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Catering Managers and Head Teachers Questionnaire
CBM 7513 Questionnaire -2 nd November 2005
Catering Managers/ Head teachers - PRE-PILOT INTERVIEWS ( i.e. before any impact of the new "pilot" tender award could be felt in schools)
Discussion guide based on open-ended questioning
(Telephone interview, average length 30 minutes, preceded by letter giving details and requesting sample menu for week/ fortnight/ month according to school's system)
QUESTIONS AIMED AT HEADTEACHERS = HT
THOSE AIMED AT CATERING MANAGER = CM
ONLY ONE OR THE OTHER WILL BE INTERVIEWED AT EACH SCHOOL
INTRODUCTION:
This interview is related to the Local Foods for Schools pilot scheme that East Ayrshire Council is currently running for schools in the area. This has the aim of improving the supply of local and organic foods to school, through obtaining as much food as possible from local and/or organic suppliers.
Other healthy food initiatives currently underway in Scotland include the Scottish Executive's Hungry For Success policy, and the Soil Association's Food For Life campaign, that aims to get more fresh, seasonal, unprocessed, local and organic ingredients into school meals.
INTERVIEWER: Wherever the respondent mentions that they have been influenced by a healthy food initiative, please check whether this is the local foods for schools pilot scheme in East Ayrshire
, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Background
( HT, CM)
Q1. Name, School, Role
Q2. Length of time in post at school, Length of time in similar roles elsewhere
Heads' Awareness of Pilot Scheme
Q2a. ( HT) Briefly, what do you know about East Ayrshire Council's pilot scheme to introduce more local and organic foods into school meals? What do you know about how the scheme came to be developed?
Q2b. ( HT) How important to you and your school are environmental and sustainability issues that the pilot scheme might help address, for example through reducing the amount of miles that the food travels?
Menus offered
Begin by discussing and collecting any further relevant information on the menus provided.
Q3. ( CM only) How long has this menu been in place?
Q6. ( HT, CM) In what ways have 'healthy eating' options been introduced over the last couple of years? Have portion sizes been changed as well as the actual content of meals? Have you made any use of the Scottish Nutrition Standards in drawing up menus? IF SO - How have you used them?
Q7. ( CM) How do "healthy choice" items on the menu (not the "healthiest choice" items) compare with other items in terms of uptake by the children?
Q8. ( HT, CM) Would you say that you offer (a) a 'healthy eating' menu across the board, or (b) healthy eating options each day for those wishing to choose them?
Q9. ( HT, CM) (IF NOT COVERED IN MENU) What drinks are on offer to children at mealtimes?
[POST-PILOT INTERVIEWS ONLY] Q9a. ( HT, CM) How do you feel the food introduced through the local foods in schools pilot scheme, since November 2005, compares with the previous food on offer in terms of both quality and taste?
Procurement, Storage, Preparation and Cooking of Food
NOTE - In this section, interviewer(s) should refer back to menu as appropriate to identify examples of any points made.
PROCUREMENT:
Q10. ( HT, CM) What involvement do you have in the procurement process for food?
Q11. ( HT, CM) Is there a supplier complaints procedure? IF SO, How does it operate? How well does it meet your needs?
Q12 (a)( CM) How many deliveries do you take each day/ each week? How well are suppliers able to meet your needs in terms of … the time of drops? …frequency of drops? …quantities delivered in drops?
Could suppliers make better use of the times available for drops?
(INTERVIEWER - In each of the above, probe to determine any differences between national ( UK or Scotland-wide) and local (Ayrshire-based) suppliers
Q12. (b) ( CM) Are there any constraints to the size of vehicle that could deliver to you premises, would you welcome larger vans, fewer drops? (eg Suppliers collaborating on distribution)
(INTERVIEWER - In each of the above, probe to determine any differences between national ( UK or Scotland-wide) and local (Ayrshire-based) suppliers
Q12. (c) ( CM) Are you happy with the quality of the ingredients? (Please comment on particular types and reasons you think there are any problems)
(INTERVIEWER - In each of the above, probe to determine any differences between national ( UK or Scotland-wide) and local (Ayrshire-based) suppliers
Q12. (d) ( CM) Are you happy with the packaging (eg size, weight)?
