from the local region

· At least 30% of food served should be from certified organic sources

· Better classroom education on food and sustainable food production, ensuring that all children visit a farm at least once during their time at school

The ‘whole school approach’ to food is crucial in working towards the targets and making Food for Life a success. This is achieved by involving all members of the school community, pupils, teachers, catering staff, parents and governors in creating a culture of valuing, enjoying and learning about and understanding food, as a fully integrated part of school life. By putting the school at the centre of community activity and taking up opportunities to revitalise a food culture, bridges between rural and urban communities can be built.

Through classroom activities, farm visits, growing projects, cooking classes, healthy eating lessons and initiatives and a pleasant dining environment, children can appreciate food and understand the links between what they eat and the world in which they live.

Further information about Food for Life can be found at www.foodforlifeuk.org

Background to the Bath and North East Somerset Food for Life Project

Bristol City Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council are linked by the procurement of food and have worked closely together since the County of Avon was replaced by four Unitary Authorities. Both Authorities are committed to improving the quality of the food and the menu choices that Catering Services provide for the health and wellbeing of children. A steering group was set up by Bristol City Council in the Spring/Summer of 2004 and Sue Eades the Service Team Manager for Catering at Bath and North East Somerset Council was invited to join the group.

The inaugural Meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Food for Life steering group was held in September 2004 and involved a local Councillor, Commercial services, Food and Trading Standards, the PCT, Envolve and local suppliers. Having agreed that Bath and North East Somerset wished to move forward with a Food for Life Project, the objectives of the working group were agreed to be:

a) Determine the entry criteria for schools in Bath and North East Somerset

seeking to pilot Food for Life.

b) Consider the Future Management of the Food for Life scheme with a view to making recommendations about the future sourcing and preparation of school meals in .Bath and North East Somerset

At this time Bristol City Council had already embarked on a Food for Life pilot with National Food for Life targets.

All schools receiving their catering from Commercial Services were invited to apply and those chosen committed to promoting a whole school approach to food. This is a significant aspect of the Food for Life project. Participating schools undertook to:

Provide written commitment by the Head Teachers and their heads of kitchen.

Actively promote the pilot scheme to parents, carers, and children, to increase the uptake of school meals.

Meet the cost of any changes (estimated at 13p per meal) either by increasing the uptake (i.e., the number of paid school meals) or otherwise, as determined by the Head Teacher/Governors.

Form a school nutrition action group (SNAG) ideally comprising a school governor, a teacher, the head of kitchen, a parent and a pupil.

Join the National School Fruit and Vegetable scheme for Key Stage 1

Promote the 5-a-day national initiative to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day

Participate in the Farm Link scheme

Within Bath and North East Somerset it was recognised that a key aim of the scheme would be to focus on healthy eating and this would be a priority throughout the project.

Information and Data analysis

As the project progressed a number of partners committed to gathering information and data to assist with monitoring the project.

The Food and Trading Standards team sampled 10 meals from 2 schools over a 6 month period for a comparison of fat, salt and sugar content.
Major suppliers A David & Co and Charles Saunders & Co provided a food ordering audit check for the three months prior to the project and during the project so that changes could be identified - particularly in respect of moving from processed to unprocessed foods.
Monitoring of waste and meal uptake by commercial services.

Nine schools were eventually accepted on to the pilot which was launched on 21 February 2005 at Bathwick St Mary CE Primary, Bath and Fosseway School, Midsomer Norton.

The nine schools who participated in the pilot were:

Bathwick St Mary CE Primary

Bathford Primary

Bathampton Primary

Fosseway School

Oldfield Park Junior

Saltford CE Primary

St Saviours CE Primary Junior

Swainswick Primary

St Stephens CE Primary

The pilot has involved schools with an attendance roll of 1807.

It had been hoped to include a Secondary school and a school with 20% or more free school meals but this was not possible as some of the schools felt unable to commit to the entry criteria.

