The mixed secondary school in Preston, Lancashire, continues to build its forward-thinking reputation, ambitious to deliver the best for its 750 students every day.
A whole new approach to school dining
To provide the fast and efficient lunchtimes modern students need, Penwortham Priory Academy took a new approach, flipping traditional queue-and-pay cafeteria service 180°.
Moving transactions to the start of the process, students now order lunch from modern touchscreen kiosks, quickly collect and enjoy their fresh, hot meals, then make the most of their free time.
Working in collaboration with CRB Cunninghams, the school updated its dining areas, replacing all staff-operated tills with commercial restaurant-style Self-Serve Kiosks.
Cheryl Barker, strategic business development manager, said: “It was a completely new concept that was innovative, and we believed could transform our catering service. We thrive on looking for solutions that are not the norm, that make us unique and will support us in meeting our team missions.”
The new service has exceeded all expectations
Penwortham Priory Academy has praised the overwhelming success of the new dining service and its lasting impact on staff and students.
Barker explained: “The benefits that we wanted from using the kiosks have really come to fruition, and I think it’s exceeded our expectations. We’ve completely eradicated any debt, we’ve been able to reallocate resources elsewhere, and we’ve seen a better user experience for the pupils, which was one of the main drives: to make lunchtime and breaktime the best that it could be for the pupils. So it’s definitely paid off.”
The positive impact has been felt across the school, from faster lunchtimes and improved behaviour to increased school meal uptake and reduced waste.
Service time halved from 30 to 15 minutes
The catering transformation has halved serving times at Penwortham Priory Academy from half an hour to just fifteen minutes. Increasing access to extracurricular activities was a key priority for the school leadership team. By doubling the speed of service, students now have more time to eat, socialise, and participate in lunchtime clubs.
Neil Gee, assistant principal at Penwortham Priory Academy, commented: “It’s like going from dial-up internet to broadband, the speed is that increased. The new system allows children to order really quickly, get their food, and then have time afterwards to do all the activities that we have in school.”
Student-approved mealtimes
Students have enthusiastically embraced the new dining experience, enjoying faster service, reduced queues, and familiar technology like that used in popular high-street restaurants.
A student from the school added: “They’re similar to the ones that you might get at McDonald’s or Burger King. It’s easy to use; you get the gist of it really quickly.”
A calmer & more enjoyable lunchtime experience
The redesigned dining spaces have transformed the lunchtime atmosphere. Improved flow means no long queues or crowded tills, creating a spacious and welcoming environment where students can relax and enjoy their breaks.
Gee said: “Students aren’t standing around waiting… and of course it results in better behaviour, because they’re through faster, and then can go and spend time with their friends instead of standing in a queue for up to thirty minutes.”
More school meals & less meal debt
The improvements have increased sales, reduced wastage and enhanced efficiency, making the in-house school catering service more economically sustainable. Reversing the order of service, with students completing transactions before collecting their meals, has also resolved the school’s previous issue of accumulating lunch debt.
Barker explained: “Because we’ve taken the payment first now, it has completely eradicated any debt building up. It’s stopped pupils eating food in the queue when they might not have any money on their accounts, so there’s absolutely no debt being built up at all.”
Fighting food waste with real-time data
The Penwortham Priory catering team has embraced data-driven meal planning, using real-time information on student choices to prepare exactly what’s needed each day. This approach has improved meal planning and stock ordering, almost eliminating food waste in the dining hall.
Catering manager Kirsten Billings commented: “The quantity input has helped massively in saving on waste produce, ordering the correct quantities that we need on a daily basis, and we literally have no leftover food at the end of service.”
Greater efficiency & better use of staff resources
Barker concluded: “The feedback from the catering team has been really positive; they say it’s much easier to do their role and to serve the pupils in the limited amount of time that they’ve got. They are happy with the system and they wouldn’t go back to using tills now.
“The largest benefit has been the reallocation of resource, certainly with staffing budgets as tight as they are. The need for six till operators has been reduced to three staff on drink and snack stations.”
See Penwortham Priory’s transformation in action
Penwortham Priory Academy’s forward-thinking approach has set a new standard for school catering, proving that with the right innovation, schools can deliver a dining experience that’s efficient, sustainable, and loved by students. By elevating lunchtimes for today’s students, the school has also paved the way for future ingenuity.
Watch how Penwortham Priory Academy reimagined lunchtimes and hear directly from students and staff in the full video: https://www.crbcunninghams.co.uk/case-studies/penwortham-priory-academy-kiosk-success-story/