(INTERVIEWER - In each of the above, probe to determine any differences between national ( UK or Scotland-wide) and local (Ayrshire-based) suppliers
Q12. (e) ( CM) How much packaging waste is produced? How could this be reduced?
(INTERVIEWER - In each of the above, probe to determine any differences between national ( UK or Scotland-wide) and local (Ayrshire-based) suppliers
(POST-PILOT QUESTION ONLY) Q13 ( CM) Has the level of service (Such as quality of product, consistency of specification, delivery on time etc) improved or decreased before / during East Ayrshire's local foods for schools pilot scheme?
Q14. ( CM) As a catering manager, what is your biggest concern at the moment (staff levels, ingredients, training etc)?
STORAGE:
Q15. ( CM only) Please could you describe your facilities for storing food and drink?
Collect brief details of facilities for fresh perishables, dried/canned/tinned, frozen, chilled, drinks?
Q16. ( CM only) How do these facilities affect your ability to receive deliveries or maintain the quality of fresh products
Q17. ( CM only ) Are any changes to these facilities planned in the near future?
Q18. ( CM only) How has (How would) the introduction or more healthy options in the menu been affected by these facilities? In what ways have you been (would you be) limited?
PREPARING AND COOKING FOOD
Q19. ( CM) How has food preparation changed over the last few years? E.g. more chopping up of fresh ingredients? , more use of herbs or spices? More dishes made to recipes rather than taken as prepared dishes?
INTERVIEWER - Check what external schemes have influenced this, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q20. (a) ( CM only) How many staff are employed for preparing and cooking food? How has this changed over the last few years?
INTERVIEWER - Check what external schemes have influenced this, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q20 (b) ( HT, CM) Is there a need for more training of catering staff? If so does this relate to:
Preparation, Cooking etc?
Admin, ordering, dealing with suppliers?
Q21. ( HT, CM) How has (How would) the introduction of more healthy options in the menu directly affected your preparation and cooking of food? In what ways have you been (would you be) limited by staff numbers and skills?
INTERVIEWER - Check what external schemes have influenced this, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Practicalities of Improving Food on the Menu
We've covered procurement of food already, but any effort to improve the supply of food from Ayrshire-based suppliers and organic food to schools will require a regular, guaranteed, and sufficiently large amount of food to be delivered by your suppliers.
Q22a. ( CM only) Please could you comment on the issues that you might face in this respect in terms of improving the quality of your menu and the healthy choices available? What limitations might you face?
Q22b. ( CM) What limitations, if any, have you faced in the past in procuring food that is from Ayrshire and/ or is organic?
Q23a. ( HT, CM) How importance do you think it is to build connections between Ayrshire-based suppliers and schools, especially the catering staff who will have the best understanding of the needs of the school?
IF IMPORTANT, ASK: Q23b. How can connections like this best be developed?
Q23c. What connections, if any, do you already have with suppliers based in Ayrshire?
Importance of Healthy Food Initiative
Q24. ( HT) How supportive would you say your school is of this pilot scheme?
Q24 a. ( CM, HT). In your view how important is a school meal to the overall daily nutrition of children in your school?
[PRE-_PILOT INTERVIEWS ONLY] Q24b ( HT, CM) How might a healthy food initiative, like the local foods in schools pilot scheme that East Ayrshire Council is introducing, benefit the catering staff in the school? ( e.g. have you noticed any change in childrens' behaviour)
[POST-PILOT INTERVIEWS ONLY] Q24b. ( HT, CM) How does a healthy food initiative, like the local foods in schools pilot scheme that East Ayrshire Council has introduced, benefit the catering staff in the school? ( e.g. have you noticed any change in childrens' behaviour)
Q25. ( HT) What are the benefits to other staff in the school?
Q25a. ( HT, CM) What other benefits might the scheme have, for example in terms of childrens' health?
Q26. ( HT, CM) How important do you think it is that local suppliers, by which I mean suppliers from Ayrshire, play a larger role in supplying food to local schools?