The National Healthy School Programme and Food for Life

Bath and North East Somerset have been involved in a nationally accredited ‘Schools for Health’ scheme since 1999, with over 80% of schools taking part.

The National Healthy School Programme was re-launched in September 2005 and the local programme is now known as Bath and North East Somerset Healthy Schools Programme.

52 of the 81 schools in the authority immediately signed up into one of two ‘Phases’ that will be working towards National Status by October 2006. This is a good indication of the willingness of local schools to engage in a programme that promotes health in its broadest sense, using a whole school approach.

The national programme has the following strategic aims:

To support children and young people in developing healthy behaviours
To help raise pupil achievement
To help to reduce health inequalities
To help promote social inclusion

The programme requires schools to produce rigorous evidence within four criteria:

Personal, Social and Health Education including sex and relationships education and drug education (including alcohol, tobacco and volatile substance abuse)
Healthy Eating
Physical Activity
Emotional Health and well-being (including bullying)

In order to gain Healthy School Status, a school must meet all the minimum evidence requirements across all four key criteria as laid out in the national guidance – National Healthy School Status – a guide for schools. Details of this can be found at www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk

The Every Child Matters, Change for Children white paper requires schools to demonstrate how they meet the five outcomes for children. Schools can use the Healthy School Programme as an indicator of how they meet the ‘Being Healthy’ outcome as well as contributing towards ‘Staying Safe’, ‘Make a positive contribution’ and ‘Enjoy and achieve’. Achieving Healthy School status contributes significantly to the school self evaluation form and provides rigorous evidence for OFSTED inspections.

The Food for Life pilot has clear links with National Healthy School Status, particularly in the Healthy Eating criteria outlined below, as well as contributing towards national targets such as the Public Service Agreement target to “halt the year on year rise in obesity among children aged under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole”.

The main differences between the two projects are that the Healthy Schools Healthy Eating criteria covers all food and drink taken during the whole school day, including water provision, breakfast clubs, tuck shops and lunch boxes, but excludes school meals that are provided by Commercial Services whereas the Food for Life project looks more specifically at mid day school meal provision working in close association with school meals services. The two projects together encourage a whole school approach and therefore ensure high quality food and drink is accessible to all members of the school community throughout the day.

Other links between Healthy Schools and Food for Life

In order to embed the healthier eating message within the school, the pilot sought to offer curriculum based activities to be delivered through workshops by the Food for Life Education officer at Envolve.

Most schools took up these activities, and some included parent cookery sessions. Activities like this provide additional evidence of a whole school approach to healthy eating that the school can use when they apply for National Healthy School Status.

Bath and North East Somerset Healthy Schools Programme were keen to be part of the Food for Life pilot, since both schemes recognise that long term changes need to employ a whole school approach. To be sustainable, the pilot needed to educate the whole school community; pupils, catering staff, teachers, parents and governors. The formation of a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) and the development of a whole school food policy is a good indicator that the school has adopted a whole school approach.

School Nutrition Action Groups

As part of the school’s commitment to Food for Life they were asked to ensure a SNAG was set up during the pilot year in order to sustain benefits in the long term.

Typical membership of the SNAG might include:

· Pupil representatives

· A representative from senior management - head teacher or deputy head teacher

· A teacher representing a key curriculum area (science, design and technology, PSHE)

· The Healthy Schools co-ordinator (for schools involved in the National Healthy Schools Programme)

· The Catering Supervisor or Cook in charge

· Parents

· Governors

· The school adviser/health education adviser/PSHE adviser

· The school nurse

The Health Promotion Specialist of Bath and North East Somerset Primary Care Trust offered to support schools in setting up or maintaining their School Nutrition Action Groups. An approach to each school was made each term in order to enable this process. Of the nine pilot schools, five now have an established SNAG.

