Lunchtime at British School of Guangzhou is an integral part of the school day. Lunch is included in school fees, with staff eating the same food, in the same environment, at the same times. This not only helps to ensure each child receives an appropriate meal each day but also helps students develop good table etiquette as they socialise with peers and adults in a relaxed, yet supervised atmosphere.
All catering at the school is provided by Sodexo, one of the leading providers of catering and support services to the education sector worldwide.
The Sodexo team plan menus carefully a month in advance of serving, offering at least two choices of main course, a noodle station and a daily selection of salad, yoghurt and fruit plus a tasty dessert option. The school employs a healthy drinks policy and ensures Sodexo provide only lightly flavoured or normal mineral water to students (no drinks with high sugar content are made available during the lunch service).
As much as possible, Sodexo will cater for restricted diets. This includes vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free. The company also works closely with the school nurses to ensure any child with an allergy is properly looked after at meal times.
Student Involvement
Each month representatives from both Primary and Secondary Student Councils will attend a lunch improvement meeting. Their suggestions are used by Sodexo to guide change and improvement. We also invite groups of parents to regularly meet Sodexo managers. This gives our parents a platform to provide valuable feedback, with teaching staff also keen to play an important part too.
Feedback & Surveys
Over the years, The British School of Guangzhou has put a lot of effort into making sure we gather and listen to as much feedback as possible. This is set to continue this year as our Events & Catering Manager increases the channels used to identify how we can improve.
Spot Checks
Each month, parents, students and staff are invited to conduct random spot checks to assess overall lunch and catering quality and service. The school manages these spot checks, with results used during meetings with Sodexo Managers on site team to improve catering for all.
Primary Student Survey (Term 3) and Secondary Student Survey (Term 2):
There is no better indicator of how we are doing than the students themselves. These surveys ask students if they enjoy school lunches, giving each student the ability to make suggestions.
Parent Satisfaction Survey (March)
Each year we survey our parents to identify what we do well and what can be improved.
Staff Survey (January)
Another key consideration is the opinion of our staff. They eat school lunches with the children each day and can offer invaluable feedback to help improve and ensure standards are high.
We Invite Continued Feedback
If you have a suggestion or would like to find out more, we encourage you to contact the school.
