News Archive
Improving packed lunches: Ashton Vale Primary School
Rather than banning packed lunches outright, we resolved to make them as healthy as possible. We send out weekly newsletters to parents, explaining what the rules are on packed lunches and why they are important. For example, jam or...
19 Mar 2013
Getting the contract right: East Sheen Primary School
Seven years ago, the lunch service at East Sheen Primary was truly dreadful. Our school, in south west London, was locked into a contract with a substandard local authority caterer. The food was awful, and take-up correspondingly low: only...
19 Mar 2013
Norwich schools help shape plan for better school food
Teachers, parents and school cooks from across Norwich joined forces on Friday 15 March to help shape the future of school food in England....
15 Mar 2013
UIFSM: Getting the right kitchen
Ideas and advice compiled from the universal free school meal (UFSM) pilots and other local authorities, which have already implemented UFSM. Establishing a new school kitchen is a specialist job. Some issues to consider if converting an existing space...
5 Mar 2013
UFSM Registration Forms
View example registration forms for capturing data on existing free school meal eligible pupils, from different local authorities which have already introduced universal free school meals for primary pupils: Southwark Islington Newham Other related case studies: Brighton & Hove
5 Mar 2013
UIFSM Getting Started – For Caterers
This support document was kindly produced by Caterlink, based on their experience catering for universal free school meals (UFSM) in Islington primary schools. 1 Analysis of Current Take Up and Service Provision Consider number and diversity of school meals providers...
5 Mar 2013
School Food Working Group
What does a School Food Working Group do? A School Food Working Group (SFWG) brings together individuals from across a school to look at its food culture (what it teaches about food, the food it serves, the messages children...
5 Mar 2013
Getting parents involved: Barons Court Primary School
Getting parents involved has huge benefits for all schools, especially small ones like Barons Court Primary school in Southend. We have only 186 pupils. Until two years ago, we had no food service of our own, meals were delivered...
19 Jan 2013
Farming in schools: Phoenix High School
Phoenix High School is very far from a rural idyll. Located right in the middle of the socially deprived White City Estate in west London, with the six lane A40 roaring in the background, our school is perhaps the...
19 Jan 2013
Demanding more from existing caterers: Ashley Church of England Primary School
The food at our school, Ashley C of E Primary School in Walton-on-Thames, used to be pretty uninspiring. It was brought in pre-cooked by council caterers and dished up into plastic flight trays at a small serving hatch. Unsurprisingly,...
19 Jan 2013