CASE STUDY

Rotherfield’s dinner monitors

At Rotherfield primary school in London, every Friday, the head teacher invites the dinner monitors into his office to be told ‘well done’, and have a hot chocolate. The children love it and it allows the dinner staff to do their jobs better. s:l

School Chef Trainer Andy says:

“I’D RECOMMEND APPOINTING DINNER MONITORS AMONG YEARS 5 AND 6. THEY CAN INTERVIEW FOR THE POSITION, AND DO JOBS SUCH AS POUR WATER AND CLEAN UP THE TABLES.

“THIS ALSO FREES UP SOME TIME FOR THE MIDDAY SUPERVISORS TO INTERACT WITH CHILDREN, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO EAT, AND GIVES THE YOUNG DINNER MONITORS A SENSE OF PRIDE.”

At Newington Green, the dinner monitor system changed to having alternating children come in daily across a fortnightly rota, with a day out treat at the end of term. Head Chef Emma says the incentive works well as it feels less like a chore - they want to be there to feel helpful and like the responsibilities.

Speedy Service Start Outside The Dining Hall

Making children familiar with the menu ahead of time, makes service far easier.

• Menus should be celebrated and clearly displayed around school.

• Share them in the classroom as registers are taken.

• At any morning announcements, include the menu.

• Trial using it as a teacher’s rolling screensaver on their whiteboard.

• Be proactive with parents/carers - send them the menu.

• Run tasting evenings, so they can see and understand the quality of the food being made.

As well as putting food at the heart of a school, this will help to reduce decision time when the children are being served. Read our section on food education for further tips.

Managing Queues

Top Tip: There is no more effective intervention than adults eating lunch with the children. Many schools offer free meals to teachers who are happy to sit and eat with the children, all of which helps to model good behaviour.

More kids being served in the same time period needs to be crowd managed properly. If it isn’t, it can create additional problems and stress to the kitchen team and the kids trying to eat.

• Make sure the dining hall is well managed.

• Recruit teachers into helping, in exchange for a free duty lunch.

• Engage with the kids who are eating the food for the first time.

• Have adults on hand to explain what the flavours are and to encourage them.