Q27. ( HT, CM) How important do you think it is that organic suppliers play a larger role in supplying food to local schools?
Q27a. ( HT, CM) To what extent do you think that the extra cost of including more food from organic and local suppliers in the school meals menu is justified?
Healthy Eating Education/ Activities at School
Q28. ( HT, CM) I'd like to go through a list of activities related to promoting healthy eating that you may either have been involved in already, or that you may be involved in in the future. Please could you tell me what you think of each one in terms of its suitability for your school, and the benefits that it could have for those taking part.
[NOTE: Interviewer to ask for a response to each activity before moving on to consider the next activity]
INTERVIEWER - If it not obvious from the activity describerd, check what scheme they think has driven the activity, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Hosting an introduction and tasting session for the Soil Association's 'Food for Life' programme to improve school meals
Saturday open days for parents, to promote the Food for Life scheme and the Scottish Executive's Hungry for Success scheme ( N.B. Does this overlap with the activity above?)
An awareness session for teaching staff about the same 'Food for Life' programme
An awareness session for catering staff about the same 'Food for Life' programme
A demonstration session for parents on Healthy Cooking Tips
Articles in the local press on improved meals in local schools
Involvement of catering staff in a Menu Development Group
Q29. ( HT) Other than the activities I've just mentioned, what efforts have been made to integrate the issues of healthy diet, and improved school meals into the curriculum? What kinds of staff ( i.e. which roles) have been most involved in this?
INTERVIEWER - PROBE to check how any activities have been covered or included in assemblies and in the classroom
Check also what external schemes have influenced this, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q30. ( HT, CM) Of all of the activities and initiatives that we've just discussed, which seem to have had the greatest impact? Why?
INTERVIEWER - Check what impact each external schemes has had, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q31. ( HT, CM) What more do you think needs to be done to increase the uptake of school meals, and especially the uptake of healthy meal choices available on the menu?
Q32. ( HT, CM) Finally, do you have any other comments to make on the local foods for schools pilot scheme, and its efforts to improve to improve the quality of food served in East Ayrshire schools?
E.g has the timing of school meals affected uptake of the scheme? Are of swipe cards being used etc.?
THANK AND CLOSE
CBM 7513 Questionnaire - 2/3/06
Catering Managers/ Head teachers - POST-PILOT INTERVIEWS ( i.e. once some impact of the new "pilot" tender awards may be felt in schools)
Discussion guide based on open-ended questioning
(Telephone interview, average length 30 minutes)
QUESTIONS AIMED AT HEADTEACHERS = HT
THOSE AIMED AT CATERING MANAGER = CM
ONLY ONE OR THE OTHER WILL BE INTERVIEWED AT EACH SCHOOL - the same person interviewed in the pre-pilot survey will be interviewed again now if possible.
INTRODUCTION:
This interview is related to the Local Foods for Schools pilot scheme that East Ayrshire Council is currently running for schools in the area. This has the aim of improving the supply of local and organic foods to school, through obtaining as much food as possible from local and/or organic suppliers.
You were interviewed by ADAS in October or November 2005, and we'd like to interview you again now to catch up with any developments in your school's catering since then.
Some of the questions we'll cover today are the same ones that you were asked last year, to see whether anything has changed, but others are completely new questions.
Just to remind you, other healthy food initiatives currently underway in Scotland include the Scottish Executive's Hungry For Success policy, and the Soil Association's Food For Life campaign, that aims to get more fresh, seasonal, unprocessed, local and organic ingredients into school meals.
Please note that when I talk about "local food" or "local suppliers" in this interview, local means from Ayrshire, and ideally from East Ayrshire.
GENERAL NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: If at any time during the interview the respondent mentions that they have been influenced by a healthy food initiative, please check whether this is (i) the local foods for schools pilot scheme in East Ayrshire, (ii) Hungry for Success, or (iii) Food for Life.
