School meals survey
A canteen survey that parents and pupils both fill in. It separates «the food is bad» from «no time to eat at break» and gives you specifics to take to the caterer.
Who it is for and when to run it
School leaders, the catering lead or a parent group run this when a catering contract changes, when complaints pile up in the class chat, or ahead of a review of the canteen.
Both parents and pupils can answer. The first question splits them: parents know lunch from what their child tells them, pupils eat it, and the gap between the two is a finding in itself.
For younger years send the link to parents. Older pupils can answer themselves via a QR code on the canteen door.
What the template is made of
Every block in the order it sits in the builder. Branching decides which of them a given person actually sees.
- School meals survey Text block
The opening screen says the survey is anonymous and takes about three minutes, so nobody worries that a complaint will be traced to their child.
- Who is filling in the form? Single choice
Who is filling it in: a parent or a pupil. Required, because every later answer reads differently depending on who gave it.
- Year group Dropdown
Year group in three bands. Lunch for younger and older pupils is often organised differently.
- How often does the child eat in the school canteen? Single choice
How often the child eats in the canteen: every day, a few times a week, rarely, never. Without it, taste ratings mix daily diners with someone who went once.
- What gets in the way of eating in the canteen? Multiple choice
What gets in the way: taste, cold food, not enough break time, queues, small portions. Several can be ticked, and «Nothing» lets happy diners answer too.
- Rate the taste of the food Star rating
Taste as a star rating, separate from everything else. Taste drives most complaints, so it is worth one clear number.
- Rate the meals point by point Matrix
A five-row matrix: temperature, portion size, menu variety, cleanliness, staff politeness. Three steps (good, OK, poor) keep it easy for children.
- Does the child get enough to eat at school? Yes / No
Does the child get enough to eat: yes or no. The shortest question in the form and often the most telling.
- What would you like to see on the menu more often? Multiple choice
Dishes wanted more often: soups, porridge, meat, fish, vegetables, baked goods, fruit. It gives you something specific to take to the caterer.
- Your suggestions about school meals Long answer
Open suggestions. People write concrete things here, like «first sitting is at 9:40, that’s too early».
How to adapt the template
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If only parents answer, delete «Who is filling in the form?» and rephrase the rest from the parent’s side.
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For a nursery, drop the questions on queues and break time and add a matrix row about the weekly menu.
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Replace the dish list with dishes from your actual menu so the answers go straight into a conversation with the caterer.
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Put a QR code at the canteen entrance and post the same link in class chats; all answers end up in one place.
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For a yearly comparison, freeze the wording after the first run.
How to read the results
First cut: parents versus pupils. If parents rate taste higher than children do, they are judging the menu board, not the plate.
«What gets in the way» explains low scores. If «Not enough time during the break» leads, the fix is the timetable, not the caterer.
Look at the «no» share on «Does the child get enough to eat at school?» by year band. Older pupils need different portions, and a school average hides it.
Export to CSV when you need a table for a meeting. Read the open suggestions in full and group them by theme.
Common mistakes
- Asking only parents. They know the canteen second-hand, and older pupils often do not tell them what they eat.
- Running the survey on a day with a favourite dish on the menu, or right after a row in the chat.
- Making taste required for pupils who answered «Never». Add a branch that sends them straight to what gets in the way.
- Never sharing the results. People answer the next survey when they see something changed after this one.
Questions about the «School meals survey» template
What should a school lunch survey ask?
Who is answering, the year group, how often the child eats in the canteen, what gets in the way, ratings for taste, temperature, portions, variety, cleanliness and staff, whether the child gets enough to eat and which dishes they want more often, plus open suggestions.
Can pupils fill in the school meals survey themselves?
Yes. The first question separates parents and pupils, so both can use the same link. Older pupils can answer via a QR code at the canteen; for younger years it is better to send the link to parents.
Is the school meals survey anonymous?
The template has no name or contact questions, so an answer is not linked to a family, and the service does not ask for names on its own. If you add a name field, remove the anonymity promise from the first screen.
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Do not start from an empty canvas
Open the catalog, take the closest template and rewrite the questions for your job. Five minutes instead of an hour.