Hungry for Success

Annex F Implementation Plan

1. The implementation and monitoring strategy is described in section 5. We offer this more detailed implementation plan to support those responsible for taking it forward. The table in Section 1 below maps out the players who will have a key role to play in implementing these recommendations. Section 2 identifies the lead organisation with responsibility for taking the recommendations forward and the action necessary to effect the change.

Section 1: Players who will have a key role to play in implementing the recommendations

Recommendation	Scottish Executive	Local Authority	School	Caterer	Pupils	FSA Scotland	HMIE	SHPSU	CoSLA
1. In any Best Value review the role of the school meal service as part of the education and health strategies should be taken into account. It should not be considered simply as a commercial trading activity.
2. Each education authority should develop a policy for delivering, in partnership with parents and carers, medically prescribed diets and appropriate provision for children with special educational needs.
3. The Scottish Nutrient Standards for School Lunches should be adopted and education authorities and schools should have them in place in all special schools and primary schools by December 2004 and in all secondary schools by December 2006.
4. School meal facilities should not advertise nor promote food or drink with a high fat or high sugar content.
5. All schools should review their current practice in establishing links between learning and teaching on healthy eating in the curriculum and food provision in the school.
6. The Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit should take the recommendations of the Panel into consideration when developing standards for health promoting schools.
7. Education authorities should promote partnership approaches and schools should develop mechanisms to deliver partnership working.
8. Schools should consult with pupils on a regular basis on provision of school meals.
9. Processes maximising anonymity for free meal recipients should be explored as a priority in all schools. Primary schools should review their ticket allocation practices to ensure anonymity for free school meals is maximised and education authorities should adopt early introduction of a school meal application for multiple use cards, in particular in secondary schools.
10. As part of the introduction of card systems, education authorities should ensure there are sufficient validators in easily accessed areas within the school not only in the dining room, and that they are easy to use.
11. All schools should examine their seating and queuing arrangements to ensure that the social experience of school meals is maximised.
12. To address queuing difficulties and in any review of the length of the lunch break, the following factors should be considered: multiple service points more cash points in cash cafeterias staggered arrivals of diners/separate sittings pre-ordering facility separate counter for collecting pre-ordered meals delivery of pre-ordered meals to lunchtime clubs examining the potential for additional outlets elsewhere in the school the needs of disabled pupils.
13. When education authorities and schools are examining the structure of the school day, the lunchtime experience should be part of that consideration.
14. In line with the agreement set out in A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, education authorities should consider deploying classroom assistants and dining room assistants to undertake a supervisory role in dining rooms.
15. Senior management within schools should strongly support and endorse their school meal provision as part of the whole child approach.
16. Caterers should consider appropriate means of labelling food and methods of conveying information on content to pupils and parents. Through existing school communication channels, menus should be forwarded to parents at least once a term. Schools and caterers should consider presentation, marketing and pricing structures to incentivise healthier choices.
17. Improvements to the dining room to enhance its atmosphere and ambience, and encourage its use as a social area should be considered as a priority by local authorities and should be taken into account in their wider school estate planning. It is desirable, wherever possible, that a separate dining area should be provided.
18. Furniture design, layout and usage, along with other factors such as décor and background music, should be considered by all schools, with significant pupil input and programmes for change drawn up.
19. Education authorities should consider the introduction of incentive schemes to promote healthier choices and increase the take- up of school meals
20. Education authorities should consider the introduction of staff incentive schemes to recognise innovation and celebrate success
21. Local authorities, guided by CoSLA as appropriate, should incorporate strategies for implementing the recommendations of this report into mainstream planning processes that will empower and enable schools and school communities to adopt the recommendations.
22. All school catering and dining room supervisory staff should undertake appropriate training, for example, the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland Food and Health training course (currently under development) as part of their programme of development. Interested parents, carers and teachers should also be encouraged to undertake training in food and health.
23. Monitoring of the implementation of the Scottish Nutrient Standards for School Lunches, and related aspects, should be undertaken using the four levels of monitoring proposed in this report, and should involve HM Inspectorate of Education working, as appropriate, with other relevant agencies.
24. The Scottish Executive should consider what further work needs to be done to take forward the additional important and related issues identified by the Expert Panel.