Implementation of the project

The next step forward was to improve the menu by incorporating more local, seasonal and freshly cooked food. Organic was not identified as a target at this stage. When the new menu was completed the Cooks in Charge of the pilot scheme kitchens were invited to a meeting and asked for their views and comments. All of them were very supportive, committed and enthusiastic about the new menu although it meant a different way of working by following different recipes. The new menu required a higher level of catering skills and the Service Team Supervisors were needed to train, support and monitor as required. The menus were sent to all the suppliers to enable them to provide the ingredients needed to produce the meals.

A meeting was arranged with the suppliers A David & Co (fruit and vegetables) and Charles Saunders & Co (frozen food) to ensure that all the items on the menu would be available. These suppliers were extremely supportive and also committed to the Food for Life pilot scheme. A David has consistently supported with free fruit and vegetables at all promotional events during the past year. Charles Saunders & Co understood the need to move away from processed food and improve the quality of the meat and fish.

The launch

Events were supported by the then local Chef Robert Clayton from The Priory Hotel in Bath and by the then Chair of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Cllr Marion McNeir .

Newsletters

Coinciding with the launch a newsletter was produced by the steering group and together with copies of the new Food for Life menus (which were developed by Commercial Services) were circulated to all children and families attending the Food for Life schools (1600 copies). Throughout the pilot, three newsletters have been issued which are included at Appendix 1

Overview and Scrutiny Review (Education, Youth, Culture & Leisure)

Bath and North East Somerset’s Education, Youth, Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Panel were undertaking a review of the Primary School Meals Service and the Councillors sampled some meals in various Schools. The O&S decided to hold a Contributors Day on the 13^th April 2005 and sent a questionnaire to all Schools asking for their views on the Primary School Meal Service. Heather Baker, Sue Tugwell and Jane Weeks, Cooks in Charge of production kitchens were invited to talk and answer questions about the new menu, quality of the food and their concerns about staffing hours and training. Heather, Sue and Jane all spoke extremely well and said that they felt very proud of their jobs and that they were not “dinner ladies”. The Food for Life Steering Group were also invited to speak to the panel about the pilot project on 13 April 2005. Although the Food for Life Project was in its infancy, representatives of the Steering group attended and gave evidence as a presentation to the panel.

Nutrition Training Session for School Caterers

A nutrition training session took place in January 2005 for kitchen staff of Food for Life schools. 11 staff attended from the five production kitchens of the nine pilot schools. The course took place over half a day on one of the staff cleaning days.

The course was developed locally by the health promotion specialists responsible for Food and Health in Bath & North-East Somerset and in Bristol.

The course objectives were as follows:

· To develop an understanding of the food model Balance of Good Health

· To explore current issues in child nutrition

· To raise awareness of nutritional issues for young people

· To provide information on how simple changes can bring a diet in line with healthy eating advice

· To develop an understanding of barriers to healthy eating through case histories

· To raise awareness of a whole school approach to food and health

Specific issues arose included managing the expectations of staff, pupils, parents/carers and teachers around ‘What is healthier catering?’ In addition to examining food groups the participants reviewed portion sizes, food labelling, and the salt and sugar contents of processed foods.

Results from the evaluation of this short course can be seen in Appendix 2

Visits to an organic farm

In order to make Food for Life a success, catering staff and children need to be involved in the work.

The catering staff prepare, cook and serve the food to the children and therefore play an important role in encouraging them to try new dishes. The children have to recognise and accept any changes to the school meals and therefore they have to have a good understanding about their food, where it comes from and what it is.

To this end the Soil Association organised visits to an organic farm for cooks and School Nutrition Action Groups. SNAGs can help involve children with food and thus improve their understanding and appreciation of it. The Soil Association were successful in obtaining funding to run these visits and took the groups to Farrington’s, a farm in Farrington Gurney in Bath and North East Somerset who are keen on supplying their organic vegetables into the council’s school meals service. The cooks visited in September and two visits (to accommodate all attendees) took place for the SNAG groups in February. The days ran from 10am until 3pm.

i) School Catering Staff

Turnover in catering staff can be high. Food for Life has shown that catering staff who feel valued and part of the school community are more likely to remain motivated and stay for longer in their jobs. It was therefore important to involve them in the Food for Life pilot and ensure that they were clear about its purpose and how crucial their role was.