Background
( HT, CM)
Q1. REFER TO RECORD OF PREVIOUS INTERVIEW TO CONFIRM: Name, School, Role
Q2. REFER TO RECORD OF PREVIOUS INTERVIEW TO CONFIRM: Length of time in post at school, Length of time in similar roles elsewhere
Heads' Awareness of Pilot Scheme
Q2a. ( HT) Briefly, what have you learned over just the last few months about East Ayrshire Council's pilot scheme to introduce more local and organic foods into school meals?
Q2b. ( HT) How important to you and your school are environmental and sustainability issues that the pilot scheme might help address, for example through reducing the amount of miles that the food travels?
Menus offered
Q7. ( CM) How do "healthy choice" items on the menu compare with other items in terms of uptake by the children?
Q9a. ( HT, CM) East Ayrshire Council awarded a number of new contracts to local food suppliers at the end of 2005. How do you feel the local food introduced sincethen compares with the previous food on offer in terms of both quality and taste?
Procurement, Delivery, Storage, Preparation and Cooking of Food
NOTE - In this section, interviewer(s) should refer back to the menu as appropriate to identify examples of any points made.
PROCUREMENT/ DELIVERY:
Q11a. ( CM only) Have you had to use a supplier complaints procedure to deal with any problems with any of the new local food supplied since the end of 2005? [IF SO, PLEASE ASK FOR DETAILS OF THE PROBLEM AND HOW IT WAS DEALT WITH]
Q11b. ( CM only) For these and any other problems with suppliers from the new local food suppliers, would you say that you have taken more or less time to resolve these than you have with typical problems with other suppliers?
Is this down to the nature of the problem, or to the nature of the supplier?
Q11c. ( CM only) How well has the ordering and invoice process gone with new local suppliers since the end of 2005? Do they seem more or less efficient than previous suppliers? (IF SO, How?) Do they seem more or less flexible than previous suppliers? (IF SO, How?)
Q11d. ( CM only) How do you feel about the hygiene standards of the new local suppliers, whether in their products, staff, vehicles or any other way? Do they seem to keep to better or poorer standards than previous suppliers? (IF SO, How?
Q11e. ( CM only) How do you feel about the range of products that you can obtain from the new local suppliers? Does your choice seem to be any more or less restricted than that from previous suppliers? How has this affected your work?
Q11f. ( CM only) How do you feel about the possible seasonal problems that you may face in getting food from the new local suppliers? Would these be any better or worse than those from previous suppliers?
Q12 (a)( CM only) How many deliveries do you now take each day or each week? How well are suppliers able to meet your needs in terms of:
… the time of drops?
…frequency of drops?
…quantities delivered in drops?
Could suppliers make better use of the times available for drops?
(INTERVIEWER - In each of the above, probe to determine any differences between national ( UK or Scotland-wide) and local (Ayrshire-based) suppliers)
What kind of changes has the introduction of new local suppliers since the end of 2005 brought to delivery times, frequencies, or quantities? Have these changes been for better or worse?
Q12. (c) ( CM only)
Are you happy with the quality of the ingredients you've received from new local suppliers since the end of 2005?
Q12. (d) ( CM) Are you happy with the packaging of the ingredients you've received from new local suppliers since the end of 2005? How do they compare with other suppliers?(PROBE TO CHECK OPINIONS IN TERMS OF BOTH SIZE AND WEIGHT OF PACKAGING)?
Q12. (e) ( CM) Could the new local suppliers do any more to reduce any packaging waste? [IF SO, WHAT?]
Q13 ( CM) Has the level of service (such as quality of product, consistency of specification, delivery on time etc) got better or worse since the introduction of new local suppliers at the end of 2005?
Q14. ( CM) As a catering manager, what is your biggest concern at the moment (staff levels, ingredients, training etc)?
STORAGE:
Q17. ( CM only ) Are changes to any of your storage facilities planned in the near future? IF SO, ASK: What kind of changes? What has brought these changes about? Has the introduction of new local suppliers had any impact on this?
PREPARING AND COOKING FOOD
Q21. ( HT, CM) How has the introduction of more local and healthy food into the menu since the end of 2005 directly affected your preparation and cooking of food? In what ways have you been limited by staff numbers and skills? Realistically, what could you do to deal with this?
