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TNS System 3 Social Research
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Introduction

The research was commissioned on behalf of SEED: Pupil Support and Inclusion Division in April 2004 and in response to a recommendation by the Expert Panel on School Meals for an evaluation of the implementation of the recommendations in 2007. This involved research in 18 case study schools (8 primary, 8 secondary and 2 special) to establish baseline data for the planned full evaluation. The findings from the study provide a picture of school meals before the recommendations were implemented, for comparison in 2007.

Key findings

• Given the nature and timing of the research, it might have been expected that most of the schools would not have made much progress against the recommendations. In practice, the picture is much more complex, as virtually all schools in all sectors met elements of one or more recommendations. In one instance a primary school appeared to be ahead of the pace of change introduced by the local authority and their progress appeared to have temporarily stalled;
• It might also have been expected that primary and special schools would be further ahead in implementation than secondary schools, given the timing of the introduction. This was broadly the case, although the leading secondary schools were ahead of lagging primary schools on aspects of implementation. One special school appeared not to have been included in changes to food provision introduced by the local authority.
• The precise situation of schools in all sectors in relation to implementation varied due to a complex interaction of the nature of the school itself (sector, size, location); the education authority area in which it was situated; the physical environment; the head teacher, teaching and catering staff, the pupils and the culture or ethos within the school;
• The research indicated that the role of the education authority in leading implementation was very important. It also highlighted the importance of staff, both catering and teaching staff in making progress, despite in some cases the existence of external barriers outwith their control.·

Background

This research study, commissioned by the Scottish Executive Education Department and carried out by TNS System Three Social Research, was the first stage in evaluating the implementation of the recommendations. Its main purpose was to provide a baseline picture of school meal provision across a range of case study schools. The research was intended to form the foundation for longitudinal case studies, allowing the progress made on implementation and impact of the recommendations in Hungry for Success within case study schools to be assessed in the future.

The research was carried out in primary and special schools at the start of the 2004 - 2005 school year, immediately prior to the deadline for implementation in those schools. It is important to bear this in mind when reading the report, as it would be expected these schools would have made further progress on implementation since the research was conducted. In secondary schools research was carried out between January and June 2005, between eighteen months to two years in advance of the deadline for implementation. As such the research provides a picture of work required in case study secondary schools to enable them to meet the deadline for implementation.

Given the case study method employed and the fact that this was a baseline study, these findings should not be interpreted as a final critical assessment of school meal provision against the recommendations in case study schools, nor should it be interpreted as a critical assessment of the position in all Scottish schools.

Findings

Dining experience of school meals

In primary, secondary and special case study schools, pupils mostly considered lunch to be a social experience. Where lunch was viewed less favourably, this was due to limitations of space, or where dining rooms were multiple-use areas. Such multi-purpose dining rooms occurred in a number of the primary schools in particular, though they were observed in one or two secondary schools as well.

Space was often constrained in primary case study schools, and there were often separate sittings for different year groups. In a number of schools where there were separate sittings, pupils at later sittings in particular had to sit where there was space rather than being able to sit with their friends. They also were less able to linger over their meals.

In secondary case study schools pupils could often spend as long as they wanted in the dining room after they finished eating, adding to the social experience. In one or two secondary case studies, space was sufficient only because a relatively large proportion of pupils ate out of school.

All case study schools, regardless of sector, were limited in their ability to address some of the problems of the physical environment of the dining room themselves. A small number, across all sectors, had reviewed their seating arrangements in the recent past. Similar changes were planned in one or two more schools, for example in the case of one secondary school as part of a planned new building.

Some primary and secondary case study schools had made changes to their lunchtime queuing systems to improve the lunchtime experience. A number, including those who had attempted to address problems with queues, did experience noticeable queuing difficulties. Queues were the place where indiscipline most often occurred at lunchtimes, in particular, though not exclusively, in secondary case study schools. This had the effect of diminishing the social experience of lunch for most pupils, who on the whole behaved positively in the dining rooms.

Poor behaviour in queues appeared to be caused by waiting times, congestion at key points in the queuing process and the (lack of) availability of popular choices, especially later in the lunch period.