The purpose was to engage catering staff through ‘experiential learning’ in order to help them in their understanding and delivery of the Food for Life targets. The issues were:

· local produce,

· organic,

· seasonality,

· farming/vegetable growing;

The day was set in the context of their school meals and allowed the cooks to hear from the farmers about why they want to supply their produce into the school meal service.

Farrington’s grow vegetables and have a farm shop selling local and organic food. The visit included:

· a trip round the growing areas with details of organic growing

· tasting vegetables from the fields

· tasting of vegetable dishes designed to appeal to children and a discussion of menus which could be prepared to include vegetables that they had seen and tasted during the day as well as other local produce.

There was plenty of time throughout for questions and discussion.

16 catering staff attended from six of the participating schools. They all benefited from the day and enjoyed the experience.

Examples of the feedback received can be seen in Appendix 3 (Catering staff visit to Farrington Farm)

ii) School Nutrition Action Groups

SNAGs can play a crucial role in engaging children with food by taking a lead in the development of a school food policy and helping to implement some of the key actions identified. They are also important in delivering the DH/DfES Healthy Schools Initiative that tie in with Food for Life.

Tailored farm visits to Farrington’s, were offered for up to four SNAG members from the Food for Life pilot schools. The purpose was similar to that of the cooks’ visit with the additional opportunity to:

· link with a farm for future school visits

· identify opportunities for curriculum links with food and farming

· hear from the farmers about why it is important to supply their food to schools

· gain inspiration for drawing up a whole school food policy

· network with other schools in the pilot to share ideas and experiences

· plan food related activities for their school

Time was built in for discussion and questions.

25 people attended the two visits including four pupil SNAG representatives. Despite the vegetable growing area not being very productive in February (and extremely cold!) there was still enough to be of interest and highlighted how growing on even a relatively small scale requires year-round commitment and dedication. It was also useful to see how much more complex it is to grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables instead of large field-scale, single crop production. Discussions around what can be done to overcome the less productive times of year were also informative.

Everyone attending enjoyed the day and came away with a greater appreciation of what is involved and the importance of supporting local farmers. They found the networking with other schools who have been on the pilot and opportunities to learn from each other extremely beneficial.

They were also keen that a cross section of council employees and members should also experience the visit.

Examples of the feedback received can be seen in Appendix 4 (SNAG visits to Farringtons Farm)

National Food Safety Week 13-19 June 2005

Six of the pilot schools received a Theatre in Education performance during National Food Safety week. “Captain Cholesterol and the Grannies from Mars” explored health, nutrition and food safety issues in a fun and exciting performance.

Progression of the project

The main steering group continued to meet at regular intervals throughout the project. However it was recognised that evaluation and education issues required more in-depth consideration and to this end a sub-committee was set up. This group met during the latter 6 months of the project enabling these issues to be addressed as the project progressed. Envolve were able to gain funding from the council’s corporate sustainability team to enhance the work of the Food for Life Project by delivering educational programmes alongside the menu changes and whole school approach which the project had encouraged.

It was decided that the evaluation would take the form of a series of road shows to each of the schools where staff, children, parents and carers would have the opportunity to visit a range of stalls and activities on a food and sustainability theme. The project workers would be able to carry out a qualitative evaluation of the project. This would complement the empirical data gathered throughout the pilot on such issues as uptake, wastage, ordering and food sampling etc.

Food Standards Agency Consultation

UK Target Nutrient Specifications for Manufactured Products used in school Meals.

The FSA consulted in the Autumn of 2005 on target maximum and minimum values for a range of nutrients in manufactured products used in school meals.

A response to this consultation was sent on behalf of the Steering Group.

Sampling by Trading Standards Service

The Food and Trading Standards Service undertook to sample 10 meals from 2 schools over a 6 month period for a comparison of fat, salt and sugar content. These samples were submitted to the Scientific Services Department, Bristol for analysis...

