Beige, bland, boring and sometimes even burnt. I’ve heard pupils across England and Scotland continue to describe their school food this way and it doesn’t stop there.

We hear stories of meal options being inaccessible due to pricing, dietary requirements and time constraints. This is why we started the Bite Back in Schools programme, and why I’m so passionate about pushing for change in this space.

Over my year as the Programmes Executive at Bite Back, I’ve been able to see amazing changes in real time, and watch the inspiring pupils, teachers and catering teams work behind the scenes. Read below to see a school’s one year transformation, standout pupils and the Bite Back in Schools journey from my perspective!

Limitation to Transformation: What One Year Does

From new and improved ‘hydration stations’ to spotlighting healthier options , the creativity in changing their school food environment has been, and continues to be, outstanding.

Bringing together both pupils and catering teams in schools is rare outside of our programme, but in this case, showed how core it is to making and sustaining real, authentic change. The young people spent the year finding their voice not to argue, but to collaborate and actively change their school food environment.

And now, they’ve been able to share their confidence with younger years, who have seen the changes like new water fountains and diversified healthier menu options, and have extended it as a part of their Bite Back journey’s legacy.

Nothing For Us, Without Us: The Power of Youth Voice

It is easy to stick to a school council system for student voice in schools. But what I’ve found throughout visiting schools is that sometimes the young people that you least expect to get involved have the strongest opinions and passions about the issue. And school food is a perfect example..

Every pupil, even if they bring in a packed lunch, is affected by the school food environment in one way or another. Whether it be long queues and short lunchtimes or limited options for free school meals, there is something to be said and changed. And trust me, pupils of all backgrounds have a lot to say! Who else has the lived experience of school food, day in, day out?

Through the programme, we reach pupils from the most underserved backgrounds, and with this, the most needed change. What continues to strike me is how proactive pupils are, how they go from thinking about the current issues, right through to the possible solutions in such creative ways. I remember a pupil saying the best thing about the programme is that it encourages them to connect with other students and think about ‘how food can bring people together’. Community, connections and creativity stem from this work and I’ve seen it firsthand.

They’ve had stalls, ballots, surveys and everything under the sun to ensure the changes they intend on making are representative of the student body. And that is what stands out to me - hearing from real young people, about their real experiences.

So What’s Next for Bite Back in Schools?

After continuous successful stories from our schools, we’ve been funded for several more years (whoop!) to continue spreading the Bite Back magic!

We are now on our sixth cohort in England and second in Scotland, and I genuinely cannot wait to see the journeys our schools take this year, even with some schools returning for another year on the programme. The Programmes Team and I will be working with around 150 schools ensuring that youth voices are heard and centred and that every young person has access to healthy, nutritious options at school. Whether it be mainstream schools, SEN settings or Pupil Referral Units, we want to see change for young people and their food environments!

If you know a secondary/high school that would benefit from this programme, point them towards signing up for this year’s cohort below!