Introduction
Beechen Cliff is a Comprehensive Boys Secondary School, located in Bath. There are 825 male pupils on roll in years 7-11 and a further 259 sixth form pupils. These pupils include both males and females. In 2007, 186 pupils were paying for a school meal and 35 pupils were taking a free school meal (FSM). The school has an in-house catering service. The kitchen site was originally a craft area that was converted in the early 1990s’.
What were the triggers for change?
- In 2007 Beechen Cliff appointed Tim Fletcher, as Head Chef. Tim created innovative and exciting dishes which revolutionised school food.
- Due to the increased demand on the kitchen and to increase capacity and efficiency, some of the old equipment needed replacing.
- The layout and design of the kitchen was restrictive and many of the procedures being used to prepare the food were outdated.
There were a number of problems with the current kitchen and dining space design including:
- Lack of operation and preparation space
- Congestion around the dish wash area
- Queuing problems
- Outdated and failing equipment
- Space for Storage
- Equipment was old and obsolete.
Tim recalls “Pots and pans were stored everywhere, mainly under shelves. The numbers on the fryer’s temperature dial, had all worn off and equipment would break down on average once a week.”
How was the project funded?
Tim made a bid for funding from a refurbishment competition, sponsored by Catering Equipment Distributors Association (CEDA) and featured in the Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine. The school received £60,000 to spend on their kitchen and dining space. The school also funded an estimated £30,000 of the building costs to ensure the planned catering re-vamp was completed.
Tim states “Without this funding the kitchen and dining area could not have been re-designed as cost was a restrictive factor. Beechen Cliff School has now set up a depreciation account. This is a rolling fund to pay for any new equipment needed in the future.”
Who was involved in implementing the changes?
Tim’s vision to refurbish the kitchen and dining area was given incredible support from the Head Teacher, Andrew Davies. The school also consulted with the School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) and catering staff with regard to the kitchen re-design. A questionnaire was issued to pupils and the results influenced the layout of the dining area (please refer to the pupil feedback document)
Results of the 2007 pupil survey
Click here to download (Adobe pdf doc 84KB)
Martin Felstead (Managing Director) of Aspen Design, a commercial catering equipment supplier, was brought on-board to provide the professional knowledge on design and installation. For more information please visit: www.aspendesign.co.uk
What Improvements were made?
Kitchen Area:
- Tim was able to choose from a list of 16 supplier sponsors (CEDA members) and was able to utilise up to £5000 of the prize money, per supplier, to purchase equipment.
- Planning and design for the project began in February 2008.
- The improvements to the kitchen area were completed in two phases. The majority of building and electrical work took place over the summer holidays. Fitting of the new kitchen took place over the October half-term
- The whole project took 9 months in total to complete.
It proved too expensive to remove the existing dishwasher and ventilation canopy“†”:#cesa for the cooking suite. Therefore, the new design had to be worked around these existing features. A flat frontage servery was replaced with a curved design complete with serving islands to split and reduce the queue time. The new servery area comprises of: three hot counters, a refrigerated multi-tier merchandiser“†”:#cesa and a Valera bottle cooler. This has given pupils several serving points where they can get their lunch and has helped to split the queue and reduce queuing time.
The school sectioned off a clearing area, with a further curved wall, and installed recycling areas. Pupils clear away their own trays after they have finished eating. A snack kiosk in the centre of the dining area was removed to create further seating space.
As Beechen Cliff School had also part-funded the project, they were able to fund some of the structural changes to the kitchen including creating a defined dishwashing and pot storage area and an enlarged dry store and chiller space. The new cold-room has replaced an existing chiller and increased chilling capacity by 50%.
A six burner Charvet range has replaced the original smaller range. A second combi-oven was installed to enable vegetables to be steamed. Additional preparation space has been added to the kitchen including workbenches and a sink – previously the catering staff had prepared the food from mobile trolleys. Above the work spaces are Mechline wall shelves which have created extra storage space for smaller pieces pf equipment. The wash-up area includes a double sink and shelf racking for the storage of pots and pans.
