Local Authority

Ealing

Pupils on roll

1300 (1720 when full)

Area

Kitchen/servery: 160m ²
Dining: 475m ²

Architects

Foster and Partners

Design

The site is bounded to the north by a busy four-lane road. To alleviate noise and air pollution, the northern elevation is largely closed. By contrast, the southern facade is generously glazed, with courtyards that open onto grassed areas and the sports fields.The two sides of the building are linked by an open street, which forms the organisational spine of the academy.The dining areas are all adjacent to the spine. The catering arrangement is centred on a single kitchen, with a servery directly attached and the dining area adjacent. The milk bar was established later and serves sandwiches and salads (prepared in the main kitchen), with its own seating area in a double height atrium between classroom blocks (the pod). Younger primary age pupils, including those with special educational needs, eat in the nursery and in an area that is close to the main dining space, with its own mini servery supplied from the main kitchen. Older primary age pupils eat in the main dining area. Nursery pupils have their own dedicated area where they eat packed lunches. Older pupils with special educational needs eat in the main dining area. The payment system uses swipe cards, with top-up machines distributed around the school.

School Food Policy

The school aims to provide healthy food. The menu is balanced to suit all students, both primary and secondary. The principal policy objective is to make mealtimes a sociable, enjoyable experience. The school also has a clear inclusion policy, and is aiming to be the first academy to earn the Inclusion Quality Mark. Staff generally eat with the students.

Feedback

Pupils

• Years 8, 9 and 10 are upbeat about the two main spaces, with their different characters (the pod – for sandwiches and salads – and the main dining area) but they would ideally make both bigger because it can be difficult for them to find places to sit with friends.
• If the pod space were opened up to the outside, pupils could eat outside in good weather.
• Halal diets should be catered for.
• Queuing and circulation arrangements are not ideal.

Head of Catering

• The kitchen is conveniently located to supply the serveries.
• The kitchen is well equipped, but is now too small to provide freshly prepared food for all those taking lunch, and will need to be extended. This will become more apparent as the school fills up.

Staff

• There is a highly organised rota system with a staggered lunch period, which ensures that the queues are as short as possible.
• Having a number of different dining areas (nursery, reception/special needs, main and pod) close to each other gives a nice range of options.
• Overall, the space for both the kitchen and dining areas will need to be expanded.
• The school seems to have grown out of the kitchen and dining areas before it is full, and will need to find more areas for both – but the plan appears to allow for this relatively easily.
• The queuing arrangements are currently in conflict with the central circulation route through the school and a better circulation system needs to be found.
• The quality of furniture in the dining areas detracts from the otherwise pleasant environment.

Guidance/Conclusions

What this Case Study Does Well:

• All the dining spaces are well designed, with high quality materials and good lighting.The pod space is particularly pleasant, with good daylight and views
• The acoustics work quite well: acoustic panelling in both the lower and high level soffits provide good absorption
• The use of different zones for the different schools works well, providing some autonomy and taking advantage of a shared kitchen facility