School Nutrition Action Group
Newsletter Winter 2002
Contents
Editorial Drinks in Schools
Good Hydration Fluid Issues
Be Cool in School 1 Be Cool in School 2
Be Cool in School 3 Be Cool in School 4
About Workers Chips are Down




Goodbye to Slates and Carrier Pigeons

We have gone online. In this edition we are devoting the whole newsletter to drinks in Schools – a much neglected area where the opportunities to improve services are easy and the benefits enormous.

The Health Education Trust would like to take this opportunity to thank the Meat and Livestock Commisson for their sponsorship of SNAG and the newsletter over the years.

Our thanks too, must go to Kysen Communications Group who have designed and produced each newsletter

.

Joe Harvey,
Director of the Education Trust.


Editorial
Healthy Drinks/Healthy Schools
Good hydration is essential to children’s well being and yet in many, many schools, access to water and milk is difficult, sometimes impossible. A mixture of bureaucracy and administrative convenience seems to hold sway while in secondary schools the vending machines stock expensive high sugar soft drinks supported by massive advertising of the major brands. Inside this edition are a series of articles looking at the importance of milk and water and highlighting the recent seminars run by the National Dairy Council and the brilliant campaign ‘Be Cool in School’ by Merseyside Health Action Zone.
So why milk? And how do we
promote it?
It is strange that a product that is so clearly such a valuable ingredient in a child’s diet should currently not be a favoured choice for many pupils. Even if we accept that the current bureaucracy around the supply of free or subsidised milk is seriously unhelpful, there are other reasons that drinking milk is not as popular as it could be.
We need to ask ourselves what the bad guys are doing! Why is it that the sales of soft drinks, high in sugar, almost devoid of any nutritional value, and often full of additives, are taking over our schools? Perhaps we could compare their range of products, their marketing, in particular their understanding of the importance of young people as the basis of their future profitability in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The opportunities for for increasing sales of drinking milk in schools are mouth watering but if they are to be taken there will need to be a different and more adventurous approach by all those in the industry. It is essential that there is the creation of new milk products and a fresh exciting marketing of milk to young people.
It seems to me that this can only be done if the dairy industry collaborates on a national basis to compete with the awesome power of its rivals. The soft drinks industry is wiping the floor with us all at the moment to the detriment of children’s health and only a radical change of attitude will dent their control.
Water, water, everywhere and…
It is the shameful truth that the majority of our schools have a lack of facilities for offering access to drinking water for children that is Dickensian.
• Well over half of all pupils must put their mouth around a tap in the toilets or drink from cupped hands – how many of their teachers or parents would tolerate such conditions in their workplace?
• Most schools forbid both water bottles in
the classroom and the child to leave a lesson for a drink.
• Almost 10% of schools have no drinking facilities at all
Access to palatable drinking water is a basic human right and the government, LEA’s and schools should move quickly to ensure that schools supply this simple but very vital resource.
Finally you will find on page 9 a timely reminder of the vital role of those at the sharp end of the school meals service. Read on and enjoy!
Page One
Drinks in Schools – Fluid for Thought
The Dairy Council

Lack of Drinks in Schools May Lead to Dehydration and Urinary Infections in Young Children
learn about what drinks are healthy for children, the role of School Milk and the impact of drinks on children’s nutrient intakes.

Speakers included Joe Harvey the Director of the Health Education Trust, Mary Cooper a Community Dietician from St Mary’s Hospital in Leeds, Luci Daniels a State Registered Dietitian, Dr Margo Barker a lecturer in Human Nutrition at the University of Sheffield, Catherine Stillman-Lowe the Public Health Adviser for Oral Health at the Health Development Agency and Dennis Grey from First Milk.

The Dairy Council’s Nutrition Manager, Dr Anita Wells said “It is really important that children are properly hydrated when they are at school. The conferences enabled The Dairy Council to reach those in the community who can make a difference about what drinks children are offered in school”.

