April 2008
Action taken
School Meals provider, Manchester Fayre encourages pupils to make healthy food choices. Manchester Fayre recognises their responsibility in serving, encouraging and promoting healthy food choices to pupils.
With school meal numbers decreasing across the city, it was deemed important to ensure that our customers (pupils at the school) were happy with the service being provided.
At Heald Place Primary School, Deputy Head Teacher Karen Goulding selected a year 5 pupil to conduct the pupil consultation during the lunchtime period. Mohammed was an obvious choice as due to medical reasons he was unable to play outside for a specified time. The pupil consultation would help to keep Mohammed occupied and engaged at lunchtimes.
To help structure the consultation, and record feedback, “The Healthy Lunchtime Book” was devised. The book consisted of a series of questions for Mohammed to ask fellow pupils over the lunchtime period. The questions ranged from the dining environment, dishes being served on the menu each day and identifying the most and least popular dishes being served to help inform menu development.
The objectives of the pupil consultation was to:
- Inform menu development (by identifying popular, and least popular dishes)
- Identify changes to the dining environment that would be welcomed by pupils
- Improve the knowledge of pupils to make healthy choices
(Michelle Hargreaves, Heald Place Primary School)
What were the outcomes and benefits?
The introduction of the pupil consultation at Heald Place primary school has resulted in reliable data being collated from pupils to make small, but significant changes to the dining service which has helped to sustain and increase meal numbers.
Student Voice
The responsibility given to Mohammed helped increase his confidence. Mohammed was easily identifiable in the dining room as he was given a brightly coloured uniform to wear. Pupils at the school now feel empowered, as they have been given a voice, which will help improve their school meals service.
On average, each day, Mohammed consults with 60 pupils. Feedback from his consultation prompted the following changes:
- Recommendations for fruit or flowers to be displayed on each table which will make the dining room look more inviting for pupils and also encourage pupils to eat more fruit.
- The piano to be played in the dining room to help create a more relaxing and enjoyable dining experience.
- More of the popular foods being introduced onto the menu on a regular basis – ensuring that pupils continue to choose and enjoy school meals.
Learning Experience
A lesson learnt from the project is that the answers provided by pupils to one of their peers are more open and honest, as they do not feel that they need to answer in a certain way to “please” an adult. Previously, members of the catering or marketing team had carried consultation with pupils in the school dining room.
Contact information
Michelle Hargreaves
Marketing Manager
Email: m.hargreaves@manchester.gov.uk
Tel: 0161 234 7716
