Encouraging pupils to eat more healthily is really important and we knew that we could make progress by improving our canteen facilities. When our catering contract came to an end late last year, we had an ideal opportunity to ask pupils what they wanted. During the tendering process for a new caterer, we involved pupils in every step, with fantastic results.

A student survey revealed that they had a poor image of the canteen and strong feelings about how it should be run. These views were used when we drew up a shortlist of six potential suppliers. Two students then joined the school's head, chair of governors and a teacher on a panel interviewing the shortlisted companies. The students asked really insightful questions about green issues and ethical matters, as well as price and quality. They put suppliers on the back foot more than once. The final decision was really the students' - we as staff just rubber-stamped it.

The involved pupils introduced the new supplier to the school in a series of assemblies. They explained what had changed and why. This gave their peers the chance to ask questions and feel that they had contributed to the process. It also gave them the impetus to go and try out the new meals. The new provider offers a broader and healthier range, in line with students' requests. Uptake of school meals is now almost 20 per cent higher and hardly any pupils leave school at lunch time. The project also earned us £5,000 because we became the School Food Trust's first School of the Month. We're using the money for additional seating so the facilities get even better.

We are really proud of our students. Ultimately they have paid back our trust 100 times through their intelligence, maturity and the time and effort they put into the task. Obviously the school needed to invest some staff time in supporting the process, but it was easier than we thought and it has certainly borne fruit.

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We are now keen to apply the principle of student involvement in other areas. For example, we are developing an onsite allotment that will be used to grow fruit and veg for the school canteen. This is part of a constant process of engagement, letting them have a say.

Fine food

ALex Branson, 15, was involved in interviewing the shortlisted suppliers. He says that the best thing about taking part was “spending a day eating lots of nice food”, but that pupils also took the process seriously.

“We wanted a healthier range of food, not just straight out of a can. We didn't want just chips and pizza but more variety and more multicultural food. We also wanted lots of the food to be locally produced. People are now coming up to me and telling me that they really like the changes.

“It's our school, we go here and we have to eat the food, so it's important that we are involved and that it's not just teachers making decisions.”

In April, Sprowston High School was named as the first School of the Month by the School Food Trust's Million Meals campaign.

www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/millionmeals

If you have an example of good practice to share, contact us at: agenda@thetimes.co.uk

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