SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING TOGETHER
Everyone has a role to play in improvement. What will successful self-evaluation look like in your setting? If things are going well it might look something like this…
- In-school catering staff/teams use the framework to reflect on aspects of their specific work by identifying areas for improvement to work on for example – improving uptake of vegetables, improving uptake of full meal entitlement, improving uptake of free meals, reducing plate waste, improving customer satisfaction with food, improving the customer experience, improving relationships with children/young people, improving engagement with education staff. These examples assume significant areas of overlap with class teachers and support staff.
- Class teachers and support staff review their practice using the framework to reflect on their approaches to food provision and food as a context for learning in classes and across the school day. For example, this might include, practical food activities, food for special events, provision at tuckshops or in pupil support groups, the school lunch experience, consistent whole school messaging around food, evidence based practice reflecting national dietary advice, outdoor learning involving food. These examples assume significant areas of overlap with catering services.
- At whole school level education, catering staff, partners, children and young people come together to discuss and analyse their findings and agree areas for improvement focused on making a positive difference for children and young people. This can include aspects mentioned previously as well as whole school approaches to wellbeing, children’s rights, school food policy, local health information such as dental health statistics or food allergy, training needs and school food regulations.
- Senior leaders support and enable a culture of self-evaluation – asking whether key strengths are really key strengths, reflecting on illustrations, focusing next steps e.g. one senior leader may have responsibility for food and health and be the person who asks the pertinent questions at senior leadership level.
- Within learning communities staff work together with partners to identify how their work impacts on children, young people and families. Effective practice is discussed and shared with others.
- Approaches to self-evaluation are recognised to strengthen partnership working within schools, across services, within and beyond the local authority as good practice is identified and shared.
- Most importantly, children and young people are engaged and participate at all stages in order to drive improvement which affects them directly and the choices they make.
