How Important Is Training for Lunchtime Supervisors? Feedback and Improvements From A Hard-working Supervisor and Headteacher Statement

Training for lunchtime supervisors is crucial to making lunchtimes work best for schools. Lunchtime supervisors, after all, look after, guide, and care for children at a time of day when they are hungry, without teachers present, moving around in large groups, negotiating social situations, using equipment, getting serious about playing sports to name just a few situations. We feel that support and guidance is key due to supervisors being responsible for routines, safety, manners, following the rules, noise and encourage healthy eating and drinking habits which are all really important for the school.

Many of my dining hall strategies are clearly laid out in the bestselling “How To Create Calm Dining Halls” by Jenny Mosley. (Click image to go to webshop for this and many other lunchtimes resources.)

When I go into schools to present one of my favourite morning workshops – ‘Powerfully Positive Lunchtimes’ – for Midday Supervisors and anyone involved in school lunchtimes – we always suggest one or two managers also attend, which helps to keep all the initiatives going as well as providing further support for midday supervisors. We are very grateful to any lunchtime supervisors who get in touch to update us on how their school lunchtimes are going after training. It always takes a bit of time to introduce and embed new systems. So a big thank you to hard-working Nicola White, and Headteacher Andrea Haines from St Francis Catholic Primary School for these lovely updates. Nicola and colleagues attended my training a few months ago and have really set about to make a positive change at their school, and here is up updates – which are so heart-warming.

“I came to one of your workshops earlier in the year and just wanted to thank you and let you know how you inspired me. I have implemented a few of your fantastic ideas which we started in September we now do the circle line up at the end of play and the children are loving it rather than the dictatorship of straight line, stop talking, tuck shirts in etc. We are giving more responsibility to our yr 6 children with them being in the middle leading the circle and also escorting other year groups into the hall for second sitting. I have the bum bag/raffle tickets now in place for any sort of good behaviour in the hall and playground which they then receive golden time for if drawn out of the box at merit worship every week. I then took your flag system for calm in the hall and put a spin on it we have made a PowerPoint on the the computer with red, amber and green I pull down the large projector screen in the hall and reduce the noise levels that way, I do have a couple more things in mind but they are a work in progress. So again I just wanted to say thank you for all your help and great advice and I know Andrea Haines (headteacher) is really impressed with all the changes that have been made this term and says you are more than welcome to come to our school anytime!” Nicola White, Lead Lunchtime Supervisor, St Francis Primary School

Thank you to Nicola and all the other fabulous lunchtime supervisors that I work with daily – what a fantastic job!

Here is what Head of School, Andrea Haines added:

“Jenny’s training filled our staff with enthusiasm and empowered them to come back to school to implement the ideas efficiently and effectively. As a consequence, lunchtimes at St Francis are calmer and the children are happier. In particular, the transition from the end of lunchtime into afternoon classroom teaching has changed dramatically. This used to be a point when a lot of negative behaviour would occur, but now we have Year 6 children leading the rest of the school in calming down and getting ready to go back to their learning. I would whole-heartedly recommend Jenny’s positive lunchtime training to any lunchtime supervisors, behaviour leaders and/or senior leaders.” Andrea Haines, Head of School, St Francis Catholic Primary School

Website Manager’s Notes

You can find lots of lovely resources for dining halls, playgrounds and more by looking in our webshop here: https://www.circle-time.co.uk/shop/
Read all about Dining Hall Helpers and how to introduce them to your dining hall systems in best selling “How To Create Calm Dining Halls” by Jenny Mosley.
Jenny Mosley is available for better behaviour and lunchtimes and playtimes INSET training days, Working In School Days and for different length projects involving several schools for schools training.
Find out about booking Jenny or attending open training conferences around the country throughout the year. Jenny also excels as an educational presenter at schools conferences, LA conferences and Headteacher conferences.
The areas of Jenny’s expertise includetraining for positive behaviour for learning, early years training, training for midday supervisors and lunchtime supervisors, to promote calm dining halls and healthy, active playgrounds, also training for promoting social and communication skills for learning andtraining for mental health and wellbeing. To find out more about Dining Hall Helpers please ask.

Jenny’s resources support all her areas of training and are available form her webshop.
To contact us please phone 01225 767157 or email circletime@jennymosley.co.uk or use the contact formon our website. We look forward to hearing form you.
Do see Jenny’s Calm Dining Halls articles in Headteacher Updateand the TES.