Dining Area:
In 2007 the school carried out a pupil survey to identify what changes needed to be made to the dining space. The results of the survey can be found below.
Results of the 2007 pupil survey
Click here to download (Adobe pdf doc 84KB)
The feedback was influential to the layout and design of the area. The main priority was to increase the speed and flow of pupils coming through the serveries. To achieve this, food was duplicated at the bain maries and an additional exit was created, to improve movement. The dining area can seat up to 140 pupils and lunchtimes have been split into two sittings to increase capacity and reduce queues.
A competition was held to encourage pupils to design a logo; to give the dining hall more of an identity and branding. The winning entry has since been incorporated into all literature and clothing. Furthermore, the dining area has been cleaned and redecorated to enhance the space. Large photographs of pupils posing with food ingredients adorn the walls. The school’s art students have been instrumental in creating these photographs.
What have been the benefits to the school?
- Increased operation and preparation space
- Catering staff now have more room for food preparation and the equipment needed to cope with the increased demand in take up.
- Reduced congestion around the dish wash area – a defined dishwashing area has helped to reduce congestion in the kitchen.
- Re-designing the serveries has enabled pupils to select their food from several locations, instead of one. This has split the queue length and meant that the service time has been reduced.
Due to the newly improved dining area students have reported feeling a sense of ownership and increased respect for their surroundings. Lunchtime is now a good experience with time and space to eat. The catering team feel much more integral to the school. They are excited by the positive feedback being received and can see the benefits of good food provision. The success of the canteen has created a ‘buzz’ throughout the school which has raised interest in the food.
One parent comments “My son has just started in year 7 and thinks your food is lush. Now, in less than two weeks, he is enthused and can’t wait to get to your dining room! Wonderful!”
The school catering team have gained more oven space, a salamander grill and cooking hobs. The deep fat fryer has become obsolete.
Take up of school meals:
Beechen Cliff School are now producing a greater number of school meals to meet the demand. The take up of meals has increased dramatically over the last two years (please refer to the table below).
| Date | Take-up for Paid Meals | Take-up for FSMs |
| 2007 | 186 | 35 |
| 2009 | 580 | 55 |
What has the school learnt?
- Thorough planning is paramount to the success of the project.
- Be aware of any other health and safety regulations that need to be adhered to as a result of the re-design.
- Some of the new machinery requires specific cleaning materials which can prove costly.
Future priorities:
Tim comments “Despite the fantastic changes that have occurred I strongly believe the kitchen, but more so the dining hall, needs to evolve and constantly be refreshed to maintain interest.”
Beechen Cliff Secondary School has drawn up a three year project plan incorporating a cashless catering service. Please click on the following link to view the project plan.
Catering Development Plan
Click here to download (Adobe pdf doc 788KB)
Resources:
Floor Plans
Original Plans: These plans illustrate the original kitchen and dining room setup. Initially Beechen Cliff School had a small straight line servery within a small hatch. This resulted in long queues and slow service.
Beechen cliff Case study: floor plans Original Plans
Click here to download (Adobe pdf doc 1,683KB)
New Designs: These plans highlight the introduction of the curved servery and three smaller hot counters, all serving the same food. The queue system was divided into three smaller queues whereby pupils were served faster. The new design resulted in the loss of one dining table however, increased the flow of pupils in the dining space. Efficiency in the kitchen improved with the added work space. A clearing area was installed and pupils were trained to clear away their plates and dirty cutlery thus, enabling kitchen staff to focus on other tasks.
Beechen cliff Case study: floor plans new designs
Click here to download (Adobe pdf doc 1,170KB)
If you would like more information regarding any of the equipment listed in the case study then please see useful links below
Contact details:
If you would like further information please contact the School Food Trust at info@childrensfoodtrust.org.uk
† – For more information on Equipment discussed in this case study view the links to the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA) website in useful links below