Each of the schools were visited on week 3 of the menu. Samples were taken of an average plated main course meal. These were frozen and collected and delivered to the public analyst in October 2005.

Concerns were raised by the Public Analyst regarding seven meals where the salt content would contribute more than half of the maximum daily consumption... The daily recommended maximum intake of salt for a child aged 7-10 years is 5g (Food Standards Agency).

The guidelines from the Caroline Walker Trust suggest that no more than 30% of daily energy needs should be provided by the school meal.

At the time of the sampling there were a number of concerns regarding menus. This was highlighted at both kitchens from which samples were taken. When asked to produce recipes for the new menus, both kitchens did not have complete recipes. They were relying on ex-Avon recipe books to obtain modified recipes. It was apparent that problems were being caused by a lack of oven space for home made products. Descriptions on menus did not reflect foods used i.e. ‘local’ produced potatoes which were sourced from Market Drayton near Heathrow. Cooks had to improvise on occasions when ingredients were not readily available.

Classroom Based and Whole School Education Programme

With the menu changes in place and training for school meals staff ongoing the programme of whole school education began in September 2005. As outlined previously a programme of whole school education was central to the success of the national Food for Life programme and the BANES Food for Life programme wished to follow that whole school model.

Key Elements of the Education Programme

A programme of inputs was drawn up by the Food for Life Education Officer in collaboration with the culture group. The programme was intended as a ‘menu’ offered to all the nine pilot schools that could then choose the elements that were most suitable for their individual school. The schools were offered:

Classroom workshops on the themes of:
- The Food Groups and Balanced Meals
- Healthy Lunchboxes
- Where our Food Comes From – Food and Farming
- Global Food- Food Miles and Fair Trade
- Food Packaging and Recycling’
- Eating with the Seasons – local food and seasonality
Food for Life assemblies
Cookery Sessions – classroom based
Recipe challenges – working as a whole school to create a school recipe book
Family cookery sessions – after school
Food for Life road shows
Staff meeting inputs and inservice training
Inputs into SNAG group meetings and school council meetings

The rationale for the education programme was:

To reinforce the ‘healthy eating’ focus of the BANES Food for Life Project
To give schools the opportunity to explore some of the sustainability issues around food, linked to the aims of the project in increasing local, organic fresh ingredients in school meals.
To involve the whole school community (ie. students, parents, teaching staff, teaching support staff, governors, school meals staff).
To give teaching staff the support and input needed to continue food based work in the curriculum after the project had ended.
To provide as many opportunities as possible for active learning

Delivery of the Education Programme

1. An initial meeting was arranged by the Food for Life Education officer with the head teacher /designated member of staff of each of the pilot schools. At these meetings an overview of the education programme was given. The best way to implement the programme for that individual school was then decided on and further meetings arranged.

The initial meeting was also attended by the Healthy Schools Coordinator. This meant that the Food for Life education programme could be set in the context of the Healthy Schools programme for that school. SNAG Groups were also highlighted at the initial meeting and sources of support for these were given.

2. Further meetings with whole staff and individual class teachers than allowed the Food for Life work to be timetabled for the school. After this point the delivery was tailored to the individual needs of the school.

Differing Models of School Based Delivery – Tailoring the Programme

Individual school had different requirements regarding the timing and delivery of the programme. Three main models emerged for the delivery of the education programme. These are outlined below:

Model A

· Classroom sessions delivered over a period of time as an addition to current curriculum

Model B

· Food for Life workshops integrated into curriculum to augment lessons that were scheduled to take place in any case.

Model C

Whole school taken off curriculum for special ‘Food For Life’ week. All activities in this week linked to food for life themes and workshops run by Food for Life Education Officer backed up by all other work done by school staff in that week

Evaluation of Education Programme

Evaluation was carried out in the following ways:

· Parental questionnaires and interviews

· Teacher Questionnaires and interviews

· Student work, comments and interviews

· Interviews with school meals staff

These methods gave rise to both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the education programme. These are outlined in Appendix 5.