The Dairy Council is confident that many of the delegates who attended the conferences and described them as ‘inspiring’ and ‘informative’ will now spread the word about the importance of drinks in school within their own communities.
The conferences were run as part of The Dairy Council’s School Milk Campaign, which is aimed at increasing awareness of milk in schools and encouraging more parents and teachers to support the EU Subsidised School Milk Scheme.
 The School Milk Campaign is targeting the following Local Education Authorities; Manchester, Stockport, Vale of Glamorgan, Birmingham, Warwick, Solihull, Coventry, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Havering.

Since the campaign started in September, The Dairy Council has written to some 3,000 Head Teachers, Directors of Education, Healthy Eating Co-ordinators, MP’s and School Nurses, organised a series of road shows in shopping centres and town centres in the 10 LEA’s and produced a School Milk video for teachers to have a better understanding of how a school milk scheme works.

The following two articles are taken from the conferences.

Further information from:

Michele Stephens
Communications Manager
The Dairy Council
Tel 020 7659 7312
E: M.Stephens@dairycouncil.org.uk

Child health experts who attended the Dairy Council’s Drinks in Schools – Fluid for Thought conferences are calling for more schools to provide drinks at break-time in a bid to reduce dehydration in young children.

The issue of how much children should drink in school topped the agenda at the conferences in Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff. The one-day conferences, held throughout October, also explored the effects of dehydration on children’s health, from headaches and urinary tract infections to renal disease.

Head Teachers, School Nurses, Catering Managers and School Meal Dieticians from each of the areas packed in to the conference venues to

Page Two

Good Hydration –
Hype or a Neglected Area?
Mary C. Cooper S.R.D,
Community Dietitian – Leeds Schools.
Fluid Requirements
Health care professionals can confidently and accurately describe the nutritional needs of individuals at all ages and stages of life. They can also state with certainty that fluid is necessary for life. However, when it comes to predicting the quantities required the situation becomes more complex. Fluid requirements are more frequently studied and reported for babies, infants and those individuals who are fed via tubes and/or who have certain mental conditions. There is very little data about healthy, free living children who eat and drink.
This article looks at what is known about school aged children, their
fluid requirements, effects of possible dehydration and the problems encountered in encouraging and enabling them to drink regularly
and appropriately.

1.5ml per kcal expended is recommended as a total fluid requirement. This equates to approx. 2600ml for a 7 year old girl and 4000ml for a 15 year old boy.

However, allowances need to be made for the fluid content of foods consumed. It is becoming generally accepted that 6 to 8 cups (appropriate for the size/age of the child) of fluid per day should provide an adequate intake providing allowances are made for extra during hot weather and after vigorous activities. Thirst is a good indicator of fluid needs, provided that there is an opportunity to recognise and respond to it.

Standards and Guidance
There is a legal requirement to supply water that is fit for drinking and the latest School meals guidance and standard documents state that there is an expectation that water will be provided free of charge and milk should be available every day. However, this guidance does not state a quantity, nor does it discuss appropriate venues for serving the drinks.

Dehydration
The effects of poor hydration range in the short term from thirst and headaches, continence problems and constipation to concerns of urinary tract infections, renal stones and renal disease in the longer term.
There is also increasing anecdotal evidence that cognitive ability is improved by frequent intakes of small amounts of water. More research studies are needed to clarify these effects.

The Leeds Experience
Using a multi-disciplinary approach various pieces of work have been undertaken to assess the provision of water, define the problem in terms of dehydration and look for and implement practical solutions. The team has included Public Health Consultants, Hospital and Community Paediatricians, School Nurses, Community Dietitians and students, Teachers and of course pupils. Yorkshire Water has also been contacted and they are currently undertaking an option appraisal looking at the range of water fountains available and assessing likely installation difficulties in schools. Contact was also made with Education Services surveyors to raise the issue about including fluid provision in specifications for new buildings.

A survey of all Leeds primary schools in October/November 1999 gathered information about current provision and practice for pupils. From a 90% response rate the results show:
• 99% had access during the
school day.
• 12% had access at lunch
times only.
• 18% had working water fountains
• 30% had access only in the
toilet areas.
• 45% of schools did not encourage fluids during/after games.
• 6% respondents commented abut the (perceived) quality of the water.

