Free School meals For Infants
Coming to a School near you from
2nd September 2014
Benefits
• Pupils eat more healthily
• Perform better academically – improvements
most pronounced amongst poorest pupils.
• Improved behaviour and atmosphere
• £7.7m boost to Somerset’s economy
• Job opportunities
Targets
• Short term – Meet the September 2014
requirements, and create capacity to meet
increasing demand over the next 5 years.
• Medium Term – obtain additional funding
from Government to build new school
kitchens.
The facts:
• Only 30% [78 out of 250]of Somerset Schools have a
kitchen
• Most of these are in Middle and Secondary Schools
• Free School meals for Infants will be Statutory [it has
already been passed by the House of Lords]
• We will only be able to meet the increased demand if we
can use all the production available in Schools and add a
new source of between 10,000 and 15,000 [was 20,000]
More Facts!
• The price of an Infant meal is £2.30.
- The Government are encouraging schools to
provide hot meals, but this is not compulsory
• HMG have given Somerset £1,07m capital to equip the
County for the increase in meals.
• This is for production and dining halls.
• Academies have a separate vehicle for capital funding.
Options
• Produce meals on site
• Contract with a local provider to deliver
meals – either individually or as a group of
schools.
• Receive meals from one of the County’s
contractors.
• Beware! Current providers (school
kitchens and contractors) may not be able
to meet the increased level of demand.
What is being done
• Clarify the shortfall in capacity – both to
produce and receive meals.
• Explore options with strategic partners –
Mercury Alliance and BAM FM.
• Investigate the creation of 2 Central
Production Units (CPUs)- Yeovil and
Bridgwater? To supply 12,000 meals per
day
• Investigate the supply of meals direct to
schools from a manufacturer for the
schools to re-generate them on-site
• Help schools prepare to receive meals.
(Dining space, furniture, hot hold
equipment, timetable, serving staff, washup etc.)
Time line for project
Janu
ary
Gathering
General
information
Consult
Contractors
Consult inhouse schools
Seek School
mandate
Form Strategy
Identify land
& utilities
availability
Bid for extra
funding
Define
specifications
Inform stake
holders of
strategy
F/E
14.2.
14
F/E
28.2.
14
F/E
14.3.
14
F/E
28.3.
14
F/E
11.4.
14
F/E
25.4.
14
F/E
9.5.
14
F/E
23.5.
14
F/E
6.6.
14
F/E
20.6.
14
F/E
4.7.
14
F/E
18.7.
14
F/E
1.8.
14
P/E
2.9.
14
Janu
ary
Procure
services
required for
production
Procure
equipment for
receiving
schools
Mobilisation
by production
and receiving
school
contractors
Testing of
system
F/E
14.2.
14
F/E
28.2.
14
F/E
14.3.
14
F/E
28.3.
14
F/E
11.4.
14
F/E
25.4.
14
F/E
9.5.
14
F/E
23.5.
14
F/E
6.6.
14
F/E
20.6.
14
F/E
4.7.
14
F/E
18.7.
14
F/E
1.8.
14
P/E
2.9.
14