Demonstrating compliance with the food-based and nutrient-based standards.
The Trust has developed an Audits and Inspections toolkit to enable schools and catering providers to:
- compile a set of recommended minimum evidence to demonstrate compliance with the food-based and nutrient-based standards
- evaluate available evidence of compliance with the food-based and nutrient-based standards against the recommended minimum evidence
The toolkit was produced by the Trust, and piloted in primary schools in the West Midlands region in partnership with the Department of Health and Central England Trading Standards Authorities (CEnTSA) in 2009. A further pilot was carried out in secondary and special schools in the region in 2010.
Two versions of the toolkit are available:
- Audits and inspections toolkit for primary and special schools and their catering providers
- Audits and inspections toolkit for secondary schools and their catering providers
What does the toolkit include?
The toolkit has three parts:
- Part one of the toolkit is a one page checklist. This can be completed by the school, in partnership with their caterers, to indicate the evidence available to demonstrate compliance with the standards that apply to school lunches, and to food other than lunches, and will indicate if recommended minimum evidence is currently available.
- Parts two and three of the toolkit include further information. This includes:
- Details of recommended minimum evidence of compliance
- Paper checklists which can be used to check food provision against the food-based standards for lunches and food other than lunch
- Next steps to take if recommended minimum evidence is not yet available
Who can use the toolkit?
The toolkit can be used by schools and catering providers to evaluate food provision against the food-based and nutrient-based standards. Although schools may receive lunchtime catering services from a local authority provider or private caterer (and in which case they should be able to provide evidence of compliance for the lunch time service), it is important to note that where the catering budget has been delegated, the responsibility for compliance with the standards lies with the school governors.
School governors are responsible for ensuring the standards are met in other outlets where they provide, or have arranged, food provision (e.g. breakfast clubs, tuck shops, after school clubs). The toolkit can be used to evaluate the food provision across the day and demonstrate compliance with the standard for food other than lunches.
Why are there two versions of the toolkit, and which version should I use?
There are two versions of the Audits and Inspections toolkit:
- Audits and inspections toolkit for primary and special schools and their catering providers
- Audits and inspections toolkit for secondary schools and their catering providers
The recommended minimum evidence of compliance is the same for all schools, and the checklist and details of recommended minimum evidence are the same in both versions of the toolkit. The different versions of the toolkit contain different example menu cycles and examples of evidence, as food provision in secondary schools is typically more diverse and extensive than in primary or special schools.
The Audits and Inspections toolkit for primary and special schools.
Click here to download (MS Word doc 3,142KB)
The Audits and Inspections toolkit for secondary schools.
Click here to download (MS Word doc 3,134KB)
The toolkit can be printed and completed by hand, or completed as an electronic document.
Additional resources:
In response to requests received since the Audits and Inspections toolkit was published, the Trust has produced additional resources to support the use of the toolkit:
Checklists for evaluating compliance with the food-based standards: The toolkit includes checklists that can be used by schools and catering providers to check that the food provided at lunchtime and in other outlets operating across the school day is compliant with the food-based standards. These checklists are available as standalone documents and are also editable so they can be completed and shared electronically:
Checklist for final food-based standards for school lunches
Click here to download (MS Word doc 103KB)
Checklist for food-based standards for food other than lunches
Click here to download (MS Word doc 113KB)
Two reports are available to detail the development and piloting of the Audits and Inspections toolkit. The first report details the preliminary research, development, and piloting of the toolkit in primary schools. The second report details the development and piloting of the toolkit in secondary and special schools.
Collaborative pilot of an Audits and Inspections toolkit in 28 primary schools in the West Midlands region (published April 2010)
Click here to download (Adobe pdf 231KB)
Audits and Inspections toolkit for secondary and special schools: findings from a collaborative pilot in 14 schools in the West Midlands region (published January 2011)
Click here to download (Adobe pdf 181KB)
There are FAQs relating to compliance with the standards available here.
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/school-cooks-caterers/faq/monitoring-compliance-faqs
