LACA’sAutumn Business Seminar
Warwick Hotel, Stratford Road, Warwick
Friday, November 11th
Report by David Foad
The continuing rise in rates of obesity among young people in the UK, and what might be done to mitigate it, was the focus of discussion at the LACA Autumn Business Seminar in Warwick on November 11th.
More than 130 delegates gathered at the Hilton Warwick for a packed morning of presentations.
Panel Discussion
The event kicked off with a panel debate on the Childhood Obesity Plan, which was chaired by David Foad, editor of Cost Sector Catering and School Caterer magazines.
LACA chair Sally Shadrack, Children’s Food Trust chief executive Linda Cregan and PS100 Group chairman Andy Jones comprised the experts on the panel.
They talked about the impact of the Childhood Obesity Plan on the schools meals sector and also placed the plan in the wider context of how to tackle the societal issue of childhood obesity.
All three agreed that the much-delayed Plan hadproved a disappointment because it had failed to offer definite action on advertising restrictions for food and drink aimed at children and listed only one mandatory action - the Soft Drinks Levy which had already been announced.
Sally Shadrack said: “I know we didn’t get everything we wanted, but I welcome the government’s moves in tackling childhood obesity, and look forward to working in partnership to ensure that the school food service continues to be served to as many children as possible across the country.
“We must not forget the significant investment already made by government and excellent work catering staff and school leadership are doing to promote healthy choices.”
All the panelists agreed that the Plan had missed a trick also by not addressing the fact that packed lunches are not required to meet the school food standards.
Andy Jones said that schools needed support from parents if they were to have any chance of improving the quality of food in packed lunches, and he suggested they included the catering manager on the governing body and/or the senior leadership team.
Linda Cregan welcomed the Plan’s suggestion that Ofted inspectors assess how effectively schools used the additional Primary PE and Sport Premium, though she noted that the organisation had made it clear that it did not want to get involved in assessing meals as it had no expertise in the area.
Sally said the Plan’s proposal for a new voluntary healthy rating scheme for primary schools to recognise and encourage their contribution to preventing obesity was to be welcomed, though she added that it was difficult to very enthusiastic until more detail was released.
UIFSM Evaluation
The seminar then moved onto an update on the proposed LACA research project to evaluate the impact of UIFSM on health and attainment.
Peter Sellen, chief economist at the Education Policy Institute, said the EPI had been commissioned by LACA to carry out this evaluation.
He said that followingthe introduction of UIFSM in 2012, initial evaluation by the Department for Education had shown a good influence during school day, but the evidence foe benefits was rather less so taken over the full day.
“We need to look at health and attainment evidence, and compare this to the cost of delivery to be effective,” he said.
The aims of the research would be to look at the impact of national roll-out of UIFSM, plus other similar schemes in Scotland and elsewhere.
“We want to look at the cost, monetise, extrapolate the longer-term benefits linking child and adult health. And we need to explore the process of delivery and understand what’s happened as the policy has been rolled out over the country.
“As it’s been a national roll-out, can’t get a randomised control data; so we need to understand the experience at the coal face among caterers, teachers and parents.
“For example, comparing children in terms of attainment, health etc.with those of previous years where there is an older sibling.
“And we must look at the whole economic cost, not just cost of programme but wider economic costs of health etc., the cost to parents and the saving in time for them in preparing packed lunches.”
Other considerations included how UIFSM interacted with other policies, the impact on the supply chain through food and equipment manufacturers.
“Has UIFSM affected the way teachers work, or the structure of the school day? What are the benefits or costs to schools? Does the implementation work with what we know helps children?”
The EPI would sub-contract a large chunk of case study and survey work and concentrate on evaluating the results and presenting them in a way that works for the DfE.
He said that the first research would be completed and analysed by March 2017. There would more work in the summer and the EPI would be ready by December 2017 to deliver the final research.
School Meals Take-up
Tim Blowers, vice chair of LACA, presented School Meal Research Uptake that had involved 775,000 children within schools across 24 local authorities.
He said: “These findings are part one of a research project designed to analyse the UIFSM scheme within Key Stage 1 and 2.
“It’s part of a four-year plan to get take-up data. It’s difficult to get accurate figures because schools don’t record them properly and we have a challenge separating out the UIFSM, FSM and overall Key Stage 1 figures.
“What we can say is that take-up is influenced by weather, with more parents paying for school meals when it’s colder and then it tails off again as the weather gets warmer.”
The figures also show that Free School Meal (FSM) take-up increases as the year goes on for Year R, possibly because they are not full-time for the first month or so.
The take-up averaged 76% in Key Stage 1 for UIFSM pupils, 69% for KS1 FSM pupils and 79% for all KS1 pupils.
In KS2 the FSM take-up was 66%, paid-for meals was 39% and KS2 total take-up averaged 50%.
“This is definitely an improvement and we have seen in Derbyshire you that more children stay on with school dinners in Key Stage 2 now and that is a real positive,” said Blowers.
Marketing Makeover
Andrew Archer, managing director of Dewberry Redpoint told the seminar about an opportunity open to a secondary school to win a marketing package worth up to £15,000 in services and product to provide a marketing and operational makeover. The competition is being run with the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI).
“We’re looking for a school that needs the work and will use it. It will include a free consultation from FCSI members to help the school understand what they want to achieve and develop a plan and negotiate with suppliers etc.
“The plan is to keep LACA members updated on what happens, what the school has learned and sharing this with you to help others schools that may be looking to go through this process.”
The deadline to be considered for the prize is Christmas 2016 and entry is online through the LACA website.
St Helen’s Case Study
Andrew Ferguson, executive development chef with the St Helen’s School Catering Service, talked about his newly created role to improve meal uptake in the borough’s schools.
“Our starting point was data that showed 21% of children going into Reception year were already obese. My role is to help improve their diets, develop the skills of cooks and help head teachers understand the benefits to children of regular, hot school lunches.”
After canvassing the views of the children, parents, teachers and heads, he started cookery classes in primary schools.
“We started with what they were familiar with and talked about their relationship with food. We got involved in the Children’s Food Trust Cookathon; offered taster sessions andcarried out food lessons in classrooms.
“One of the most successful ideas was making food rainbows with different coloured foods and then offering them cake made with with carrot, beetroot and apple juice to show them that foods they like can be healthy.”
St Helens had also started an allotment project using a solar and wind-powered classroom and linking up with a nearby school.
“Year 6 did the weeding, digging, planting and then harvesting of produce like curly kale, leeks, beetroot and other vegetables that were then used in school meals.”
He said parents complained about the lack of communication with the school meals service, so he had helped organise samples, taster sessions and a parents MasterChef competition based on school food standards.
“There was a cook-off and the children judged. Lamb burgers in pitta pockets won.”
He said it was important to create a real relationship with head teachers and one of the big challenges was also to get more support from parents.
His menu development has focused on creating healthy versions of the foods children enjoy eating elsewhere, but based on the school food standards.
The problem of obesity in secondary schools was even more acute, with 28% of Year 7 starters obese.
He was now tackling this to develop a healthier eating environment. Schools offered breakfast sample pots to try before registration, together with ideas and samples of foods that might be put on menus. There were also now cooking classes.
He concluded: “The challenges include getting school cooks to embrace change. The children must come first, but we’re not trying to make the lives of the cooks difficult, we’re trying to help the children.”