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School lunch queues: how to eliminate queueing
A chronic lack of space in many secondary schools built from the 1950s onwards, means that during the lunch hour, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pupils are moving together into crowded spaces which are no longer fit for purpose.
In response, some schools introduce a staggered, shorter lunch break. This has been described as so short in cases, that pupils do not have sufficient time to eat and socialise; largely detrimental in the long run.
Other schools employ queueing systems to ease the flow of “hangry” teenagers but the effects of long waiting lines can be extremely disruptive, with poor behaviour bubbling whilst students queue or wolf down meals without access to the appropriate space. Add in hold-ups at the front of said queues and the entire dining experience becomes fraught and highly charged.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has found that well-designed schools enjoy better pupil behaviour and results and a 15% productivity increase among staff. If school design considered queueing and could effectively reduce or eliminate it, our schools could function more smoothly, happily and effectively.
A study on the value of good school building design, which drew on the largest collection of Post-Occupancy Evaluations (POE’s) of schools in the UK, has shown that not getting the design right can facilitate bad behaviour. Where circulation spaces are not wide enough, crowding occurs, as do greater levels of reported misbehaviour. These are exactly the kinds of conditions in lunchtime queues which could be dramatically reduced via good design.
Research shows that a successful dining space is all about good design; no amount of expensive furniture or attractive menu displays at any school, will have a lasting positive impact if pupils are frustrated by having to spend too much time queueing during their lunch break.
Special Education experts explore the idea of queue reduction, noting that the behaviour in the queue waiting for lunch has a direct impact on the behaviour of all of the students in the dining room. It is stated, “the longer the students wait, the more low-level behaviours occur (such as noise, pushing, silliness and shouting) and the more those behaviours spread across the entire dining room”. The best lunch halls in the study had one thing in common; a waiting time of less than five minutes, keeping ‘dead time’ to an absolute minimum.
Queueing for meals has become a daily slog with long waiting times matched with a short period in which to eat, sometimes only thirty minutes. As well as the behavioural impact, this can also lead older students to leave school sites, seeking unhealthier meal options and some younger pupils returning to afternoon learning having eaten nothing.
Multiple reports have surfaced from angry parents and hungry children, who have queued for their entire lunch break, only to get to the front and find lunchtime is over and the kitchen is closing, or else that the food has run out.
Recently, certain schools have trialled controversial queue systems based on learning, attendance or behaviour. Children with lower scores are sent to the back of lines and have found that by the time they reach the front the same is true; either the kitchens are closing, they have no time to eat or there are only scraps left. Parents have condemned such systems which they say unfairly discriminate against children and use access to food as a punishment.
Research on improving the efficiency of food operations in schools, notes that speed of service at mealtimes is a key challenge for schools. This is especially the case for those with a large population, yet limited space and resources. Anything that can be done to eradicate long queues at mealtimes delivers numerous benefits, including greater participation and uptake to school meals.
School Health UK note that by streamlining queues and serving processes, schools can significantly change the atmosphere of the lunch period and significantly reduce waiting times. They recommend embedded, protected time allocated for each group of pupils, which would eliminate the problems outlined above, of food and time running out for the last groups of pupils to move through the dining area.
Self-service or ‘grab and go’ menu options have become integral to successful secondary school lunch services as they respond to shrinking lunchtimes and students’ eating habits changing.
The ‘grab and go’ type of school meal service reflects a wider cultural trend towards food-to-go, with the number of UK fast-food restaurants rising by over 28% in 10 years. Most secondary school lunchtimes are under 55 minutes and a quarter are 35 minutes or less, according to UCL data. Rather than racing against the clock, developing an efficient ‘grab and go’ meal service is one of the easiest ways to reduce wait times and improve students’ experience in your school.
Food experts studied healthy meals served in different ways to school aged pupils. They noted that a simple chicken curry was most popular by secondary pupils when served takeaway style; ready portioned in handy recyclable containers with extra dressing on the top.
Another pilot scheme which sees ‘grab and go’ boxes of marinated chicken being rolled out in secondary schools across the UK, has enabled kitchens to serve an impressive 15 meals in one minute, demonstrating the time-saving benefits of this type of model.
For this to work, easy access food stations and multiple collection points are crucial for diverting footfall and reducing queue time.
Providing a cashless catering system that can accommodate school meal pre-ordering could help to ensure the catering staff order and cook the right amount of food and would also provide assurance to students that they will get what they have ordered.
Other solutions for reducing school queues include contactless payment cards or fingerprint payment recognition system, saving vast amounts of time and resources during the mealtime rush. Queue management software leads to more efficient waiting times, organisation and simplified identity management based on specific pupil need such as allergens, or allocation of Free School Meals among others.
To sit, or not to sit, that is the question… Carefully considered space in the dining area is crucial to success. Appropriate seating is important but so are casual and less formal options. These allow pupils to collect ‘grab and go’ lunches efficiently and then eat at leisure whilst chatting, sitting or standing and socialising with their peers. Far from removing the social and cultural benefits of lunchtime, this mixed model encourages relaxed interaction and reduces stressful queues. It has worked incredibly well in the schools we’ve worked with.
School caterers report that it is important not to underestimate pupils, who are as efficient at time management as we are as adults. They say, ‘grab and go’ is very much part of our culture; it’s what we know because our lifestyles are much busier. During the lunchtime period, many pupils tend to opt for extra-curricular activities, which is when ‘grab and go’ really comes into play, allowing pupils the freedom enjoy a nutritious meal and maximise time for other pursuits during their lunch break. This in turn, eases the flow of pupils through school dining spaces.
Having an array of multiple pay points, grab and go bars and extra seating is only a useful solution if there is enough physical space. Maximising or extending existing dining space is sometimes the only feasible solution for outdated school dining halls.
Whether it’s an extension to an existing building or a new, stand-alone structure, the opportunity to truly transform a school’s lunchtime offering is more achievable than you might think. More and more schools are turning to a design-build model to finally resolve their lunchtime issues, with ZONE Design.Build.
ZONE glazed buildings have a vaulted interior and elevations glazed to the roofline, bringing the benefit of natural light. They are manufactured (largely off-site) to integrate with your existing buildings as required. Unlike traditional bricks-and-mortar builds, ZONE building extensions offer zero upfront design fees, faster delivery time and reduced overall project costs, without compromising on quality or functionality. The tailored, design-led approach helps schools to eliminate queueing bottlenecks and roll out lunch provision that truly meets their needs.
Find out more about ZONE and look at some of the brilliant schools who have chosen this type of design-build solution in order to eliminate lunchtime queueing issues.
