4.1 Effective consultation had been a key factor in the process of change. Where consultation with pupils had been effective, pupils had higher expectations and an increased sense of ownership of changes implemented through Hungry for Success. Constructive, mutually supportive outcomes had been achieved when relationships among pupils, school staff and catering staff were respectful and inclusive.
4.2 Almost all schools had systems to consult with pupils. Consultation was usually carried out through the pupil council, and topics discussed included food quality and pricing, dining room facilities and queuing. Increasingly, schools provided questionnaires, comment cards and boxes or books for ideas and suggestions from pupils. The majority of schools inspected invited pupils to provide feedback on menus. In a few schools, catering staff actively engaged with pupils by providing tasters of proposed dishes and discussing menu plans with them. A few secondary schools involved pupils in health groups, or had a health group for pupils which contributed to the overarching health group in the school. Some schools had a SNAG which dealt specifically with food issues. Some SNAGs had good links with the pupil councils in their schools. A few LAs had set up a SNAG in all schools and had a member of catering staff and the school health coordinator on each SNAG. Pupils felt more engaged where they thought that their comments were valued and addressed and they could see that their feedback was taken seriously. Often, mechanisms to share the outcomes of discussion at pupil council meetings did not work in practice or did not exist. Pupils in secondary schools sometimes reported weaknesses in consultation, which often reflected their view that the pupil council was not successful in influencing change in general.
4.3 Effective consultation with pupils had contributed to:
4.4 LAs had also continued to consult with pupils on wider Hungry for Success issues such as menu development. They had used a variety of methods to collect comments from pupils, including surveys, focus groups, pupil parliaments and suggestion boxes. The frequency of surveys varied, as did the level of response, despite attempts by LAs to engage with as many stakeholders as possible. Examples of the impact of effective consultation included extending free fruit provision for pupils beyond P1 and P2 and purchase of tuckshop trolleys, as well as installing plasma screens and commissioning artwork to enhance the dining room environment.