Pupils continue to tuck into tasty Wokingham tucker!
More than one year on since the new school meal contract was introduced in the Wokingham borough, a growing number of pupils are still enjoying fresh, healthy and tasty food!
Recent national headlines have been highlighting that the number of pupils choosing school dinners across the country is still in decline. Yet in the past 12 months, all primary schools within Wokingham Borough Council’s school meal contract have seen a six per cent increase in meal uptake. A recent survey conducted by the School Food Trust and Local Authority Catering Association (LACA ) highlighted nationally an overall decrease in primary school meal uptake in 2006. The results of this survey show the Wokingham Borough really is bucking the national trend.
Matt Gooderham, senior Wokingham contracts officer, said: “Whilst the rest of the country is seeing a decrease in the number of pupils enjoying a school meal, more and more of Wokingham borough’s pupils than ever before are choosing school dinners at lunchtime.
“We are very satisfied with the performance of our catering contractor, Edwards and Ward and the quality of food being produced is exceptional. We are continuing to work with all stakeholders, including the whole school community, our contractors, kitchen staff and parents, to meet the intrinsic challenges of improving the dining room environments, reduce queues at lunchtimes and increase the time currently allocated to eating school meals. All of these factors will help us to encourage more pupils to have a school meal at lunchtimes.
“With over 68,500 school meals being served in our primary schools every month, it goes to show our pupils have an appetite for healthy and tasty food!”
Caroline Lyons, from Edwards and Ward, said: “It is encouraging for our onsite teams to see the food they work so hard to produce being so well received, using best quality ingredients with excellent nutritional backup an support really is making a huge difference to school meals in Wokingham Borough.”
Sally Ann Akers, headteacher at Robert Piggott Infant School, added “Lunchtime is very important part of the school day when a great deal of informal learning takes place and attitudes towards food and eating are formed.
“We are fortunate to have an excellent cook who also shows an interest in the children. Together with the lunchtime staff she supports the children, encouraging them to try new foods and use good table manners. The children have been involved in improving our lunch facilities and as a result have bought table clothes, vases of flowers, jugs and beakers. The improved ambiance together with wholesome and appetising food makes lunchtime a real pleasure. We are delighted with the increased number of children opting for school lunches.”
Under the contract arrangements, the Wokingham council exceeds new government nutritional guidelines by providing fresh food that is cooked by the catering staff in 38 school kitchens across the district. Pupils are reaping the benefit of fresh meat, vegetables and organic produce from local suppliers across the south of England including Berkshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.
Recent national headlines have been highlighting that the number of pupils choosing school dinners across the country is still in decline. Yet in the past 12 months, all primary schools within Wokingham Borough Council’s school meal contract have seen a six per cent increase in meal uptake. A recent survey conducted by the School Food Trust and Local Authority Catering Association (LACA ) highlighted nationally an overall decrease in primary school meal uptake in 2006. The results of this survey show the Wokingham Borough really is bucking the national trend.
Matt Gooderham, senior Wokingham contracts officer, said: “Whilst the rest of the country is seeing a decrease in the number of pupils enjoying a school meal, more and more of Wokingham borough’s pupils than ever before are choosing school dinners at lunchtime.
“We are very satisfied with the performance of our catering contractor, Edwards and Ward and the quality of food being produced is exceptional. We are continuing to work with all stakeholders, including the whole school community, our contractors, kitchen staff and parents, to meet the intrinsic challenges of improving the dining room environments, reduce queues at lunchtimes and increase the time currently allocated to eating school meals. All of these factors will help us to encourage more pupils to have a school meal at lunchtimes.
“With over 68,500 school meals being served in our primary schools every month, it goes to show our pupils have an appetite for healthy and tasty food!”
Caroline Lyons, from Edwards and Ward, said: “It is encouraging for our onsite teams to see the food they work so hard to produce being so well received, using best quality ingredients with excellent nutritional backup an support really is making a huge difference to school meals in Wokingham Borough.”
Sally Ann Akers, headteacher at Robert Piggott Infant School, added “Lunchtime is very important part of the school day when a great deal of informal learning takes place and attitudes towards food and eating are formed.
“We are fortunate to have an excellent cook who also shows an interest in the children. Together with the lunchtime staff she supports the children, encouraging them to try new foods and use good table manners. The children have been involved in improving our lunch facilities and as a result have bought table clothes, vases of flowers, jugs and beakers. The improved ambiance together with wholesome and appetising food makes lunchtime a real pleasure. We are delighted with the increased number of children opting for school lunches.”
Under the contract arrangements, the Wokingham council exceeds new government nutritional guidelines by providing fresh food that is cooked by the catering staff in 38 school kitchens across the district. Pupils are reaping the benefit of fresh meat, vegetables and organic produce from local suppliers across the south of England including Berkshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.
Wokingham Borough Council
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