Every Dinner a Good Dinner?
Summary of Proposals
The draft policy builds upon DE’s “Nutritional standards for school lunches” published in 2008. That document also laid down standards for food sold in school tuck shops and for water supply for pupils. The revised curriculum also placed new responsibilities on schools to teach nutrition and healthy eating including home economics for all pupils at KS3.
The aim is to ensure that food in schools makes a significant contribution to childhood nutrition including making healthy food choices.
DE is spending £3m implementing the policy including:
New posts to provide assistance to schools and catering staff
New equipment to prepare healthier options
Training programme for catering staff
A marketing plan for promoting healthy food in schools
At local level DE is funding nutritional standards coordinators in each ELB area
At school level the School development regulations require schools to “assess the arrangements for promoting the health and well being of staff and pupils as part of the school development process”. A model template for a school based “Food In schools Policy” is included in the draft. It is expected that parents be involved in school plans.
The inspectorate will monitor and report on the implementation of the policy. The ETI has appointed two “Nutritional Advisers” to join inspection teams.
NAHT (NI) Response to the Draft Policy
There is no doubt that a nutritional diet is a prerequisite for effective education and NAHT (NI) supports the drive for better nutritional standards and healthy life styles for pupils and staff in schools.
Schools across Northern Ireland agree with the promotion of “healthy schools” and many, if not all, have moved towards the provision of healthier lunches and tuck shops and the provision of water, not in toilet areas, for all pupils. (Some schools require financial support to provide safe water and in some areas our members report that the standard of food provided by ELB managed kitchens is not yet at a high enough standard.)
However recent developments and responsibilities placed on schools are in danger of becoming over zealous in their imposition and application and are actually leading to unintended consequences. Whilst schools can be at the forefront of societal change the developments must be measured and evolutionary as they move forward. The support of parents and pupils should be part of this process. Rigid policy enforcement, as is proposed, flies in the face of other initiatives which aim to promote consensus building and parent and pupil involvement in school life.
The unforeseen negative effects of the blanket and centrally imposed policy are widespread and felt in most schools from nursery to second level. The banning of all sweets and crisps in schools is leading to much greater inclusion of these items in home provided snacks and packed lunches.
Many schools have reported a decline in the number of pupils opting to take school lunches as pupils are dissatisfied by the options available. Where pupils, usually at second level, can leave the school premises at lunch time there are reports of greater numbers choosing to do so. Indeed some entrepreneurial pupils have been known to operate private sales of the banned foods. School Pupil Councils are frequently opposed to the blanket imposition of the Food in Schools Standards. In Special schools many pupils (and parents) are particularly choosy about their food and we have reports of pupils refusing to eat anything from the options imposed. Indeed this individual rejection of the school food has been evidenced across all sectors
.
These unintended consequences, of an over zealous application of the food policy, are counter productive and certainly diminish the local autonomy of schools and attempts to promote democratic models within schools. Indeed at a philosophic level the imposition of a rigid food policy is likely to be in conflict with the wider aims of promoting healthy schools which are based on informed participant choice.
A sensitive on going application of a healthy schools policy based on local attitudes and knowledge will lead to better outcomes than this top down and rigidly imposed policy. Using the Inspectorate as a means to police the policy is indicative of the dictatorial approach implicit in this draft policy.
An evidence based evaluation of the effects of the current policy should be commissioned before further requirements are placed on schools.
Summary of Response
NAHT (NI) supports the development of healthy schools.
NAHT (NI) does not support the rigid imposition of a Food in Schools policy that allows for little or no local interpretation, is counter to other democratic developments in schools, and in actual fact is already leading to many pupils opting to avoid school provided food in favour of local fast food outlets and home supplied snacks.
NAHT (NI) opposes the inclusion of this school food policy in school inspections but does support evaluation of the impact of a healthy schools policy. NAHT (NI) would support proposals for moving the healthy schools policy forward using participatory methodologies.
For Further Information Contact:
Aidan Dolan
Director for Education, NAHT(NI)
aidand@naht.org.uk