This was a quick and crude look at the provision but it did effectively raise the profile of water provision. After the results were distributed back to the schools the Dietitian received many requests for help. Several schools implemented “fluid provision” without any further encouragement. Using some money from the Health Authority, classroom sets of beakers and flasks were purchased for 8 primary schools and water fountains were installed in 1 primary and 1 secondary school.

A survey was carried out in the paediatric outpatients by hospital staff. They looked at the drinking patterns, frequency of

using the toilets and the habit of sitting or squatting on the toilet seat of both young people who were presenting with renal problems and those with other medical concerns. Although the numbers were small (range 11-38 in each of 4 groups) some of the results showed concerning trends.• Older pupils have less (free) access to the toilet areas during the day.
• Older pupils are more likely to not sit properly on the seats (up to 50% of young people presenting with renal linked problems).
• The lack of water fountains shown in the above survey was confirmed.
• There was very little encouragement to drink after games/sports across all age ranges.

Suggested Actions
Some schools need very little encouragement to improve facilities once they are aware of the benefits; especially once both health and education benefits are understood. There are schools that will need more practical advice and support to be encouraged to improve their provision. Practical support in terms of resources, access to grants and ensuring policy makers are aware of the issue are all useful avenues to pursue. The Healthy Schools Standard is an ideal arena for promoting fluids in schools. In Leeds a requirement to address fluid intake is included in the nutrition component. The increasing number of breakfast schemes provided in schools gives another opportunity to offer and encourage fluids.

Reference
1 Clinical Paediatric Dietetics 2nd Edition edited by Vanessa Shaw and Margaret Lawson for the Paediatric group of the British Dietetic Association 2001
2 Kleiner SM. Water: an essential but overlooked nutrient. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1999; 99:200-206
3 Statutory Instruments 1996 No. 360 The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1996
4 DfEE: Healthy School Lunches. Guidance for school caterers on implementing Nutritional Standards 2000.

For More Information, contact Mary Cooper at Leeds Community & Mental Health Services Trust, St Mary’s Hospital, Greenhill Road,
Leeds LS12 3QE
Page Three

Fluid Issues – The Impact of Drinks on Nutrient Intakes
Luci Daniels,
State Registered Dietitian.
luci.daniels@virgin.net

The average primary school child consumes
15 glasses of sweetened soft drinks, a week
National Diet and Nutrition Surveys (NDNS) are carried out in this country every ten years and provide the government and other agencies with valuable data on which to
base policies. The last NDNS for children aged 4-18 years was published in 2000 and much of the data in this abstract have been taken from this survey.

NDNS information on drinks:
87% of primary school children regularly drink milk, 70% drink sweetened fizzy drinks, 60% drink water, 59% drink sweetened squashes or cordials, 56% drink no added sugar squashes or cordials, 50% drink fruit juice, 36% drink tea and 35% drink ready-to-drink sweetened drinks such as those in cartons, e.g. Five Alive, Ribena, etc.

To properly understand these drinking habits, we need to compare the actual quantities consumed. Parents and the school environment will have some control over drinks offered, but children tend to choose on taste from what is available. In total per week, the average primary school child consumes:

• 15 glasses of low calorie soft drinks
• 15 glasses of sweetened soft drinks about 10 glasses of milk
• 21/2 glasses of fruit juice and
• 2 cups of tea/coffee

(averages about 6-8 drinks per day)

The sweetened soft drinks provide about 30% of the total non-milk extrinsic (NME) sugars in the diet.

The National Diet and Nutrition Surveys (NDNS) are carried out in this country every ten years and provide the government and other agencies with valuable data on which to
base policies. The last NDNS for children aged 4-18 years was published in 2000 and much of the data in this abstract have been taken from this survey.

NDNS information on drinks:
87% of primary school children regularly drink milk, 70% drink sweetened fizzy drinks, 60% drink water, 59% drink sweetened squashes or cordials, 56% drink no added sugar squashes or cordials, 50% drink fruit juice, 36% drink tea and 35% drink ready-to-drink sweetened drinks such as those in cartons, e.g. Five Alive, Ribena, etc.

