Ofsted inspectors are putting greater emphasis than ever before on how early years settings are supporting children to keep themselves healthy under the new Common Inspection Framework (CIF), introduced last month. Food and learning about healthy eating are mentioned specifically in the CIF, and nursery managers now have to demonstrate they are providing a well-balanced diet and creating a healthy culture throughout the setting.
An Ofsted spokesperson says it is important that young children are fed healthy and nutritious food. ‘When inspectors go into early years settings, they check that young children are learning about how to keep themselves healthy through eating and exercising. An inspector will normally look at the early years setting’s menu and the food preparation arrangements,’ he says.
Writing to the All-Parliamentary Group on School Food chair Sharon Hodgson earlier this year, Ofsted’s national director for education Sean Harford said that as part of the new judgement on ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’, inspectors will look for evidence of a ‘culture or ethos of exercise and healthy eating throughout the entire inspection visit’.
He added that this will include looking at the food on offer, judging the atmosphere in the dining area and speaking to managers about how they work towards children having a healthy lifestyle. Under the judgement on ‘leadership and management’, inspectors will also consider the ‘breadth and balance of the curriculum, of which practical cookery is now a part’.
When questioned about what training inspectors are receiving in order to judge the food that early years settings provide, the Ofsted spokesperson will only say, ‘On that point I can say that all our inspectors are trained in all aspects of the CIF.’
School Food Plan, which supports schools to improve the quality of food provision, has provided practical guidance to help school leaders adopt a whole school approach to food, and it is understood that Ofsted inspectors will be referred to it.
Myles Bremner, director of School Food Plan, says, ‘While inspectors will be looking at the food on offer and visiting the dining room, they will be making a judgement on it, rather than checking that the food meets nutritional standards.
‘It is important that Ofsted is recognising the importance of good nutrition and healthy eating and that education establishments deliver appropriate healthy environments. With the impending rise of free childcare to 30 hours, the role of lunch has become even more important.’
The guidance is separated into four areas:
- Leadership – Mr Bremner recommends that the nursery manager should take responsibility for the setting’s approach to healthy eating and education in order to develop a positive, integrated food culture throughout the establishment.
- Food provision – judging the quality of food and the environment in which it is eaten.
- Food education – knowledge of healthy eating, where food comes from and cooking.
- Wider well-being – ensuring staff adopt healthy lifestyles.
Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at the Pre-School Learning Alliance, believes that practitioners are feeling ‘slightly confused’ because Ofsted is reluctant to say how it will inspect under the new regime. ‘Ofsted has confirmed that a greater emphasis will be given to how practitioners engage parents in discussions about the importance of healthy diet and nutrition,’ he says. ‘Also how they link with other agencies on getting nutrition information.’
Joanna Lewis, strategy and policy director for Food for Life, a Soil Association programme aiming to transform the food culture in early years settings, schools and communities, says that it is too early to say what the CIF will mean in practice for early years settings, but adds, ‘We certainly expect there to be more focus from Ofsted on the broader aspects of food and food education and what early years settings can do to encourage knowledge of healthy eating and how to keep healthy.’
FOOD PROVISION
It is expected that the new inspections will take a more detailed look at elements such as the food preparation area, main and snack menu, how children’s dietary needs are met and how the children are encouraged to choose healthy eating options.
Ms Lewis hopes that there will be more rigour when it comes to inspectors checking that menus are healthy, balanced and nutritious. The majority of early years practitioners are not nutrition experts, so Michael Freeston advises managers to be ‘extremely self-critical’ when evaluating their food provision.
Wherever possible, seek guidance and expert advice when developing meal and snack menus. The Alliance is currently leading a consortium to establish an Early Years Nutrition Partnership with early years nutrition experts in order to support practitioners and parents. ‘Our ambition is that every nursery-age child in the UK will have access to expert nutritionist support,’ says Mr Freeston. ‘They will bring formal training and qualification for practitioners, menu planning, education materials, and a quality mark for settings.’
