Sprowston Community High School in Norwich has won the School Food Trust’s first ever school of the Month competition.

The school has been recognised for its innovative approach to improving school meals service, which has seen students take the lead role in decision making. The Trust has awarded Sprowston £5,000 to further the improvements they have already made.

With school meal take up falling, Sprowston's head teacher, Andrew John, decided that the responsibility for choosing a new school meals provider should rest with the students themselves.

Price and quality were the most important considerations for the student panel, who all voted for their preferred supplier once companies had pitched them their ideas.

The student panel consulted the rest of the student body throughout the process and presented their decisions to the school through a series of assemblies.

Sarah, a student from Year 10 at Sprowston involved in the selection process, explained: "It was great to play such a big part in choosing who provides our school dinners. The food has definitely improved – the menu in particular has gone down a storm."

The School of the Month competition is a new initiative set up by the School Food Trust to recognise excellence and innovation in the area of school food.

It is also part of the School Food Trust's Million Meals campaign, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children by getting a million more students eating school meals by 2010. Over 1,900 schools across the country have already signed up to the campaign.

The prize money will be spent on new canteen facilities at the school.

Andrew John commented on the school's achievement: "The School Food Trust's Million Meals campaign has offered us a great opportunity to embrace students' opinions in the re-organisation of our meal service and to increase our school meal take-up."

Weblink: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk 

Words: Maria Bracken

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