Catering & Nutrition
A New Approach to School Dinners W
hen it comes to school catering, the most important objective today is to increase uptake. Without that you are preaching to an empty church and any attempts to encourage healthier eating are likely to fail because students are continuing to bring in their own packed lunches or choosing to eat elsewhere.
To combat this, at Innovate we believe that a new approach to school catering must be adopted by business managers, head teachers and those involved in the decision making process. It is not about thinking solely about the food offering in isolation but addressing a number of issues.
Comment by Derick Martin, CEO, Innovate Services
We work in partnership with schools, school business managers, staff, parents and of course the students themselves to design a catering offering that engenders buy-in; we involve the ultimate customer – the student – to ensure a service is created that appeals to their needs.
There has to be a greater level of menu choices and improved availability. It has got to look appetising and offer variety, whilst meeting nutritional guidelines.
Efficient systems need to be in place; the flow of getting students in, providing an opportunity to browse the menu choices available, either self-serve or have a plated meal provided, and then pay within the allotted breaktime needs to be carefully devised.
The environment itself is key: school canteens often appear drab and old-fashioned to teens. It therefore needs to be modernised to attract students back to school catering and their involvement in this is vital.
By adopting a new approach, you may be surprised by the outcomes. We are seeing uptake typically double at the schools we are operating and it comes down to challenging convention and offering the industry a completely new way thinking.
Plymstock School launches new eco Galley Café, thanks to Innovate Services
P
lymstock School has announced the completion of a project to completely refurbish its student dining facilities, which incorporates eco solar panels to support the power and heating of the building. Innovate Services were appointed by Plymstock School to manage the refurbishment and to subsequently take over the day-to-day running of the school’s entire catering operation. A former run down gymnasium building has been dramatically transformed into a state-of- the-art café that provides new serving facilities so staff and students can choose from a wide
range of freshly-made hot and cold snacks and drinks. A new second storey mezzanine area has been built, plus a soft-seated area is available for staff and students to relax in. David Farmer, Headteacher of Plymstock School said: “The new Galley Café is a wonderful addition to Plymstock School. Innovate Services has completely transformed our facilities, working closely with the Business Manager and the Student Council to achieve the very best results. The Galley is now open throughout the school day and provides an environment that everyone is enjoying using.”
Julia Crookston, Business Manager of Plymstock School added, “Originally, when we embarked on the project to review our catering, we were looking for something new, bright and innovative – something spectacular, that the students would enjoy using, at any time of day. The transformation is unbelievable. Innovate have been excellent to work with, and the project has been completed on time and within budget.”
uVisit
www.plymstockschool.org.uk and
www.innovate-services.com
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www.education-today.co.uk
May 2011
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