St Peter’s College
- School location Gore
- School decile 8
“The local dairy owner has commented that he has noticed a reduction in sales since the canteen food has been improved” – Canteen worker
The school ethos and organisation
St Peter’s College is challenging students’ perceptions that junk food goes with being cool – the “get a job, have money, get an iPod, car, cell phone, and junk food” cycle – by making healthy eating the thing to do.
The principal sees success coming from “big-hearted, talented staff who make it all happen”. The PE teacher believes that changes to the National Administration Guidelines and the government’s push on healthy food in schools has made these things easier to do. Any resistance there may have been before has gone, as people realise it is now something they just have to do.
Curriculum programmes
The main focus of the Student Health Committee has been on improving school food, and it has been working with the teachers, canteen staff, and students to achieve this.
Co-curricular health promotion opportunities
There is some prestige in being part of the Health Committee, which is made up of senior students (years 12 and 13) and considered a ‘job’. Staff recognise the importance of getting students involved in health promotion and of getting leaders to deliver the message. Using students to deliver messages, especially ‘cool’ seniors who others look up to, has worked well and helps what might otherwise be unpalatable decisions to be accepted by other students. When it decided to ban fizzy drinks, the committee did a factual but humorous presentation to the school assembly explaining why the ban was being introduced. The presentation was well received by the students.
The canteen staff encourage the Health Committee to try out new menu ideas and sometimes undertake ‘viral’ marketing by giving a new menu item to ‘cool’ students in order to promote sales.
The school and community environment
The appointment of new canteen staff, who were chosen for their interest in healthy food and their willingness to improve the food offered in the canteen, has made it possible to make radical changes to both the canteen menu and how the canteen is run. It has moved away from the previously unhealthy offerings ‘full of pies, fizzy, chocolate, and junk’ to much healthier food, with hot foods in winter and salads and fruit kebabs in the summer months.
Many students and staff were not organised enough to pre-order under the previous system, so they ended up going down the road to buy ‘junk’. Now they can buy food at morning break or lunchtime without needing to pre-order.
The principal sees the biggest challenge as being able to maintain a viable canteen in a small school. The canteen is currently losing money, and this is being carried by the school hostel budget so is not viable in the long term. However, the school is committed to maintaining the healthier options, which are popular with students, teachers, and parents. The food encourages students to stay on the school premises because they are not tempted to buy ‘junk’ food in town. The local dairy owner has noticed a reduction in sales since the canteen’s food has improved. The PTFA has donated money to the canteen to help secure its future, and the canteen also provides food for one of St Peter’s contributing primary schools.
School and community partnerships
The whole school community has been involved in the recent canteen changes and a ban on fizzy drinks. The school has applied for funding from the Nutrition Fund for water fountains around the school.
The changes to the menu were discussed with all school stakeholders. The Student Health Committee surveyed students and teachers about the proposed changes, and parents were surveyed at a parent interview evening. In changing the menu, the committee knew that involving fellow students would increase the likelihood of success. When there were complaints that the canteen food was too expensive, the committee compared the prices of the canteen food with what was available in local cafés, and found the canteen to be very good value for money. The canteen staff have found that the healthier canteen menu is very popular with students, and since the canteen food has improved, a lot less ‘junk’ food is sold and ‘occasional’ food is being gradually phased out.
Sub Days are held up to four times a year. Two teachers and the Student Health Committee organise subs for $4, which are prepared in Subway fashion, with pupils and teachers choosing the fillings they want. These are very popular, with the proceeds going towards buying fruit, which is given out free once a week during the summer. The committee plans to ask the school to match the Sub Day profits so they can provide fruit in winter months as well.
St Peter’s is working towards the National Heart Foundation’s Silver Heartbeat award. Further improvements are planned for the canteen, to reduce the amount of ‘occasional’ foods and to try to match the food offered with recommendations in the Food and Beverage Classification System.
