The Importance of Regular, Calm, Happy Eating Experiences in Dining Halls

Having regular, calm, happy eating experiences sets the children up to cope with boisterous lunchtime play. I eat in school dining halls at least 2-3 times a week … “calm” and “ happy” are not the two words I would use to describe this experience.  All over the country are many basic flaws in the dining hall systems. Children waiting too long and becoming noisy and frustrated.  Midday supervisors becoming negative. Catering staff who never receive a “please” or “thank you”. Children are deliberately throwing food on the floor and then nipping out to play football as soon as the midday supervisor’s back it turned. ‘Slow eaters’ sitting forlorn at an empty table … the list is endless. There are many, many initiatives and ideas that can be used to create better systems. I have learnt that it is very helpful for schools to have an outsiders’ eye to look at the systems and then feed back to them. I have written a book “How To Create Calm Dining Halls” …. and schools have told us that this is very helpful. The real issue is that unhappy dining halls can’t be allowed to continue. The School Food Trust found that “primary school pupils were more alert and over three times more likely to be ‘on-task’ working … following an intervention to improve the dining environment and the nutritional quality of the food served.”

Website Manager’s Notes

1. Read all about Dining Hall Helpers and how to introduce them to your dining hall systems in best selling “How To Create Calm Dining Halls” by Jenny Mosley.
2. Jenny Mosley is available for better behaviour and lunchtimes and playtimes INSET training days, Working In School Days and for different length projects involving several schools for schools training.
3. Find out about booking Jenny or attending open training conferences around the country throughout the year. Jenny also excels as an educational presenter at schools conferences, LA conferences and Headteacher conferences.
4. The areas of Jenny’s expertise include training for positive behaviour for learning, early years training, training for midday supervisors and lunchtime supervisors, to promote calm dining halls and healthy, active playgrounds, also training for promoting social and communication skills for learning and training for mental health and wellbeing. To find out more about Dining Hall Helpers please ask.
5. Jenny’s resources support all her areas of training and are available form her webshop.
6. To contact us please phone 01225 767157 or email circletime@jennymosley.co.uk or use the contact form on our website. We look forward to hearing form you.
7. Do see Jenny’s Calm Dining Halls articles in Headteacher Update and the TES.