7. The impact of delegation on meals
7.24 One governor described the opportunities for greater delegation had provided. The
school could now communicate directly with the supplier so any required changes were
easy to implement.
We wanted more hot puddings so we asked for more hot puddings. It’s not rocket science
because you are talking person to person about a manageable amount of meals. So if we say
‘We’re having too many yoghurts, can we have more hot puddings?’ That’s exactly what
happens. We have a better choice, we are more accountable. In the old system, we really didn’t
have much input into what we wanted and what we didn’t want. We were at the end of a
mass production process. Somebody centrally planned all the schools, whereas we are now just
the beginning and the end of the production process. If we want no curries and more lasagnes,
we can just walk over the road and say ‘No curries and more lasagnes.’
Healthy eating
7.25 A number of LEAs had introduced policies to improve the healthiness of the meals
offered by the central service, by banning or discouraging certain foods (particularly
chips, crisps, and fizzy drinks) or specific additives, and promoting the introduction of
more frequent offering of salads and fruit.
7.26 One LEA related how they had been ‘ahead of the game’, when it came to nutritional
standards. Their contract with a private catering contractor had commenced prior to
the reintroduction of government nutritional standards. They had consulted with a
dietician in drawing up their contract, with the result that it exceeded, and was more
specific about nutritional standards than current government requirements. There was
emphasis on healthy eating in the authority, with some schools taking a holistic
approach through School Nutrition Action Groups, that involved the curriculum as well
as out of school activities. These initiatives were school-led, though the LEA and the
contractor attended some group meetings. Additionally, the NHS-led Health
Improvement programme was in operation in the LEA to promote healthy eating and
nutrition as a focus in a county-wide Healthy Schools Programme.
7.27 Other LEAs reported initiatives to encourage healthier eating and many were piloting
innovative ideas to assess their viability and their market value. These often required
some capital backing. One LEA had introduced trial milk bars, using equipment on
loan from the milk producers, and this service was now being requested by other
schools in the area.
7.28 One central catering service was offering healthier options at lower prices than
unhealthy foods.
In October, we introduced salad bars in junior schools one day a week and that has gone down
brilliantly to make them more adult and independent. It is just ways of making it more
innovative and brighter. We are running for the next three weeks a filled jacket potato for
50p to try to get them off the chips. The problem with chips is that they are cheap and fills
them up.
7.29 A case study primary school had tested the salad bars. The school cook was able to
offer the salad bar on two days each week and even reception year pupils successfully
helped themselves from the salad bowls set out on a low table. The kitchen had also
shifted from deep frying to oven cooking, and provided oven cooked chips on only one
day each week instead of most days. The cook admitted that she had been aghast when
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