Background
Methods
Data
Recruitment of study participants for the current study
Data collection
Ethical approval
Data analysis
Results
Description of interview participants
PFS | FDE | Total | |
---|---|---|---|
Total number of participants invited | 36 | 28 | 64 |
Total number of interviews | 54a | 11b | 65 |
Number of interviews by role | |||
Catering managers | 12 | 5 | 17 |
Head teachers | 8 | 3 | 11 |
Year 1 teacherc | 1 | – | 1 |
Year 2 teacher | 11 | – | 11 |
Year 4 teacher | 10 | – | 10 |
Year 6 teacherc | 1 | – | 1 |
Reception teacher (and HSC)c | 1 | – | 1 |
Assigned programme coordinatorsd | 7 | 2 | 9 |
PhunkyClub coordinatord | 2 | – | 2 |
PSHE coordinatorc (Year 5 teacher) | – | 1 | 1 |
Food Technology coordinatorc | – | 1 | 1 |
Community support worker | 1 | – | 1 |
Behaviour change specialist | – | 1 | 1 |
Factors hindering and facilitating successful implementation and sustainability of healthy lifestyle programmes
Illustrative quotations | |
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Factors hindering implementation | |
Time constraintsIV | “We get asked to do a lot of things, just the opportunity to do them when we have to focus on driving progress and attainment as a priority” (Programme coordinator, school 9, FDE) |
“The food tasting was supposed to be 10 minutes but that was one of the challenges in that it impacted quite heavily on lesson time in the morning …” (Head teacher, school 9, FDE) | |
“We didn’t do a fruit platter today because we didn’t have time … we were coming in early to get all the fruit prepared (for the programme), as well as the usual meals and salads” (Catering manager, school 11, FDE) | |
Timing of implementationa | “… I think because we got it (PhunkyFoods programme) in the middle of the year, it was hard to implement it. It would have been better to have it now to look at it, ready for September” (Programme coordinator, school 1, PFS) |
Training and technical supportV | “… I mean it would just be different for us if we had more training on it, if we were more aware of it, because obviously time wise when you’re planning lessons, you don’t have hours to kind of sit and go through things” (Year 1 teacher, school 1, PFS) |
“We tried to get them in (programme support team), and then they said they would come in, and then it was time of when they could come in, and who was going to be here to let them in. So then we waited and waited and in the end the teaching assistant and I did it” (Year 2 teacher, school 2, PFS) | |
Availability and quality of resources (personnel and facilities)IV | “Lots of children wanted to do it (cooking club), but we could only choose 12 children due to limited staffing” (Programme coordinator, school 11, FDE) |
“We were involved with Focus on Food. They provide a cooking bus which, children go onto the bus and cook. We were meant to be one of the school’s to use it, but couldn’t get the bus up to our school” (Reception teacher, school 6, PFS) | |
“We would like to start a cooking club but we don’t have the space” (Head teacher, school 2, PFS). “We don’t have many after school activities due to space restrictions” (Year 2 teacher, school 2, PFS) | |
FundingI | “Cost is a huge issue around delivering it, we need funding to deliver them” (Head teacher, school 12, FDE) |
Teacher characteristics (engagement, perceived need for and benefit of innovation and skill proficiency)II | “Well I think initially, you know, obviously like any new initiative, the staff are probably a little bit concerned that it’s another job that’s been added on top of already what they’re doing” (Head teacher, school 2, PFS) |
“… with the Phunkyfoods thing, there are so many kind of food initiatives out there, I’m using some of the Food for Life things as well because that was more appropriate” (Year 1 teacher, school 1, PFS) | |
“We haven’t really looked at the physical ones (programme resources) because we tend to have quite good PE curriculum” (Programme coordinator, school 1, PFS) | |
“… No specific training for staff to deliver the sports programmes. Staff are just expected to run these programmes in school” (Year 4 teacher, school 5, PFS) | |
“There might be some training implications with current staff needing training to deliver new cooking activities in the curriculum” (Head teacher, school 6, PFS) | |
Effective leadershipIV | “… the lead role went on maternity leave and there’s an awful lot of change going on at the moment and it’s (the PhunkyFoods programme) taken more of a side line” (Year 4 teacher, school 5, PFS) |
