Tick off Bronze for… Implementing pupils' suggestions

1 March 2011 – Have your pupils suggested ideas for improving the school dining room? Implementing their ideas can make lunchtimes more enjoyable and increase school meal take up.

Criteria

· We encourage our pupils to suggest improvements to the dining experience and we implement the best ideas.

· We consult our pupils and parents on school meal improvements

Resources

The Food for Life Partnership website has three handy questionnaires aimed at pupils, parents and staff for you to use and adapt. The questionnaires are a great way to find out what your pupils think, and how your school food and dining experience might be improved.

Case studies

Gartree Community School in Lincolnshire asked its students for suggestions on how to improve the dining room via a questionnaire. Now a café-style dining room, the eating area has become a tranquil, social hub and sales of school meals has increased, on average, by 26%. Read the case study.

Knowing that many of its students do not have the opportunity to sit around a table and enjoy a family evening meal, Wandle Valley School in London wanted to make the lunchtime experience as enjoyable as possible. The school asked its students for suggestions on improving the dining room, and now take up of school dinners is almost at 100%. Read the case study.