Ofsted
Actions in the School Food Plan
The Action:
Ofsted inspectors to consider behaviour and culture in the dining hall and the way a school promotes healthy lifestyles
Inspectors assess how “children and learners keep themselves healthy, including through healthy eating”
Action 9 of the plan is centred on the monitoring of schools in relation to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the time and space given to lunch.
Under Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework, which came into force in September 2015, inspectors assess how “children and learners keep themselves healthy, including through healthy eating”. Inspectors will look at “the food on offer and visit the canteen to see the atmosphere and culture in the dining space and the effect this has on pupils’ behaviour.” Inspectors will also look at the “breadth and balance of the curriculum, of which practical cookery is now a part.”
The School Food Plan has produced practical guidance to help school leaders and governing bodies adopt a whole school approach to food and create a culture and ethos of healthy eating. Find out more here.
Annual Update for Ofsted
Key resources
What Works Well
Sir Michael Wilshaw,Chief Inspector of Schools
“As a head teacher I always wanted to make sure that my children ate a good school lunch. Not only does a good quality lunch improve a pupil’s concentration in the afternoon, but the atmosphere in the canteen is critical to encouraging good behaviour.
More than that, lunch is the only time of day when the whole school – children and teachers – have a chance to come together. The atmosphere of the canteen sets a tone for the rest of the school and helps to establish the school’s culture”