Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs L Hanson Headteacher Wakefield St John’s CE (VA) J & I School Belgravia Road Wakefield West Yorkshire WF1 3JP

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schools

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff, pupils and parents, during my visit with my colleague from the School Food Trust on 12 November 2009 to look at your work on healthier eating and school food provision.

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schools

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified within the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half term.

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schools

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with you, the deputy headteacher, parents, staff and pupils; scrutiny of school documentation and the analysis of some pupils’ work; observation of two lessons; and brief visits to five classes to see related work.

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schools

I undertook to provide a brief written version of the main points made in our feedback at the end of the visit, to support development in healthier eating and school meals.

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The quality of provision to promote healthy eating

The quality of provision to promote healthy eating is good.

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(DCSF’s) food-based and nutrient-based standards for school food

Compliance with the food-based and nutrient-based standards for school food is good.  The lunchtime provision is compliant with the nutrient-based standards and virtually all the food-based standards. Breakfast and after-school club snacks meet the food-based standards and there is good evidence to demonstrate compliance.

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The quality of the dining experience

The quality of the dining experience is good.

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The quality of the dining experience

 Pupils say that they enjoy their dining experience. During the two sittings that were observed, pupils were supervised well by lunchtime staff so that they ate calmly and enjoyed their lunches. Although pupils taking a school meal sit alongside those with packed lunches some said they would prefer to be able to choose where they sit, to allow them to sit next to family members or friends.  Queuing is kept to a minimum and behaviour is good. Some displays related to healthy eating add to the bright and pleasant atmosphere. However, some pupils state that they do not like the plastic cutlery.

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Helping pupils and parents to make healthier choices

Strategies for helping pupils and parents to make healthier choices are good.

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Helping pupils and parents to make healthier choices

 Parents spoke very positively about the guidance that the school provides for healthy eating and said it is having a positive impact on their children’s attitudes to fruit and vegetables. They found the school’s advice for packed lunches helpful. However, there remains some confusion among pupils about what they can and should not include in their packed lunches.  Infant pupils know the value of eating their piece of fresh fruit each day. However, the way that the free fruit is distributed means that opportunities for teachers to maximise pupils’ learning about healthy eating and for teachers to check that the fruit has been eaten are sometimes missed.

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Development of pupils’ knowledge and personal skills

Development of pupils’ knowledge and personal skills are good.

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Development of pupils’ knowledge and personal skills

 Pupils have a very wide range of opportunities to work with food and this helps their understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet.  Pupils know and understand the importance of healthy eating and talk with confidence about eating ‘5-a-day’. They know, for example, that too much fatty food is not good for you. They know that drinking water is good for you because it keeps you hydrated.

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Teaching about healthier eating

Teaching about healthier eating is good.

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Teaching about healthier eating

 Understanding of healthy eating is developed well. Older pupils confidently use scientific terms, such as carbohydrates and protein.  Food-related activities are used well to motivate pupils, for example one class was analysing fruit in preparation for writing a report.

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Planning the curriculum

 Healthy-eating messages are delivered using a range of curriculum subjects, including science and design and technology. Opportunities are used effectively to teach pupils about healthy eating using food from both the past and from world cultures.  Healthy-eating messages are reinforced through whole-school assemblies and competitions.

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Leadership and management

 Leaders are well aware of the pupils’ and parents’ healthy-eating needs and have provided some good advice to parents about packed lunches. There is a good range of facilities and resources in school including a well- resourced area for food technology.  The school’s work on healthy eating is varied and of a good standard. There is room for further consultation on pupils’ preferences for sitting and serving arrangements at lunchtimes, along with a review of how vegetarian, halal or meat-eating pupils are served.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

 provide parents with more information about the healthy nature of the meals and reinforce the positive aspects of taking a school meal  consider more formal monitoring of the catering providers and the school’s work on healthy eating including:  compliance with the standards and the impact on pupils  the overall dining experience  the arrangements and impact of the free fruit for infant pupils.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop healthier eating and provision for food in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

As I explained during the feedback, this letter will be copied to your local authority and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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