Design Checklists - Dining Halls

A well-designed dining hall can:

• Act as a stimulus to healthier food and drink being served and selected.
• Increase the social interaction of pupils .e.g. eating together and developing social skills.
• Reduce noise and litter
• Lead to better behaviour by pupils during lunchtime
• Improve dining room use
• Lead to lower truancy rates
• Increase school lunch uptake by pupils and staff.

Things to consider:

• Seating plans - making the most of your space without overcrowding, moveable tables and seating will provide more options and flexibility than fixed.
• If dining hall is dual purpose make sure staff can easily, safely and speedily move furniture
• You can also encourage a social experience by providing groups of seating.
• Consider ease of cleaning (e.g. is it easy to clean the floors under tables and chairs?)
• Consider how you can create an ambience for the space through colour schemes, lighting, music etc.
• Consider who and when might use the space - is it for staff and the community as well? Will it offer different menus and service at different times of the day?
• When purchasing new dining tables - select tables with adjustable legs - the tables can be used to sit at or work to in training sessions as part of curriculum activity - e.g. cookery classes.
• Make sure insurance policies address access to dining room and or kitchens depending on intended use for cooking lessons.
• Can you make a connection between food technology and the dining hall?
• Encourage pupils and parents to prepare and eat their own meals.
• Can you link the kitchen to a vegetable/ fruit garden on the school site which the students are involved in developing - linked with school activity at harvesting time
• Will the space also be used for breakfast club activities, internet use etc.?
• Display school / pupil work in closed picture frame cabinets
• Will Students bringing packed lunches eat in the same area as their friends
• Are there opportunities for cool storage of lunch packs?
• Is the Dining Room environment part of the school food policy?

Tick these off when you've considered them.
click to tick / double click to Un-tick

Design in multiple pay and service points to encourage an efficient speedy service.

Provide pictorial and descriptive menus.

Where possible encourage various opportunities for pupils to view the menu boards before entering the dining hall

Develop IT ordering methods for students e.g. emails - encourage catering department to use IT and develop skills where necessary

Develop IT ordering station in dining room and around school.

Involve a cross section of stakeholders e.g. pupils, governors and catering staff in the consultation process

Gain inspiration from the commercial sector - visit other schools where best practice exists - visit local business for ideas.

Do consider heating and ventilation as important priorities.

Encourage space between those eating and those queuing

Do specify easy to clean flooring and finishes on tables and chairs.

Do ensure water is freely available in the dining hall and around the school - ensure part of school food policy

Do consider links to outdoor seating and a garden - encourage buddying, shade etc.

Do avoid moulded plastic trays and instead use real plates and cutlery with 'grab and go' healthy bag options for those in a hurry. Encourage pupils to choose table coverings etc.

Do specify blinds or shading on windows to avoid glare and temperature fluctuations.

Develop working groups to design and manage expenditure of dedicated school funds e.g. Grants 5b funds for developing sustainable healthy eating strategies.

Tick these off when you've considered them.
click to tick / double click to Un-tick

Don't ignore other areas of the school where students can obtain refreshments such as tuck shops and vending machines -these will need to be considered as part of your design brief.

Don't plan for now, plan for the future - consider the implications of access to dining hall / kitchens for training

Consider implications of wider use - Extended Services, community use and the possibility of Breakfast Clubs etc.

Don't place dining spaces next to rooms that may be disrupted by the noise when in operation.

Don't design in isolation - tie your plans into relevant initiatives such as Healthy Schools Programme - Healthy Eating Standards and Whole School Food Policy.

Don't encourage litter by pre-packing every food item

Don't re-invent the wheel - a plethora of excellent resources are available to develop design and evaluate on national web sites listed below

Tougher new school food and drink standards are being introduced this year. From September 2006, there will be a ban on meals that are high in salt, sugar or fat, or contain low quality meat. Chocolate, crisps and sweetened fizzy drinks will no longer be available as part of school lunches. At the same time schools are likely to ban crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks from school vending machines and tuck shops - this will become law in September 2007. The Government is also investing £220 million over three years to help local authorities and schools improve school food. The money can be used, for example, to fund extra training, more hours and new equipment for school cooks. Here is a link, which explains the Interim Food Standards for Sep 2006 and the Nutrient and Food based standards to take effect in secondary schools from September 2009.

This information has been adapted from the Food in Schools toolkit - visit the website www.foodinschools.org for the complete toolkit and CD-Rom containing further materials such as templates and case studies.

Yorkshire and Humberside delivered a 'Dining Room Environment Project' as part of a national Food In Schools Programme in 2004 funded jointly by DfES and DH. A DVD and further information on individual schools involved can be obtained from the regional office of the Department for Health tel. 0113 283 6607.

With thanks to Rosemary Denison, Education Leeds