BACKGROUND
Self-evaluation activities may already take place using other frameworks including How Good is our School?, How Good is Our Council? How Good is OUR school for children and young people and the Better Eating Better Learning self-evaluation toolkit. These documents and other evaluation resources share a common language and can be used alongside Food in Schools across Scotland, removing the need to duplicate work.
In July 2018, Scottish Government published its plan to help people in Scotland make healthier choices about food, A healthier future: Scotland’s diet and healthy weight delivery plan. The plan encompasses many aspects related to food and health across all ages. A number of outcomes specifically reference children, young people and the school environment. The work taking place in schools has well-established roots in the recent past. In 2003, the introduction of Hungry for Success – A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland, brought food in Scotland’s schools into focus. The need to improve experiences of Scotland’s children and young people in relation to food in school plays a significant part in improving health and education outcomes for all. Building on this initial work The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 was passed and remains the overarching legislation around food provision and a whole school approach in promoting health and wellbeing. A review of The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (HPN Act) took place in 2017 and the new revised Regulations came into effect on 8th April 2021. Schools take account of health and wellbeing in planning and delivering Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing experiences and are guided by Health Promotion Guidance for local authorities and schools. Getting it Right for Every Child sets the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at the heart of the services that support them. Health Boards and local authorities working with their partners, including schools, play a key role in the delivery of better health outcomes for children and young people. Scottish Government worked with partners to develop Better Eating, Better Learning (BEBL), published in 2014 to support better partnership working between education and catering staff. The aim being to recognise the strength of collaborating with partners to bring about improvements based on a better understanding of the work of others.