To properly understand these drinking habits, we need to compare the actual quantities consumed. Parents and the school environment will have some control over drinks offered, but children tend to choose on taste from what is available. In total per week, the average primary school child consumes:

• 15 glasses of low calorie soft drinks
• 15 glasses of sweetened soft drinks about 10 glasses of milk
• 21/2 glasses of fruit juice and
• 2 cups of tea/coffee

(averages about 6-8 drinks per day)
• 1-5% are deficient in magnesium,
• 1-3% are deficient in iron and about 1% are deficient in iodine and B vitamins.		 Children, particularly boys, from households receiving state benefits are those most likely to have diets deficient in these nutrients. Diets deficient in these nutrients will impact on the health of these children. If we were able to introduce an extra glass of milk into the school day we would contribute all those nutrients mentioned above, with the exception of iron, and would therefore play a role in reducing the nutrient deficiencies of those children’s diets. School milk is available free to primary school children whose parents are receiving state benefits, however the local education authority does have to pay the cost of supplying the milk to them.

The government has recently begun the Fruit in School scheme. By 2004 it aims to provide every 4-6 year old with a small piece of fruit, every school day, free of charge. Fruit is a rich source of several nutrients, in particular, anti-oxidants, which, in the long term, will help to reduce the risk of developing cancer and heart disease. Milk and a portion of fruit together would complement each other, by providing a valuable addition of key nutrients to the diets of primary school children, particularly those from under privileged backgrounds. It will also help encourage “healthier” choices of food and beverages as the children enter adulthood.

Reference
Gregory J et al (2000) National Diet and Nutrition Survey: young people aged 4 to 18 years Volume 1: Report of the Diet and Nutrition Survey. London: The Stationery Office.
Page Four
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Be Cool in Schools 1

Improving student’s access to fresh drinking water may help to:

• optimise their learning in school by preventing a dehydration-induced reduction in their mental and physical performance.
• prevent a range of health problems including urinary tract infections
and constipation.

What Can Schools Do?

If you would like to see a “Be Cool in School” drinking water scheme in your school this is what you can do:

• Discuss it with the head teacher, governors, parents, teachers, assistant teachers, students, caterers and break and lunch supervisors and encourage them all to support the “Be Cool in School” and “Water is Cool in School” campaigns!

• A “Water Bottles on Desks” scheme is a very cheap way of starting straight away (see page 7)

• Why not pilot a “Water Bottles on Desks” scheme in one year group initially? This will make that group feel special and encourage other years to want to be involved!.

• Sources of cool, palatable water should also be available at convenient points throughout the school –
This is an excellent project, complete with information booklet, produced for Merseyside Schools to encourage improved drinking water facilities in schools for all children.

water coolers and water fountains are suitable for this. Various designs are available
(see page 6).

• Teachers may have concerns about mess and disruption – they can be reassured that these problems are easily avoided.

• Our booklet includes handouts for students and a parents’ leaflet.

• Schools can contact their Healthy Schools Co-ordinator to find out more (see back of book for contact numbers).

Remember we can all benefit from drinking more water.

Encourage students to drink at least 6-8 glasses of pure fresh water per day!

Teachers may also find that drinking more water makes them feel better!

How Can Schools Provide Water?

Water Bottles on Desks

• Perhaps the easiest, cheapest and most effective way for children to get their water is for them to bring in a clear, colourless plastic bottle of tap water from home.

• Ideally, sources of cold drinking water should also be available in school for children to refill their bottles as necessary.

• Bottles should be taken home daily, rinsed with warm soapy water and reused; they should be clear so that children do not bring in squash, juice or fizzy drinks to drink between meals.

• Non-spill sports-style caps are ideal.

• We recommend that students are permitted to drink only water in class in order to protect their teeth.

Water Coolers

• Water coolers use either mains or bottled water.

• They may be used with disposable cups or cones or used to refill bottles.

• Mains water coolers have lower
on-going costs.

Water Fountains
• Water fountains are useful but care should be taken to site them away from toilets, and in easily accessible, suitably supervised areas where students are safe from boisterousness, pushing and bullying.
• The number of fountains should reflect the number of students.

Taps
• Taps should be mains-supplied and labelled as drinking water.

• Can be used to refill bottles in a “Water Bottles on Desks” scheme.