Main themes emerging from Evaluation

· The majority of parents and children were happier with the school meal menus now – feeling that they were healthier and better nutritionally balanced.

· There was a significant number who felt that although a good start had been made on school menu improvements there was still work to be done

· Children enjoyed tasting new foods and learning about healthy eating and this message was passed on to the parents at home. Cookery was also extremely popular.

· Some parents had altered lunch box contents to cut down on sugar, salt and processed foods and increase fruit and vegetables but this could be an area for further work.

· All the teachers surveyed felt the input into school had been well planned and supported and contributed significantly to the curriculum. In all cases they felt the Food for Life project had fulfilled elements of their Ofsted Self Evaluation and Healthy Schools criteria.

· The whole school approach had worked well in most cases but some parents, governors and school meals staff felt that more could be done to involve them in the project.

Delivery of the Education Programme

The initial meetings with school staff were carried out by the Food Project Officer and the Healthy Schools Coordinator. This ensured that an overview of Food for Life programme including how it would help the schools to meet elements of their Healthy Schools programme and OFSTED Self evaluation could be given. SNAG Groups were also highlighted at the initial meeting and guidance for sources of support for these.

Any further meetings, classroom sessions, assemblies, recipe challenges and cookery sessions were given by the Food Project Officer plus a team of Food for Life Volunteers.

The Food for Life roadshows were delivered by the partners of the Food For Life Culture Group (i.e. Envolve, Environmental Health, PCT, Healthy Schools, Soil Association, B&NES Commercial Services)

In relation to the table in total:

- 7 of the 9 original pilot schools were worked with *

- 12.5 days of classroom workshops were carried out

- 833 children were involved in Food For Life classroom workshops

- Classroom cookery sessions were carried out in four of the schools with 210 children

- 4 road shows took place

- 4 assemblies took place

- 4 family cookery sessions took place with 20 people (8 more planned)

- 2 Food for Life schools produced school recipe books

*One pilot school did not engage with the programme. One school to carry out their work in terms 4 & 5.

Key Points from delivery of Education Programme

· Some schools integrated the project into their ongoing curriculum whilst others held week long ‘Food for Life’ Activity weeks with normal curriculum suspended.

· Workshops were tailored to each schools and age group. Where required they were integrated into the existing curriculum

· Cookery sessions with students were extremely popular and were an excellent vehicle for food education

Evaluation of Education Programme

Evaluation was carried out in the following ways:

· Parental questionnaires and interviews

· Teacher Questionnaires and interviews

· Student work, comments and interviews

· Interviews with school meals staff

These methods gave rise to both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the education programme. These are outlined in Appendix 6.

Menu improvements since project began

By piloting the new menus based on Food for Life targets, the programme has helped to promote improved menus in all the primary schools served by Commercial Services Catering. This knowledge will also be used in supporting all school working towards the healthy eating standards in the Healthy Schools programme.

The Food for Life target of at least 75% unprocessed food on the menu has been reached and surpassed. Presently 78% of the dishes on the menus are unprocessed, i.e., made “from scratch” from unprocessed ingredients in our school kitchens. The pre-Food for Life level of unprocessed foods was 62%.

Since the project began the following have been achieved:

· Most fruit and vegetables are fresh, seasonal and local where possible.

· Increased use of pasta, rice and bread offered.

· Gradually introducing and encouraging children to eat less familiar vegetables, e.g., sweet potatoes, leeks, butternut squash and courgettes

· Measures have been taken to reduce the use of salt. Flavours are enhanced with the use of garlic, herbs and natural spices.

· Reducing the amounts of sugar and fat.

· Gradually increasing the amount of oily fish offered.

· The meat, chicken and fish are fresh-frozen (Fresh meat from Welsh Brothers is sent to Charles Saunders & Co and frozen before being sent out to the schools)

· Sausage meat has been removed from the menu.

· The fruit yoghurt and milk are now organic and local. Natural yoghurt is local.