Food served at lunchtimes

The recommendations in Hungry for Success include guidance on menu planning by food group. This was the area that was the focus for most change in all sectors, but especially in case study primary schools. Changes were identified both in the types of food available and through the menus and recipes that had been introduced. This meant that there was the potential for individual pupils in most of the case study schools across all sectors to have school lunches which met the nutrient standards.

Menus had been changed in all of the primary case study schools, although in at least one the menus were not being followed exactly. In one of the special schools, where recommendations were due to be implemented by December 2004, menus had yet to be changed and staff were unaware of when this would happen. Case study secondary schools varied in the extent to which the recipes and menus had been changed In many of the secondary schools in particular, pupils still had scope to choose unhealthy options from the range of food available.

Recipes with reduced fat and salt levels had been provided by local authorities as part of the changes principally, though not exclusively, to case study primary schools. Occasionally cooks did not follow recipes exactly. Guidance was also provided on portion sizes across sectors, although often catering staff did not follow the guidelines with individual pupils. Setting aside this in-school variation, in broad terms vegetable portions tended to be smaller and portions of meat-based dishes larger than recommended in the guidelines. Variations to recipes and to portion sizes were observed across all sectors, although the former was less prevalent than the latter.

The extent to which guidelines for the five food groups were being followed varied by food group. Broadly, case study primary schools were following the guidelines for group 1 foods (breads, other cereals and potatoes), although not always offering alternatives to fried potatoes, nor providing bread on all days. In secondary schools, chips were offered more often than recommended, though occasionally chip free days had been introduced.

In general, fruit and vegetables (group 2) were offered sufficiently often in all sectors, although hot vegetables in particular were hardly being eaten by pupils. Instead, pupils often preferred salads and raw vegetables. Although fruit was more popular than vegetables with pupils in all sectors, the quality and presentation of whole fruit meant it was unpopular with many pupils. Younger pupils, in primary schools, struggled with larger whole fruits.

Milk and milk products (group 3) were generally on offer as recommended. The milk served in all school sectors was usually semi-skimmed.

All schools in all sectors offered portions of food from group 4 (meat, fish and alternatives) every day and served red meat at least twice a week, in line with the guidelines. Processed meats were offered more frequently than recommended in some primary and most secondary schools. Although fish was served as recommended in most primary schools and many secondary schools, it was rarely served more often and some schools served it less often. Oily fish was very rarely served in any schools in any sector, and had proved to be very unpopular with pupils in most of the schools where it had been tried.

Most case study primary, and several secondary schools, were following the guidelines on foods containing fat and foods and drinks containing sugar (group 5). However several of the latter were still serving fizzy drinks, confectionery and crisps in the dining room, through vending machines and in tuck shops.

Pupils' wider food choices

Clearly, school meals are only one aspect of pupils' diets and the food they eat both at lunch and other times are shaped by a number of influences.

In general, pupils in all case study schools appeared to have some knowledge of healthy eating and a few were, if anything, ahead of their schools in terms of the demand for healthy options; more often though, they did not appear to apply their knowledge to their own lunchtime choices.

Diet diaries completed by primary school pupils provided information on food and drink consumed over five days and in secondary and special schools on the previous day. Some conclusions could be drawn about the eating patterns of pupils from the diaries, principally of those in primary schools. The findings should not be interpreted as being representative of the diets of pupils more widely.

Some pupils in both primary and secondary schools appeared to eat more healthily in the evening than during the day. Reported consumption of vegetables, for example was higher in the evening than at lunchtime in both sectors. The majority of pupils in case study primary schools ate breakfast every day, mainly eating bread or cereals. Across all sectors, a high level of fried, high fat or high sugar foods was reported as being consumed at lunchtime, in the evening and during the morning.

Tuck shops selling such foods as confectionery, crisps and fizzy drinks were available in a number of case study secondary schools during morning breaks and sometimes at lunchtimes. Some schools were reluctant to close tuck shops or stop selling popular, but unhealthy, items as they relied on proceeds for school fundraising

Pupils, sometimes restricted to older ones, were allowed out at lunchtime in case study secondary schools. This affected the uptake of school meals, and consequently the ability of providers to influence diet. Pupils chose to go out rather than eat in school for a variety of reasons including the availability of nearby alternatives. Often those alternatives served less healthy options.