• Cups should be available – disposable cups are ideal or children can bring their own.

• Jugs of drinking water can be chilled in the fridge if space allows.

A Note on Vending Machines
• Schools with vending machines
(or tuck shops) might wish to consider selling bottled water and milk as healthy alternatives to the usual sweet soft drinks and juices (note that some flavoured and/or carbonated waters may contain sugar and/or be acidic).

• Schools with good access to fresh drinking water may even wish to consider removing vending machines!

• Vending machines are not an alternative to free good-quality water facilities.

Page Five

Be Cool in Schools 2
Practical Advice for Water Coolers and Water Fountains
Suppliers
Aqua Cool (Manchester)
0161 877 5257
Maestro International Ltd 01704 876 710
AquAid
0151 525 6006
Acrokool
01799 513 336

Hughes (Bredbury)
0161 430 5856
Spa
01422 883 916
Hydropure
0800 11 77 44

This is not a definitive list, there are many more in the Yellow Pages
The following information is intended as a guideline only. We do not endorse any one particular company. This information was sent to us in response to telephone requests.
We would suggest that if schools wish to purchase coolers or fountains they contact their healthy school co-ordinator to discuss the possibility of a discount for a volume order.
Many systems are available.
The commonest are:
• Plumbed in water fountains
and coolers

• Bottled water coolers (large inverted bottle) style – usually used with purchased water although some designs can be refilled with tap water.
We would suggest that the mains plumbed water fountains could be the best option for schools as they do not have the expense of litter associated with cups. These point-of-use (POU) machines have a “bubbler” (jet for drinking water) and a “swan neck” (to allow a cup or bottle to be filled).
The traditional water cooler (large bottle on top of cooler, not plumbed in) is the cheapest (to purchase approx. £300).

Some companies offer these machines on a free rental scheme but you have to purchase the water bottles

and cups from them (water 19 litres, approx £5 per bottle, cups £15 per 1000). Some machines and only requires connection to a mains electricity socket.

If you have a good relationship with the school ancillary staff, you could consider this option. But remember these machines need the drip tray washing daily, and sanitising 4-6 weekly, plus the cost of cups if personal bottles are not used (the plastic cups can be recycled, many of them are made from recycled plastic).

Water fountains (plumbed in and requiring a drain for waste) start from £500. The only additional costs are for filters (£30 x six monthly) and sanitising. They could initially cost more to install if the mains water needs re-siting but are the cheapest to run, and the most robust machines. Water fountains can be rented and all the costs are included in the rental. AquaAid and Aqua Cool are currently charging £25 per month per machine
(July 2001).

There is probably not one definitive answer to your water needs. Much will depend on the current plumbing, siting of the machines and size of the school. It may be possible to have the less expensive water

coolers in dining rooms, sixth form blocks and staff rooms, as they may be treated with more care in these areas. The heavy duty fountains could be sited in areas where they will not be as carefully managed.

Further advice may also be available from local Schools Buildings Inspectors. There are many water delivery systems available so most school needs can be catered for.

A Note about Funding
In addition to the usual sources of funding, school water schemes can be paid for in a variety of other ways:
• Supermarkets and bottled water manufacturers may donate bottles for “Water on Desks Schemes”.
• Food Co-Ops may be able to supply low-cost bottled water for tuck shops.
• Many suppliers of fountains and coolers offer discounts for schools and additional discounts for larger orders.
• The Drinking Fountain Association is a charity which donates water fountains to schools in return for a £25 membership fee (which is used to fund more fountains). Schools then only need to arrange fitting (typical cost approximately £70).


Page Six

Be Cool in Schools 3
Practical Advice for Water Coolers and Water Fountains

Be Cool in Schools has been produced for Merseyside schools by Dr. Alison Merry, Specialist Registrar in Dental Public Health and Carol Parker, Food and Health Facilitator, Liverpool Health Authority and Merseyside Health Action Zone.

We are indebted to Nickie Brander “Water is Cool in School” Campaigner for her help, advice and encouragement and to ERIC (Enuresis Resource and Information Centre).