It is estimated that at the conclusion of the pilot the menus included 34% local ingredients and 24% organic ingredients (from 0% pre-Food for Life). Whilst this does not currently meet the Food for Life targets of 50% and 30% respectively, work is on-going to increase these levels through revised procurement contract specifications.

The cooks in the Food for Life pilot have significantly contributed to the successful rolling out of improved menus to all primary schools by:

- working enthusiastically with their managers, supervisors and school staff

- by communicating difficulties and successes

- by encouraging their colleagues to implement the new menus and ways of working.

- actively talking to the children about where the food comes from and encouraging them to try the new dishes

The Food for Life pilot also contributed to the design of the training programme for all catering staff in the LEA. This programme, delivered by the City of Bath College, commenced in April 2005 and awarded the City & Guilds nutritional qualification.

The Food for Life pilot has identified the need for input from a qualified dietician to analyse the menus, prior to the introduction of DfES menus.

The recipes and menus continue to evolve. The waste of food has been controlled by meeting with the Cooks to consistently look at the menu and change as required. The School catering meetings have been invaluable because of the support as a team this has produced.

The support from the schools has been essential in making these changes.

One of the participating schools was a special school where it was recognised that the needs of the pupils were different and the menu already had more flexibility so percentage changes have not been monitored. However, in this school staff uptake of school lunches has increased.

The schools where the numbers have fallen are those who had the education input late in the pilot year or did not engage with the offer of education input. This suggests that the whole school approach is vital.

The Future

Turning the tables: Transforming School Food

The School Meals Review Panel (set up by central government) produced a report for consultation on the development and implementation of nutritional standards for school lunches in September 2005, which included a reference to the Bath and North East Somerset Food for Life project. This report made 35 recommendations to the Government on the future of school meals across England.

A response to this consultation was sent from the Food for Life Steering Group.

On 8 August 2005 DfES wrote to all Directors of Children’s Services/Directors of Education in Local Authorities in England. This letter confirmed three years of transitional funding in September 2005, 2006 and 2007. A school meals grant is to be paid to all maintained Primary, Secondary, Nursery and Special schools and pupil referral units. The funding is not ring fenced at school level but it’s purpose is to support the transformation of school meals on a sustainable footing at a level of quality which at least meets the nutritional standards for school meals that will become mandatory in September 2006. Schools are expected to plan on a basis that will be sustainable from core budgets beyond the 3-year period.

Allocations for 05/06 have been:

Primary and Special schools Lump sum £1,070

and pupil referral units +50p per FTE pupil

Secondary schools Lump sum £1500

+50p per FTE pupil

In addition a targeted School Meals grant is to be paid over the three year period to local authorities via the Standards fund - ring fenced at LEA level. Local authorities are expected to develop a strategy for improving school meals and to develop appropriate local partnerships.

There are two clear messages attached to the school meals funding package:

It is the Government’s expectation that local authorities will lead, in partnership with the local stakeholders - particularly parents, schools and health services - the development and implementation of a local strategy to deliver a high quality, sustainable school meal service.

The Secretary of State has set as a condition of funding that this strategy should include plans to begin the reintroduction of Universal hot meals provision, where it does not already exist, by September 2008.

In the academic year 2005/06 Bath and North East Somerset Commercial Services have allocated this funding to:

· Equipment for food preparation

· Training courses at Bath College for cooks, SMSA’s, kitchen assistants. These will be modular courses with core disciplines, likely to take place during the school summer holiday.

· Buying the services of a food procurement consultant

· Implementing hot meal provision in schools without this

· To employ a qualified nutritionist to analyse the menus

· To offset additional labour costs

· Continue work with the producers and growers to procure and supply will be explored

Conclusions

The multi-agency steering group feel that partnership working was key to the success of the pilot. In particular adoption of a whole-school approach to addressing food within the school setting was essential. Therefore it was recognised that changing the menus in isolation would not necessarily lead to an increase in uptake, or ultimately an improvement in health.