Marketing of food and drink within schools

In Hungry for Success, one recommendation is concerned with promoting healthy choices and another with not promoting food or drink with a high fat or sugar content.

Food labelling should help pupils to make more informed choices and may encourage them to try different dishes. Sandwiches were often labelled with their filling, while other foods, including hot meals, were not usually labelled. One or two case study schools did have samples of the food on view with cards displaying the names of the dishes.

Increased advanced information about menus should also assist pupils to make informed choices about their diet. In primary schools, menus were forwarded to parents, although at the time of the research this had not happened as frequently as recommended. Menus had not been sent out to parents of case study secondary school pupils.

Healthy choices were incentivised in a number of ways in all sectors, although sometimes such incentivisation was piecemeal. On a few occasions healthy options were placed more prominently, but those questioned felt that more could have been done with the presentation of hot vegetables, salad and fruit options in particular in most case study schools in all sectors. In several schools across all sectors, posters appeared in dining rooms encouraging healthy eating, providing information on the five food groups, and promoting five a day to encourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables.

New primary school menus were designed to ensure the provision of balanced meals. This meant that in one primary school, a pupils' points scheme incentivising healthy choices was discontinued when new menus were introduced. Some secondary schools offered meal deals, which were again designed to bring about the eating of balanced meals, as well as encouraging pupils to try healthy options.

Pricing was being used to incentivise healthy choices in a few case study secondary schools where healthier choices were cheaper than less healthy ones, or the portion size or price of less healthy options were changed.

In primary and special schools, there was no evidence of advertising or promotion of food or drink with a high fat or sugar content. Some advertising did take place in a few secondary schools, mainly of fizzy drinks and, occasionally, crisps.

Managing school meals

Hungry for Success includes recommendations on the supervision of school meals and involvement of teachers and pupils in provision.

With a few exceptions, the links between senior management within case study schools in all sectors and school meals provision did not appear to be strong. The extent to which senior management could influence provision was not always great, given it was often controlled centrally by local authorities. That said, one or two head teachers took a close interest in provision, other teachers had tried unsuccessfully to influence provision while a small number of senior management teams appeared to show little interest in doing so.

Where senior management was involved, it was often in the physical environment or in wider aspects related to supervision of pupil behaviour rather than the food itself. The level, and as a consequence the effectiveness, of supervision varied across schools. As a general rule, there was more supervision in special and primary schools, and for younger children and those who needed greater assistance.

Because more changes had been made in the primary sector, more consultation had taken place with primary pupils than secondary pupils. Aspects of school meals on which consultation had taken place were on food choices and the dining environment.

Free school meals and payment systems

Hungry for Success recommends that anonymity for free school meals recipients is maximised and that the introduction of payment cards should be prioritised, particularly in secondary schools, as a way of facilitating this.

Where they expressed an opinion, staff in case study schools across all sectors did not believe there was a stigma attached to free school meals in their own school. This was for the most part confirmed in the qualitative research with case study school pupils, both those entitled to free school meals and others. As it was not possible to identify those pupils who were entitled to, but did not take up free school meals, the research was unable to explore whether lack of anonymity was a barrier to take up in the case study schools.

Payments systems that were used by most case study primary schools allowed recipients of free school meals to be identified and there was not much evidence of practices being reviewed to ensure anonymity. A cashless payment card system was about to be installed in one primary school.

Most, but not all, case study secondary schools had 'swipe' cards that made it more difficult, though not impossible, to identify those in receipt of free school meals.

A whole school approach to healthy eating

Recommendations in Hungry for Success designed to encourage a whole school approach include the need for schools to work in partnership with others and to establish links between healthy eating in the curriculum and food provision in schools

Although healthy eating was being taught in most schools in all sectors, we found little evidence in any sector of formal links being made between healthy eating in the curriculum and food provision in schools. Only a small number of schools were working to specific strategies for developing healthy eating in the curriculum. Catering staff across all sectors were not involved in teaching about healthy eating, although occasionally school nurses were.

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