Copies of the ‘Be Cool in Schools’ guide and further information is available from Carol Parker on 0151 285 2362 or Alison Merry on 0151 285 2452 or Alison.Merry@liverpool-ha.nhs.uk

The national “Water is Cool in School” Campaign is being sponsored by AquaAid. For further information on “Water is Cool in School” contact:
“Water is Cool in School” Campaign
ERIC (Enuresis Resource and Information Centre)
34 Old School House
Britannia Road
Kingswood
Bristol
BS15 8DB
Tel: 0117 960 3060
Fax: 0117 960 0491
info@eric.org.uk
www.eric.org.uk
Holy Name Junior School in Mosspits Lane, Liverpool circulated brochures of water fountains to the school council who voted for the machines they wanted to purchase. It gave the children some responsibility for the machines and they are well looked after. (Cost £1800, for four stainless steel bowled water fountains.)
Page Seven

Be Cool in Schools 4
Excerpts from The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4, 1st July 2001
“All civilisations have valued water for its purity and as the basis of good health. In today’s programme we consider the role water plays in ensuring children benefit from their education. There’s a big question about the amount of water our children drink. Medical advice is to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Few school children in Britain get anything like that amount. And the results are not trivial”.

“I see a lot of children, girls in particular, with recurrent urinary tract infections. I gave a questionnaire to children who came to the hospital and was surprised with the result. 50% of children didn’t drink at all at school. Of those who did drink, about 75% of them only had access to fluids at lunchtimes. 60% of them hadn’t used the toilet at all at school on the previous day. It’s apparent that school children do not drink at school and they don’t drink at school because they do not want to use the toilets.”

There are several worries with not drinking enough. It’s very easy to get mildly dehydrated if you don’t drink. If you become between 1-2% dehydrated there is good evidence that it interferes with your mental ability. A study on children showed that their ability to do arithmetic was impaired if they were between 1-2% dehydrated and their ability declined the more they became dehydrated.

We need to make water more readily available in schools. We need to make teachers more aware of the fact that drinking is important at school for children. It is a national problem that needs to be addressed”.

Dr Trevor Brocklebank,
Consultant and Reader in Paediatrics,
Leeds University		 A lot of trouble in school is dietary and water related. You can solve an awful lot of problems just by looking at those two main issues. I can do something about water in my class. I can allow children to have it in the classroom. I can encourage them to drink by looking at me having it. I will openly drink water in the classroom. They do get cleverer, they do concentrate better and it aids the learning. I frequently talk to the children about the importance of water”.

Shauna Walker
High School English Teacher,
Glasgow
“It worries me that there is insufficient appropriate framework. I know all governments want to be hands-off but for the Secretary of State to apply guidelines, not regulations, but guidelines only saying that he “expects drinking water to be available to all children free of charge” is simply not good enough. Teaching and support staff will have access to fresh drinking water every day and at any time of the day. Children are just as, if not more important, and they do not. And when recent research shows 10% of schools with no drinking facilities at all and 50% with facilities in the toilet area only, you tell me how many adults would like to drink water in the toilet. Yet we expect children to. And that is simply outrageous”.

“The government must provide some modest regulation and ensure that it is appropriately inspected. The whole area of food services, which obviously includes access to drinks and water needs to be part of a framework at national, local and school level. Schools must have a water programme addressed to them which shows them the benefits of investing in both the resources
and a curriculum programme to see that this
very basic need, this very basic right, is met
in every school in the country.”

Joe Harvey,
Director of the Education Trust.
Page Eight

What About the Workers?
A Vital Ingredient
Christine Lewis,
National Officer
UNISON
020 7388 2366
Who could deny that those who prepare and serve food in schools are vital to its quality and success?

