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Free School meals For Infants. Coming to a School near you from 2 nd 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.
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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, wash-up etc.)