The School Food Plan

This September will see the national roll out of the School Food Plan whereby every infant and primary school in England will be required to provide free school meals, funded by the Government.

Alongside this requirement will be a new set of nutritional food standards for school food, meaning that those looking to perhaps provide packed lunches rather than cooked meals will find it almost impossible to do so.

So with a capital fund of £150m to pay for new and improved kitchens around the country, many educational establishments are now entering a phase of capital investment as they either upgrade their current catering facilities or build entirely new ones.

Two test schemes last year brought about significant improvements not just in the childrens’ nutritional intake but also in the performance of pupils, with many advancing by the equivalent of a term. Heads also reported subtle changes in school culture as the split between those who had free meals already and those who brought their own, disappeared.

Commenting on these developments, Managing Director Peter Kitchin said “we have excellent experience in projects for schools, colleges and universities and have seen first hand how a well designed scheme can become a key part of any school.

“As CEDA members, my colleagues and I are no doubt going to be kept very busy as the deadline approaches so we would encourage anyone whose responsibility it is to implement these plans to not leave it to the last moment. September is not that far away!”