“It’s kind of because it’s not statutory we’ve not been told you need to use this for anything, it’s kind of dip in when you want, maybe there’s some things there, I mean we don’t have to use it, so it’s left up to us” (Year 1 teacher, school 1, PFS) | |
Parent participation and supportIV | “When we put on workshops, parent participation is poor, we have tried incentives but it is still limited” (Head teacher, school 8, PFS) |
“They (parents) wanted their pack lunch policy to suit their children’s likes and dislikes, it isn’t necessarily in line with what we would like … it’s been very hard” (Food technology coordinator, school 13, FDE) | |
“The more vulnerable children have parents that are not able to let their children attend sports clubs for socioeconomic reasons” (Head teacher, school 7, PFS) | |
Factors hindering sustainability | |
Funding | “I was ordering fruit (for the programme), that was just too expensive to continue. I’ve tried to cut back on that, it’s like your strawberries, your blueberries, your blackberries, my manager was like you need to get your stock down” (Catering manager, school 11, FDE) |
Staff capacity and support | “We have stopped the PhunkyFoods club this term because they do the drama club now instead. There was only one teacher available to run it” (Programme coordinator, school 1, PFS) |
“… if we had more staff, it (cooking club) could be more of a regular thing” (Programme coordinator, school 11 FDE) |
Illustrative quotations | |
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Factors facilitating implementation | |
Contextual appropriateness and adaptabilityIII | “Every school is different, this is what works for one school, this is what works for another school, and until you find you’re actually there in that specific school, how we work out (our programme), this will work better for us” (Behaviour change specialist, FDE) |
“… I felt like I was jumping over hurdles for the sake of a certificate (for the Food for Life Programme). It has been trimmed down now and is more appropriate for the school” (Head teacher, school 6, PFS) | |
“We did it (The Food Dudes programme) a little bit differently. We continued a scheme at playtime where children would tick off their level cards when they had fruit. We gave rewards out in the classroom, as all the children have their school dinners at different times, so we couldn’t do it in the dining room” (Programme coordinator, school 11, FDE) | |
“We aren’t delivering it in the here’s a lesson, we deliver it every week, because it needs to fit with what’s right for the children in the school … and in addition to this, we’ve then done it as a club” (Head teacher, school 1, PFS) | |
“I left it very much to the individual classes to run it how they felt, which actually worked better I think for them” (Programme coordinator, school 11, FDE) | |
Availability and quality of resources (personnel and facilities)IV | “We need staff capacity to run programmes, like the healthy schools award” (Programme coordinator, school 9, FDE) |
Availability and quality of programme activity resourcesIII | “We could probably do with some more (resources), a lot of it is DIY and maybe some sort of scheme to run to … a bit of guidance on which way it goes” (Year 4 teacher, school 8, PFS) |
“In terms of delivery, I think the more hands on activities the children can do, like first-hand experiences the better” (Year 2 teacher, school 3, PFS) | |
Integration of new programmes (in the curriculum, school structures and food policies) III and IV | “Keeping it within the curriculum, make it integral not a bolt on or after school club and everyone gets it. Keep it within the curriculum so everyone receives it” (Year 2 teacher, school 7, PFS) |
Teacher characteristics (perceived need for and benefit of innovation)II | “… where they (staff) can see a relevant link to what the children are learning, I think they’re more positive about it and the staff are very good at taking things on and running with it really” (Head teacher, school 2, PFS) |
Shared vision (commitment and staff buy-in), leadership, programme coordinator (champion) and managerial/ administrative supportIV | “It (the Food Dudes programme) was successful because we have a strong team of senior and non-teaching staff coordinating the programme” (Programme coordinator, school 9, FDE) |
“The head gets involved as much as possible and introduced ‘meat free Mondays’” (Catering manager, school 10, FDE) | |