Section 2: Lead organisation with responsibility for taking the recommendations forward and the action necessary to effect the change

The Scottish Executive

Develop practical guidance that enables local authorities to develop strategies for implementing the recommendations of this report into mainstream planning processes that will empower and enable schools and school communities to adopt the recommendations
Take steps to ensure that the Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit takes account of the recommendations when developing standards for health promoting schools and establish the mechanisms to exchange good practice
Commission the development of nutritional analysis software for monitoring nutrient standards
Commission HMIE to work with Associate Assessors as appropriate to undertake level 2 and 3 monitoring
Commission research to assess the implementation and impact of the recommendations
Give further consideration to related issues identified in Section 6

Education Authorities

Take account of the role of the school meals service as part of the education and health strategies in any Best Value Review
Develop a policy for delivering, in partnership with parents and carers, medically prescribed diets and appropriate provision for children with special educational needs
Using Scottish Executive guidance, and guided by CoSLA, develop strategies and policies for implementing the recommendations of this report into mainstream planning processes that will empower and enable schools and school communities to adopt the recommendations and have nutrient standards in place in primary and secondary schools by December 2004 and 2006 respectively
Adopt early introduction of a school meal application for multiple use cards, in particular in secondary schools
Ensure adequate provision of smart card facilities in schools ensuring there are sufficient validators in easily accessed areas within the school, not only in the dining room, that are easy to use
Include consideration of the lunchtime experience when examining the structure of the school day
Support and work with schools and others to develop knowledge and awareness of dietary needs of pupils from minority ethnic and religious cultures
Promote, facilitate and support partnership working practices in schools
Consider deploying classroom assistants and dining room assistants for supervisory roles in the dining rooms
Consider dining room refurbishment as a priority in school estate review taking into consideration furniture design, layout and usage along with other factors such as décor and background music
Consider the introduction of incentive schemes to recognise innovation and celebrate success in promoting nutritious choices and increasing take-up of school meals
Review catering contracts at appropriate points to ensure there are no barriers to meeting the standards for school meals
Develop formal arrangements with local NHS Boards and Trusts to secure dietetic advice and help in meeting nutrient standards
Put in place arrangements for level 1 monitoring starting 2003

Schools

Work towards implementation of the recommendations in this report in line with local authority guidance within required timescale
Support and endorse school meal provision as part of whole child approach
Review current practice in establishing links between learning and teaching on healthy eating in the curriculum and food provision in the school
Develop and implement partnership working practices as required to help implement the recommendations including consulting with pupils on a regular basis on the provision of school meals
Review free school meal ticket allocation practices to ensure anonymity for free school meals is maximised
Taking account of the guidance in recommendation 12 in the table in Section 1 above, examine seating and queuing arrangements to ensure the social experience of school meals is maximsed
Train key staff in running, and pupils in using, the smart card system
Ensure all relevant staff are appropriately trained in line with the recommendations
Undertake level 1 monitoring

Caterers

Comply with guidance to provide school lunches that meet the nutrient standards
Ensure that arrangements are in place to meet the requirement that school meal facilities do not advertise nor promote food or drink with a high fat or high sugar content
Cater for pupils with special dietary requirements ensuring variety and choice
Put in place staff development training programme arrangements
Work with schools to develop and implement:
appropriate means of labelling food and conveying information on this and meals to parents and pupils
ways of incentivising healthier choices on presentation, marketing and pricing structures of food
Monitor compliance with nutrient standards using nutritional analysis software

Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit

Take recommendations of Panel into consideration when developing standards for health promoting schools

Food Standards Agency Scotland

Develop a range of product specifications for food served in school meals

HM Inspectorate of Education

Incorporate level 2 monitoring arrangements into the programme of school inspections
Working with specialist Associate Assessors, undertake a detailed evaluation of school meals provision and produce a report for publication on progress towards the proposed 2006 target date for implementation and/or the full implementation of the standards

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