Menu changes have been positively received by the kitchen staff, giving them an opportunity to utilise their skills, which has increased reported job satisfaction.

Varied communication methods were felt to enhance the impact of the project i.e.newletters to parents/carers, roadshows to each school which involved teachers, kitchen staff and parents/carers, local media at the launch and roadshows.

The project benefited from policy change during 2005 relating to the Healthy Schools Standard and Ofsted inspection through the introduction of Food in Schools.

Five of the nine schools showed an increase in uptake of school meals.

It was felt to be beneficial to have an elected member of the council on the steering group.

The costs of the food for the meals have increased to 50p and may increase even more in the future. Staffing costs are also likely to increase because of the additional workload. Increased management time should also be taken into account. However, it may be possible be offset some of these costs through increased uptake.

Recommendations

· The whole school approach* and partnership working is essential to ensure the success of Food for Life.

· Consideration should be given to allocating part of the additional funding from DfES to employ a project worker to continue the excellent whole school approach piloted by the project. This person would work closely with key healthcare professionals, schools and parents to develop a strong partnership framework and a whole-authority strategy. This would align us with neighbouring authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire County council.

· Formation of a steering group to develop and implement a local strategy to deliver a whole school approach to food and nutrition, which would include a high quality, sustainable school meal service, and to support the proposed Co-ordinator role.

· The focus on health needs to be continued but it is recognised that the social and environmental sustainability elements need to be supported.

· A Food Partnership project should be supported as the mechanism for secondary school teachers to “cascade” knowledge to primary school staff on food preparation, cooking etc. Issues such as training of non-catering school staff in terms of food hygiene, promoting the whole school approach to food etc may also come within this remit.

· Continued work with all schools via the healthy Schools programme and the Food in Schools approach should be facilitated at every opportunity

* Promotes and reinforces consistent messages relating to food and drink and nutrition, e.g. ensuring consistency between the formal curriculum and food provision, emphasising healthy eating messages;

Recommendations by Trading Standards Service

There should be detailed recipes in place for all cooked meals. If these are strictly followed this would alleviate discrepancies occurring at the mixing bowl stage.

There should be clear portion control guidance for all recipes relating to the age of child.

It is recommended that detailed product specifications are written for suppliers in contract form.

It was found that there was no routine programme of sampling in place. It is recommended that products supplied to the authorities’ kitchens should be analysed against specification on a rolling programme at an independent laboratory e.g. Public analyst. The cost of the sampling should be written into the suppliers’ contract.

If products comply with the specification for fats, sugars and salt against the recipe then the final meal should be within the Recommended Daily Amount (RDA).

Recommendations from the Evaluation of Schools Based Education Programme

· Opportunities for cookery in schools as a vehicle for food education and supporting school meals developments should be supported and made as widely available as possible. One mechanism for this could be through establishing Food Partnerships between Secondary schools and their cluster primary schools, in a format that has been trialed nationally by DATA. After-school cookery clubs are a more informal way of addressing these skills and have been extensively piloted through the Food in Schools work by the Dfes/DH

· Whole school food weeks are an excellent vehicle for raising the profile of food education and reinforcing menu changes.

· Future menu changes and improvements should be accompanied by opportunities for children to cook and to taste new foods.

· Opportunities for parents to sample school meals and eat with their children would be advantageous in future as part of projects such as Food for Life

· School based education helps to reinforce healthy eating and sustainability messages from home and from the media.

References

Caroline Walker Trust and The National Heart Forum.

Nutrient- Based Standards for School Food. Autumn 2005

Available from www.cwt.org.uk

Changing Diets, Changing Minds report, Sustain 2005

Choosing Health Food and Health Action Plan 2005

DfES, FSA, (2004). Starting early : food and nutrition education of young children HMI 2292

DOH (1998) Nutritional Aspects of the Development of cancer. Report on Health and Social Subjects No. 48, TSO London.

Every Child Matters: Change for Children DfES 2004

Food for Life report 2003 Soil Association

Food for Life Action Pack www.foodforlifeuk.org