Our strategy | School Food Matters

Grow our profile to improve our charity’s ability to influence government policy

Vision

We will improve our ability to influence policy by growing the profile of School Food Matters with existing supporters
We will target new audiences to raise awareness of our activities in schools and our campaigns
We will use evidence of the impact of our work to grow our profile in the media, online, in print and on social channels

In five years, we will have robust data to substantiate our campaigns; we will use this data to campaign even more effectively to change policies at national, regional and local levels. We will use the data to share insightful stories with the media about our work.

The steps we will take

Collect data: Build a library of quantitative and qualitative data to measure the effect of our work in schools
Build advocacy: Make current and new supporters aware of School Food Matters campaigns
Raise awareness: Use social media, press coverage and personal communication to build awareness and substantiate our stories

Increase our impact by delivering more projects at more schools in and outside London

Vision

With a larger team, broader skills and a wider network, we will deliver more projects in schools in new areas of London and outside the capital

In five years, we will deliver projects in five regions outside London.

The steps we will take

Focus on new regions: Offer our programmes to 25 schools outside London to establish a network in five new regions
New partners: Secure support of new partners to deliver new projects in the regions
Existing projects: Use the tried and tested programmes established in London schools to extend delivery beyond the capital

Strengthen our funding with a broader mix of long-term contributors

Vision

A broader mix of funders will reduce our reliance on a few major sources of income. A more resilient funding model will allow us to realise our ambition to reach more schools, deliver more projects and campaign more effectively for changes in policy

In five years, we will have doubled the size of the team to enable us to increase our profile, demonstrate our impact and reach more schools.

The steps we will take

Sources: A funding mix split across corporate partners, trusts and foundations, donations and fund-raising events
Events: Use our 15th birthday in 2022 as an opportunity for a large fundraising event, to raise money and attract new supporters
Build relationships: We will look to new and existing funders to secure multi-year grants to give us greater income stability

Improve the charity’s resilience by strengthening our team, developing skills and sharing responsibilities

Vision

We will grow and strengthen our core team so that we have the skills needed to deliver our ambition. To achieve this, we will create new roles and invest in training

In five years, we will have doubled the size of the team to enable us to increase our profile, demonstrate our impact and reach more schools.

The steps we will take

Skills: We will recruit a Communications Manager, an Evaluation Manager and an Office Manager to bring additional skills and expertise to our core team
Core team: A larger core team will be able to support operations outside London
Embrace technology: We use technology to improve our project delivery and allow us to deliver projects more efficiently

Build our network to enable us to campaign more effectively, reach more schools and deliver more projects

Vision

We will work with new partners to deliver projects in schools. We will use our hands-on experience of working in schools to inform and strengthen our campaigns to influence government policy. We will work more closely with partner organisations to increase our collective influence on policymaking

In five years, we will have a network of public and private sector partners who will enable us to extend the reach of our work in London and beyond.

The steps we will take

Relationships: Actively build relationships with new organisations to work alongside School Food Matters on project delivery and on campaigns
Network: Compile a database of target organisations to work with that are active in Food Education, Food Policy and Food Provision. Consider when we are best placed to lead and when to support at a local and national level
Approach: Coordinate the network to deliver a more powerful voice and greater influence on Food Education, Food Policy and Food Provision

Food education

We run fully funded food education programmes for children, young people and teachers to ensure every child understands the impact of the food they eat on their health and the environment, and has the food skills to live a healthy life

Food policy

We believe that school food should be a consistent and non-partisan priority for government. We use our real-world experience of working in schools to strengthen our campaigns on children’s health, access to nutritious school meals and food education.

Food provision

We want every child to have access to nutritious food so that they are well-nourished and ready to learn. That’s why we work with school caterers, headteachers and families to get the best possible food service across the whole school day.