eCanteens
WASCA is pleased to bring you a range of online tools and resources, and other strategies to support schools to operate viable canteens and implement the Department of Education’s Healthy Food and Drink (HFD) policy.
Needs assessment
In 2016 WASCA conducted a comprehensive needs assessment to investigate the application, acceptability and use of online tools and other strategies to support schools in implementing the Healthy Food and Drink policy. In short, we reviewed existing resources and we chatted to canteen staff and parent body representatives about the tools and resources they needed to help them operate healthy and viable school canteens. The eCanteens section of the WASCA website is a direct result of this work. A summary of the Needs Assessment report is now available for viewing.
Infographic – Healthy Food and Drink compliance
The Department of Education’s Healthy Food and Drink policy promotes healthy eating in schools. The policy is mandatory for all public schools (including Independent Public Schools). This infographic can be printed to A3, ideal for displaying in the canteen.
We have also developed a range of compliance checklists:
So you’re thinking about starting a food service in the school?
For a step by step guide see our fact sheet on starting a school food service.
P&C Canteen health check
Do you know if your canteen is fit and healthy? Take this simple 10 question ‘health check‘ developed for P&C’s by WACSSO to find out.
Sample canteen/food service policy
A policy is a formal document adopted and endorsed by the school community that sets out the aims and principles of the school canteen/food service. It can help to bring about and sustain change and provides guidance for all food and drinks offered in the school setting. Part of compliance with the Department of Education’s Healthy Food and Drink policy requires schools to have a written canteen/food service policy. WASCA is available to review draft policies. Download the sample policy template which can be adapted to the needs of your school.
Sample job description
Having a written job descriptions for all staff is essential. Job descriptions provide brief overview of the role, how it relates to your school/canteen vision, and a list of key responsibilities, requirements and qualifications. The job description spells out what is expected of the employee and provides the direction to achieve successful job performance. This job description template should be used as a guide only and adapted accordingly. Care should be taken to follow all Award and other Industrial Relations conditions.
Canteen committee guidelines and terms of reference
Having a Canteen Committee can enhance the way your canteen operates and ensures good governance. Download our Canteen Committee terms of reference which can be adapted to suit the needs of your school.
Record keeping templates
Maintaining accurate records in the canteen is good business practice. This includes daily tally sheets, stock order sheets, sales records and stocktake.
An accurate stock take enables a true picture of the financial situation to be given. We recommend end of term stock takes (or at least annually). Download our stock take fact sheet and our stocktake template which is formatted in Excel and the formulas are in place for you.
Newsletter templates
To ensure compliance with the Department of Education’s Healthy Food and Drink Policy, canteens are required to link with the school community. An effective strategy to do this is publishing information via the school newsletter and/or website. Putting a small article together is not a task that everybody feels comfortable with, so we have developed relevant, interesting snippets that schools can easily print/copy/submit for their school newsletter. This is a great way to keep the school community informed about what is going on in the school canteen and provide information to parents, students and staff about health and nutrition.
The Department of Education also has a newsletter fact sheet for your use.
Creating winning menus
Menu content
Conducting a survey can be a great way of ensuring you are meeting the needs of the school community. Use our Canteen survey for students to gather information to inform your menu decisions. The questions in this template are aimed at students. However, you can add and remove questions and change the language to suit your target audience e.g. parents or teachers.
Menu design
Your canteen menu is likely to be the first form of ‘advertising’ the canteen. Click to view two pages from The Big Book of Menus (BBoM), published and sent to all schools in WA in 2013.
Page one is a ‘checklist to use when planning your menu’ (BBoM) – valuable points to consider when you are first putting the menu together or making significant changes. Page two contains the ‘essentials for your menu’ (BBoM) – all the ‘must have’ details that make a good menu, great.
Menu templates
To help you create or update your menu with ease, we have developed a range of templates for you to customise. The images have simply been inserted from clip art and can be moved, deleted or changed as you like.
Menu assessment tool
Assessing the canteen menu compliance with the Department of Education’s Healthy Food and Drink (HFD) policy is easy. Simply follow this step by step guide to ensure the canteen meets all policy requirements and offers a wide range of healthy choices.
Download this great Traffic light poster for your canteen.
Theme days
Holding theme days or events in the canteen can be lots of fun and a great way to boost sales. Linking with other initiatives within the school or in the wider community is a great way to engage with students and can help to promote specific messages.
A Theme Day or special promotion can be as simple as having ‘Fruit Fridays’ or as involved as promoting a week-long celebration of our multicultural society. The key is to be super organised and plan ahead, see the theme day checklist for some guidance. If you are seeking inspiration, check out the ideas below that have bees separated into 5 categories:
Theme days: Cultural events
Theme days: Health & wellbeing events
Theme days: Health events
Theme days: Other events
Theme days: Sports events
Don’t forget to send WASCA photos from the day so that we can share your promotional success with other schools via the WASCA website and Facebook page.
CanteenTV
CanteenTV showcases a variety of videos. This includes recipe demonstrations, ‘how-to’ guides, nutrition information, school canteen showcases and cooking skills.
Click here to subscribe to WASCA’s YouTube channel
WA’s healthiest school canteen (broadcast 22 February 2018, Today Tonight):
WA’s healthiest school canteen – there are no sausage rolls or candy bars – but something entirely different.
Posted by Today Tonight on Thursday, 22 February 2018
Facts about the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) – Refresh.ED:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Canteens in the news
When canteen stories make the news we will keep you up to date by providing a direct link to the story. Check them out below:
- Carmel School in Dianella to grow kitchen garden – (published 23 April 2019, Eastern Reporter, Community News)
- Woodvale Secondary College canteen turns corner with chefs – (published 22 November 2018, Joondalup Times)
- Stakeholder perceptions of a school food policy ten years on – Public Health Nutrition 27 November 2017
- Winterfold Primary School has the healthiest school canteen in WA – (published 4
- See the feature on school kitchen gardens in the Australian Education Reporter, (published 15 February 2018)
- Packing a healthy lunchbox is good for your health and good for your budget!
- ‘Making healthy eating cool for school in Orange‘ – Canobolas Rural Technology High School (published 14 April 2016, source ABC News)
- How the humble school canteen became a model of healthy living – (published 21 April 2017, The Canberra Times)
- Lean, green meals prove right recipe for school – Samson Primary School (published 20 April 2017, The West Australian).