Ms Lewis suggests that managers familiarise themselves with the Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings. They should also demonstrate that the food they provide is fresh, seasonal, locally sourced and organic whenever possible. Food awards such as the Food for Life Early Years Award can be used as evidence.
Inspectors will also be judging the atmosphere during mealtimes, so it is important to think about whether this is a calm time, conducive to enjoying food, and whether children have sufficient time to eat. ‘Ensure the dining experience for all children is one of enjoyment, fun and learning – consider the dining environment, staff deployment, opportunities to extend a child’s learning and development, utensils and protective clothing,’ recommends Sally Dunlop, early years advisor at the National Day Nurseries Association.
Settings could play calming music during mealtimes and decorate the dining area, maybe using colourful tablecloths or place mats designed by the children. Staff should eat with children to support the use of cutlery, model behaviour and refer back to relevant food-related activities during mealtimes.
FOOD EDUCATION
The overall message to nursery managers is not to worry about the new inspection regime. Ms Lewis believes that many are already ‘on track’ and advises managers to carefully consider how they are already talking about food and healthy eating with the children and how they can extend this across the provision – such as involving the nursery cook and parents in thinking about healthy eating and developing a food policy together. Settings with a cook should expect them to be comfortable to share their knowledge on areas such as nutrition and portion control with staff and parents, as well as deliver practical cooking activities to the children.
But even settings not providing food should take note of the changes, warns Mr Freeston. ‘There is the clear message to childcarers that they can’t abdicate responsibility for healthy eating,’ he says. ‘When reviewing self-evaluation forms, give explicit reference to wider aspects of healthy eating, such as stating what you actively do to engage parents in their children’s diet, especially settings where children bring in packed lunches.’
Also, remember to demonstrate how you support children and their parents in their first year of life with breastfeeding support, complementary feeding and healthy weaning.
‘The inspector needs to see evidence that children are actively supported to learn about healthy eating. They will also observe the children’s behaviour and attitude towards healthy eating as well as that of the practitioners,’ says Ms Dunlop.
‘There will need to be a tangible ethos of celebrating healthy eating that can be communicated by children, staff and parents. The inspector needs to be able to see all the ways that children are encouraged to learn about, partake in and enjoy a healthy diet with their peers and families.’
Managers should develop an integrated approach to food across the setting by ensuring that planning gives children the opportunity to understand where their food comes from, how it is prepared and why it is good for them, says Ms Dunlop. Develop growing areas with the children to cultivate fruit, vegetables and herbs that can be used in their food explorations, and hands-on cooking activities to help promote a positive relationship with food. Try to focus on healthy food rather than baking cakes. Ms Lewis encourages managers to seek out help locally with these activities by asking knowledgeable parents and accessing charities such as Focus on Food and Garden Organic that can provide resources and activities. Visits to local farms and supermarkets can also widen children’s knowledge of food production.
WIDER WELL-BEING
Practitioners should be able to demonstrate that they are role models and have adopted a healthy ethos. Ms Dunlop says that managers should ensure that staff teams have access to up-to-date knowledge on healthy eating by providing resources, books and information and updating training in areas such as basic food hygiene and weaning. She also suggests offering staff meals to eat with the children and providing healthy staff room snacks, such as fruit, and a water cooler or filter.
Ms Dunlop recommends that managers regularly evaluate their food provision in order to ensure that practitioners’ knowledge is current, children’s needs are being met and parents and children are happy with the food offered. This could involve surveying or chatting informally to parents, monitoring food wastage, looking at the menus provided by local settings – many publish them on their websites – and regularly reviewing Ofsted reports from similar settings to gain insight into what inspectors have observed and how it affected the final outcome.
More information
- Children’s Food Trust, www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk
- Focus on Food, www.focusonfood.org
- Food for Life, www.foodforlife.org.uk
- Garden Organic, www.gardenorganic.org.uk
- School Food Plan, www.schoolfoodplan.com