INTERVIEWER - Check what external schemes have influenced this, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Practicalities of Improving Food on the Menu
We've covered procurement of food already, but any effort to improve the supply of food from Ayrshire-based suppliers and/or from organic suppliers will require a regular, guaranteed, and sufficiently large amount of food to be delivered to you.
Q23a. ( HT, CM) How importance do you think it is to build connections between Ayrshire-based suppliers and schools, especially with the catering staff who will have the best understanding of the needs of the school?
IF IMPORTANT, ASK: Q23b. How can connections like this best be developed?
Q23c. What connections do you already have with suppliers based in Ayrshire? Have these connections improved since the introduction of new local suppliers at the end of 2005? IF SO, How?
Importance of Healthy Food Initiative
Q24. ( HT) How supportive would you say your school is of East Ayrshire Council's pilot scheme to get more local and organic food into schools?
Q24b. ( HT, CM) How does a healthy food initiative, like the local foods in schools pilot scheme that East Ayrshire Council has introduced, benefit the catering staff in the school? For example. have you noticed any change in childrens' behaviour or eating habits?
Q25. ( HT) What are the benefits to other staff in the school?
Q25a. ( HT, CM) What other benefits might the scheme have, for example in terms of childrens' health?
Q26. ( HT, CM) How important do you think it is that local suppliers, by play a larger role in supplying food to local schools?
Q27. ( HT, CM) How important do you think it is that organic suppliers play a larger role in supplying food to local schools?
Q27a. ( HT, CM) To what extent do you think that the extra cost of including more food from local suppliers in the school meals menu is justified? To what extent do you think that the extra cost of including more food from organic suppliers in the school meals menu is justified? [IN EACH CASE, ASK, Why do you say that?]
Healthy Eating Education/ Activities at School
Q28. ( HT, CM) I'd like to go through a list of activities related to promoting healthy eating that you may either have been involved in already, or that you may be involved in in the future.
Hosting an introduction and tasting session for the Soil Association's 'Food for Life' programme to improve school meals
Saturday open days for parents, to promote the Food for Life scheme and the Scottish Executive's Hungry for Success scheme (Check whether this overlapped with the activity above?)
An awareness session for teaching staff about the same 'Food for Life' programme
An awareness session for catering staff about the same 'Food for Life' programme
A demonstration session for parents on Healthy Cooking Tips
Articles in the local press on improved meals in local schools
Involvement of catering staff in a Menu Development Group
[INTERVIEWER: Ask the questions below in relation to each activity A to G in the list above before moving on to consider the next activity.]
(i) Have you run or taken part in this in the last few months?
(ii) Would you like your school to be involved in this in the future?
(iii) How suitable is this for your school?
(iv) What benefits might it have for those taking part?.
INTERVIEWER - If it is not obvious from the activity described, check what scheme they think has driven the activity, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q29. ( HT) Other than the activities I've just mentioned, what further efforts have been made over the last few months to integrate the issues of healthy diet, and improved school meals into the curriculum? What kinds of staff ( i.e. which roles) have been most involved in this?
INTERVIEWER - PROBE to check how any activities have been covered or included in assemblies and in the classroom
Check also what external schemes have influenced this, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q30. ( HT, CM) Of all of the activities and initiatives that we've just discussed, which seem to have had the greatest impact? Why?
INTERVIEWER - Check what impact each external schemes has had, whether the local foods for schools pilot, Hungry for Success, or Food for Life.
Q31a. How has the uptake of school meals changed over this school year? Has the introduction of the new local suppliers since the end of 2005 had any effect on uptake yet? [IF SO, What effect has it had?]
Q31b. ( HT, CM) What more do you think still needs to be done to increase the uptake of school meals, and especially the uptake of healthy meal choices available on the menu?
Q32. ( HT, CM) Finally, do you have any other comments to make on East Ayrshire Council's local foods for schools pilot scheme, the recent introduction of new local suppliers, and the Council's efforts to improve to improve the quality of food served in East Ayrshire schools?
E.g. has the timing of school meals affected uptake of the scheme? Are swipe cards being used etc.?
THANK AND CLOSE
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