Table 5 Categories and tally counts of parent responses
Survey question | Category | Tally | % |
|---|---|---|---|
What works well? (n = 363 eligible responses) | Selection/ variety of choices | 105 | 29 |
Ease of ordering/ payment | 72 | 20 | |
Ability to see menu/ order in advance | 61 | 17 | |
Free school meals | 37 | 10 | |
Child-friendly/ liked foods | 20 | 6 | |
Hot and cold choices | 23 | 6 | |
Halal and vegetarian options | 11 | 3 | |
Not much/ nothing | 10 | 3 | |
Availability of packed lunch option | 10 | 3 | |
School healthy eating policy/ education | 7 | 2 | |
Healthy/ balanced meals/ food | 12 | 3 | |
School lunch | 9 | 2 | |
Breakfast club | 6 | 2 | |
Everything/ all works well | 6 | 2 | |
Quality of food | 3 | 1 | |
What does not work well? (n = 378 eligible responses) | Poor choices/ variety/ options | 84 | 22 |
Poor food quality | 48 | 13 | |
Small portion sizes | 42 | 11 | |
Children not liking choices/complaining | 42 | 11 | |
Lack of special dietary options | 25 | 7 | |
Too many unhealthy choices/ junk foods | 31 | 8 | |
Food running out/ pre-ordered choice not available | 22 | 6 | |
Lack of healthy choice | 18 | 5 | |
Time to eat | 18 | 5 | |
Lack of allergen/ nutrition information | 12 | 3 | |
Unavailability of salad/veg sides | 16 | 4 | |
Lack of school healthy eating policy | 13 | 4 | |
Cost | 15 | 4 | |
Pre-ordering system/ App | 14 | 4 | |
Inflexible menu ordering system | 15 | 4 | |
Availability of snacks/ fruit | 10 | 3 | |
Nothing/ not sure | 10 | 3 | |
Plastic waste | 8 | 2 | |
Changes made during Covid restrictions | 6 | 2 | |
Lack of information about/ on menus | 7 | 2 | |
Repetitive menus | 4 | 1 | |
Lunch hall environment | 4 | 1 | |
No juice/ alternatives to milk/ water | 3 | 1 | |
Food being reheated | 5 | 1 | |
Too many vegetarian options | 4 | 1 | |
Long queues | 5 | 1 | |
No breakfast club provision/ unaffordable | 3 | 1 | |
Ham sandwiches no longer allowed | 5 | 1 | |
What would be an ideal school food system? (n = 304 eligible responses) | Range of healthy/ balanced options | 73 | 24 |
Variety | 37 | 12 | |
Fresh/ home-cooked food/ made on site | 37 | 12 | |
Provision of fruit and veg | 27 | 9 | |
Quality produce/ ingredients | 25 | 8 | |
Pre-ordering App/ cashless system | 24 | 8 | |
Less convenience/ processed foods | 22 | 7 | |
Current system fine/ no changes | 19 | 6 | |
Child-centred approach/ consultation of children | 16 | 5 | |
Not reheated/ gone cold food | 16 | 5 | |
Caters for all dietary requirements | 12 | 4 | |
Good/ age-appropriate portion sizes | 13 | 4 | |
Whole school approach to health eating | 12 | 4 | |
Free school meals for all | 13 | 4 | |
Provision of sandwich options | 6 | 3 | |
Don’t know | 6 | 3 | |
Calm, social dining rooms/ eating ethos | 6 | 3 | |
Food that children like/will eat | 9 | 3 | |
Provision of healthy snacks | 8 | 3 | |
Sustainable/ ethical ingredients/ food | 6 | 3 | |
Choice of sides/ desserts | 8 | 3 | |
Soup option | 5 | 2 | |
Breakfast clubs/ provision | 7 | 2 | |
Buffet style of foods | 5 | 2 | |
Adequate time to eat | 6 | 2 | |
Options to mix/match menu choices | 4 | 1 | |
Growing fruit and veg in school gardens | 4 | 1 | |
Reasonable/ manageable costs | 4 | 1 | |
Trained teachers/ staff in healthy eating/ cultural diversity | 4 | 1 | |
Food that is edible | 4 | 1 |