Their skills and commitment to the services are as important as the ingredients that they use. But too often school meals workers feel that their service is a low priority. They are frustrated by the ignorance of its central role in child development and the health of the nation. The earliest organisers of the education system knew that to feed the mind, you must feed the body. Food at school during terms and holidays served health, education and welfare strategies. After the barren years of Baroness Thatcher, school meals were relegated to a non-essential unregulated service. The reintroduction of national nutritional standards and an element of compulsory provision must be good news. The joint DfEE/DOH Food in Schools programme is a positive initiative which restores, in some measure, the status of school meals and other nutritional issues. But there are fundamental barriers to progress which have been created over the last twenty or so years. Funding levels have failed to meet need throughout the public sector. There have been pressures to achieve educational standards and to equip children for a new technological age. The combination of the two factors has worked against the delivery of a high quality catering service. And while those at the chalk-face have undoubtedly felt the pinch, those at the food-face have had to perform loaves and fishes miracles.

A kitchen team may have as little as 40p or less a head to provide a tempting and tasty midday meal. While Government investigates how to improve take-up of school meals, those who run the service may doubt that they have the capacity to meet increased demand. Kitchen and dining room premises have also deteriorated.
Much is made of the importance of the environment when enticing children to eat. But many facilities are run-down or multi-purpose and have the ambience of a prison canteen. To work in these conditions is demotivating. To feel that the valuable service you provide is under-funded and undervalued is demoralising. Behind the friendly face or fierce dinner lady stereotypes are school meal workers who must be skilled in food and hygiene techniques. The job has become intensified as staffing levels have fallen during waves of competitive tendering and cost-cutting exercises.

Pay and condition remain pitifully low. As term-time only workers , many school ancillary staff have received retainer pay during the holidays. These schemes have been under attack in local authorities. Private companies, which hold about 20 per cent of school meal contracts, are unlikely to fund them. And now access to job-seeker’s allowance during unpaid holidays is disallowed following the failure of a UNISON-backed petition to the House of Lords on interpretation of the regulations.

The judgement did refer to the low levels of pay and poverty trap into which school support can fall.

The net effect on the school meals service will be extremely harmful. Recruitment will suffer and turnover of staff will increase as “holidays” without income start to bite. Employers will be less likely to invest in training or staff development and casual employment will increase. School meals workers have been caught between the rock of cost-cutting employers and the hard place of the benefit system. Most would prefer to be on a 52 –week contract with term-time working as a flexible option. This has been achieved in Northern Ireland and would be a positive move in the rest of the UK.

If you can’t make omelettes without cracking eggs, you certainly can’t pursue the Food in Schools programme without consideration of the egg-crackers. The staff have hands-on experience and indispensable skills and should be an essential part of any discussion on the shape and direction of the services. Despite the poor terms and conditions, most school meals workers enjoy their role and would dearly love to have the resources to do more. If the government and employers are sincere about effecting positive change in children’s diet and their relationship with food, they will need to invest in the service and its workers.
Page Nine

The Chips are Down
The New Guide to Establishing Food Policy in Schools

This exciting publication is a comprehensive update by Joe Harvey of the original Snag Guide. It covers new government initiative and regulations and offers a step by step approach to establish a school food policy via a whole school approach. Essential reading for health and education professionals, caterers and anyone else with an interest in improving food services and young peoples nutrition in schools.

To order a copy Click Here

FOOD IN SCHOOLS SEMINARS
run by Joe Harvey (Director HET)
One day, or half day, interactive workshops can be tailor made to suit the specific needs of health, education, or catering organisations wanting to develop best practice and policy in schools. You supply the venue, we supply the programme led by Joe Harvey.
Contact: Health Education Trust, 18 High Street, Broom, Alcester, Warwickshire, B50 4HJ. Tel: (01789) 773915.

Joe Harvey will be your tutor for the day.

He is a nationally recognised authority on food in schools. He has run three national conferences, jointly with DfEs, led in excess of fifty one day seminars across the UK, has lectured widely and contributed to the debate in all forms of the media.

The programme is practical and interactive and includes:

• An examination of national initiatives and recent
Government legislation.

• The rational and benefits of school food policy

• A structured partnership approach to policy frameworks

• Action planning and resourcing

You supply the venue, we supply the tutor, an agreed
programme and all the materials.
Page Ten
SNAG and HET visual identities and SNAG newsletter designed by KYSEN,London. Telephone 020 7323 3230. www.kysen.co.uk
Health Education Trust
18 High Street / Broom / Alcester / Warwickshire / B50 4HJ
enquiries @HealthEdTrust.com