“… and that (success) was the staff encouraging it … our ultimate, is to make sure those children have a healthy diet when they are with us … there was a buzz around it (programme), support around it, excitement around it and a lot of focus on it” (Programme coordinator, school 9, FDE) | |
“We’ve had lots of staff meetings about it, I know XX (programme coordinator) has been kind of the drive behind the initiative. She’s done really well with showing us and demonstrating all the resources” (Year 2 teacher, school 5, PFS) | |
Training and technical supportV | “I think doing a hands on training and giving people the time in a training session to go away and sort of plan it, yeah and just some dedicated time” (programme coordinator, school 1, PFS) |
“… those contacts and that ability for people to do those key aspects is very important as part of the programme … sometimes having somebody to contact and say look I want you to do this, can you put me in contact with, that is a very important element” (Programme coordinator, school 3, PFS) | |
“You’ve got to be wary, yes you want schools to engage with you, with the programme, but also they’re going to have priorities that you know, you’ve got to be careful to get the balance right, so you are not seen as invasive” (Programme provider, PFS) | |
Formulation of tasks (teams, effective human resource management)IV | “… it was about finding a member of staff who could supervise them (pupils) … I think that’s quite an important thing to make sure there is a consistent member of staff who can do that” (Head teacher, school 9, FDE) |
“We have thought about using specialist teachers, with more time to deliver them (programmes) and who might be passionate about delivering healthy lifestyle messages” (Head teacher, school 10, FDE) | |
“I need another member of staff, giving me somebody from half past nine, to take the pressure off me” (Catering manager, school 9, FDE) | |
Parent and community participation (shared decision making)IV | “… we need parents to understand how to work with fruit and veg, knowledge of fruit and veg, do cooking (with them), we need to focus on the parents” (Programme coordinator, school 9, FDE) |
“Parents are on the school nutrition action committee group, so parents have been spoken to about healthy eating in school, they’ve been surveyed” (Head teacher, school 1, PFS) | |
“… within that garden area, there’s allotments and we try and encourage parents and the community to come and grow fruit and veg and they can take that produce away with them … the children are also involved in that” (Head teacher, school 8, PFS). | |
“… we had highlighted we needed support workers to help embed the programme in local communities” (Community support worker, PFS) | |
Pupil characteristics, engagement and motivationa | “We have food ambassadors working in the hall, giving other children stickers for healthy food behaviours” (Head teacher, school 10, FDE) |
“Year 6 did a lot for us, they were monitoring the cards (level cards) and monitoring the prizes, because we didn’t have time for that” (Catering manager, school, 12, FDE | |
Factors facilitating sustainability | |
Sustained engagement in programmes and integration long-term | “In order for it to be sustained it has to keep coming round because if parents don’t buy things at home, then children lose the taste for it and they go back to not liking it and everything else” (Head teacher, school 12, FDE) |
“… I think the most important thing is making it sustainable because if you have a big push to begin with and it wanes, then the impact is going to be much less. I think it’s important when we’re weaving it in, it becomes a sustainable part of what we do.” (Head teacher, school 2, PFS) | |
“I think more time needs to be spent over it, extended rather than focused in one week for example” (Reception teacher, school 6, PFS) | |
Head teacher commitment | “… all programmes are sustainable because I am interested in leading on them and passing them onto other people. I will make them sustainable at the school” (Head teacher, school 10, FDE) |
Communication about programmes | “We need to reflect on these things at different part of the year, make sure we have the skills in, people share what’s worked well” (Head teacher, school 4, PFS) |
“Communication within staff talking about things really (is important for sustaining programmes)” (Year 4 teacher, school 3, PFS) |