School Food Champions Programme
The School Food Champion (SFC) Programme has now finished and what a great pilot programme it has been.
We have been supporting secondary food teachers with resources and activities focused on school food to help achieve increases in their school meal uptake. Stop waiting, join the game now with starburst continuous luck and many victories await you!
Our final numbers show that 41 Champions have achieved 5% increases (or higher) in their school meal uptake for three or more consecutive half terms with a further two Champions achieving greater than 5% increases over two consecutive half terms.
Overall the Champions have achieved on average a 14% increase in school meal uptake per half term, in monetary terms this equates to an average of 27 additional meals server every day and approximately £1.03million in increased school meal revenue.
We have also received lots of feedback on activities and events that our champions have instigated in order to support the school meal take up. These ideas range from introducing grab bags, advertising meals on computer screen savers, giving Year 12 responsibility for supporting the catering team at lunch times, designing new menu’s and holding competitions for meal ideas, increased focus on school food in lessons to redecorating and renaming the school dining facilities and I’m sure there are more ideas out there.
Thanks to our champions who have worked tirelessly on top of their normal teaching role to establish relationships with their catering teams and build menus based on pupil voice. They have utilised a variety of resources to raise awareness of school food amongst their pupils during lesson time and some have worked with student councils to promote the school meals. All of these activities and more have led to increased uptake for at least one half term of school meals for 44 of our champions.
Results have varied depending on the baseline of each school but on average our champions have achieved a half termly increase of 14% however, some champions achieved increases as high as 30% during their time on the programme.
We would like to congratulate and thank all our champions for their hard work and commitment to the programme.
We would also like to acknowledge the 41 champions that have consistently achieved and sustained increases over 5% for three or more half terms.
Our thanks and congratulations go to:
Adele James – Whitefield School *
Alyson Smith – The Prescot Schhol (formerly Knowsley Park School)
Aoife Kilbane – De La Salle School and Language College
April Booker – Oasis Academy Brightstowe
Beverly Savage – Pitcheroak School
Chris Popple – Chesterton Community College
Christine Birrell – Alec Hunter Academy
Debbie Bailey – Fred Nicholson School *
Deborah Robinson – Heaton Manor School *
Eloise Packer – Holyrood Academy
Emma Watts – The Academy Selsey
Fiona Mather – Bedlingtonshire Community High School
Gill Lawrie – James Calvert Spence College *
Helen Clarke – Mount Carmel Catholic High School *
Helen McIllmurray – Avonbourne College
Jade Downes – Brine Leas School
Jeanette Wessen – The Robert Napier School
Jennifer Menzies – St Michaels CofE High School
Jenny Ruth – Brentwood County High School *
Jo Sherriff – St Anthonys Girls Catholic Academy
Karina Doherty – Eastlea Community School *
Kate Hawkes – Oakgrove School
Kathryn Dare – Welland Park Academy *
Kulsoom Khan – Penwortham Girls School
Lorraine Mason – The Hayling College
Michaela Phillips – St Peters Catholic School
Nick Shapland – Forest Gate Community School
Nicky Nunns – Simon Langton School
Rachel Hansbro – Rodillian Academy
Reanne Code – Wath Comprehensive School
Rebecca Potter – Ormiston Forge Academy
Regina Darcy – Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School
Rosie Honeyman-Smith – Sutton Community *
Sarah Badzire – Clare Mount Specialist Sports College
Sarah Farrell – Ormskirk School
Sarah Quick – West Exe Technology College
Sarah Tootle – Burscough Priory Science College
Sarah-Jane Le-Strange – Children’s Support Services
Sheila Arnott – Newbroad Walk Pupil Referral Unit *
Sophie Milovsorov – Holly Hall Academy
Vicki Simper – Chipping Campden School
*Denotes champions that have completed a full academic year on the SFC Programme
We would also like to congratulate the two Champions who achieved increases over 5% for two consecutive half terms:
Philippa Wraithmell – Nottingham Academy
Sheila Arnott – The Clifton Centre Pupil Referral Unit