Canteen Policy Action Plan- Where to Begin
Why have a Canteen Policy?
A Canteen Policy is a formal document, endorsed by the school community that sets out the aims and operating guidelines of the school canteen. A policy also maintains consistency in long-term operation and provides the answer to the question of “Why does the canteen sell this or that food?" A policy developed and endorsed by the school community takes the responsibility off any one individual in the operation of the canteen. A policy provides clear direction for the Canteen Committee to manage the canteen.
Where to Start
Ask the parent body executive, the Principal, the canteen manager and/or the canteen committee executive if there is a copy of the school Canteen Policy. If there is one, you may wish to review its content. The following process is the same whether revising or writing a new policy.
The Writing Committee
Any person or group within your school can call a writing committee. The canteen's sponsoring body (parent body or Principal) will discuss and approve the process in a general meeting. A template policy is available from the previous page.
Write a Draft Policy
All schools have different needs and priorities. You need to establish the needs and priorities of your school community by seeking comment from all key groups within your school. You may wish to survey your school community to gain feedback on the role of your canteen, the type of foods offered etc. The results of your survey can be incorporated into your draft policy. Template surveys are available from the previous page.
Distribute your draft policy to representative bodies such as the student council, staff committees, KLA teachers of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education, parent body, canteen manager, staff executive and school council. Include a return-by date for comments. The school newsletter should also indicate that a draft policy is available for comment from the school office, again with a closing date for comments.
The Most Difficult Task
The writing committee now evaluates the returned comments. The committee then prepares the final copy of the Canteen Policy. The policy is then presented to the sponsoring body for ratification (acceptance).
The Principal's Role
The Principal has ultimate responsibility for his/her school and can ask for reconsideration of any of the clauses.
The Support Document
Ideally, a policy should only be a couple of pages in length. This means there will be information you may wish to record in a ’Support Document’. A template support document is available from the previous page.
The Importance of a Review Period
We all know that such pieces of paper can be lost, forgotten or mislaid. Set a date to review the policy.
An annual review period gives all committee members the opportunity to reconsider the school policy and to propose amendments according to the wishes of the current school community.