The IndependentSchool Food Plan

John Vincent’s blog on Mumsnet

John Vincent writes about his experience of school food in the 70s and 80s and reflects on how much better school food is today:

I was at school in the 1970s and 1980s. At Chase Side Primary School in Enfield, I needed fuel to play kiss chase with Justine Willis (well, I am sure it was with others, but Justine was the main focus of the game) and to play football. The school meals were shipped in from another school and they were enough to put most non free school meals children off, and probably quite a few free school meals children too.

Today, scientific studies have proven that the school meals served in many schools are much more nutritious than packed lunches.

The good news is that many schools are realising this. Led by headteachers, supported by a committed bursar or business manager and passionate school cooks, these schools are focusing on the things that encourage children and parents to opt for a school meal: great food; social aspects such as short queues and being able to eat with friends; a nice place to eat; affordable prices; school food being seen as the cool or attractive thing to go for. In fact, Chase Side Primary School today is one of those – led by an inspiring headteacher Sally Quartson.

Read the full blog here: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/bloggers/1743795-Guest-blog-time-for-parents-and-children-to-help-improve-school-meals

Review your school food for the Sunday Times

School meals have come a long way from the days of soggy chips, turkey twizzlers and deep-fried hamburgers. School dinners are now generally pretty good – though there are still some where it could be improved.

The Sunday Times are asking children to rate and review their school dinner or packed lunch for the chance to win a free lunch for themselves and their family at the restaurant of top chef Bruno Loubet in London. The closing date is midnight on 5 May 2013 and the winner’s review will be published in The Sunday Times.

All you have to do is send the Sunday Times a review of your school dinner – it can be as short as a sentence or as long as a side of A4. What are you waiting for – send them your review and help make school meals better!

Enter here: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/school_meals/.

Annabel Karmel joins LACA, and The School Food Plan to launch small school pilot

The government’s school food advisers have enlisted children’s food expert Annabel Karmel MBE, to help develop a food programme that will enable small schools in rural areas to deliver tasty, nutritious food without losing money.

Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, co-Founders of Leon Restaurants, are creating a plan, to be released in early Summer 2013, to help improve school food in the UK. They have announced the launch of a Small Schools Pilot, with the help of Annabel Karmel, The Local Authority Catering Association and an alliance of other public and private sector bodies, which will aim to develop a scalable a model that:

• delivers great tasting and healthy hot lunches that children love
• at a cost of under £2 per lunch
• to schools with a take up of under 100 pupils and breaks even
• that could be applicable nationally

Henry Dimbleby said:

Schools with a take up of under 100 people struggle to break even. In many cases they make significant losses. If this is not resolved there is a risk that many schools will stop providing hot meals altogether. The small schools pilot will show how we can provide good quality, nutritious and tasty food in a cost effective way, even in an area with small schools that struggle to reach that 100 figure. We said from the outset that if there were things that needed to be done we wouldn’t wait until we published the plan to start doing them. This is an example of one of those quick wins.

The pilot will be delivered by a public/private sector alliance led by the School Food Plan. The following have volunteered to lead specific areas:

• LACA (formerly Local Authority Caterers Association), which will oversee implementation in schools
• Annabel Karmel, who will develop a series of tasty, nutritious and cost-effective menus
• Brakes, which will act as lead food supplier
• Catering Equipment Distributors Association, which will supply kitchen equipment

Anne Bull, LACA National Chair, said:

I am pleased that LACA will be actively involved and be able to use the knowledge and expertise it has to help in the small school pilot. The small schools sometimes are overlooked, but it is as important in these schools as it is in all schools, that children and young people have equality in accessing healthy nutritious food.

The model will be developed during the summer term 2013 and be piloted across a region in the autumn term 2013.

Ashton Vale Primary School visit Fernhill Farm