School meals contract still leaves a bad taste (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

School meals contract still leaves a bad taste

Celebrating the opening of a new outdoor healthy eating area at Calne's John Bentley School are, from left, Alice Salmon, Lew Newton, headteacher Anne Burrell, head catering manager Jane Brain, pupils Suzie, Nakita and Nicole and nutritionist Rachel Foulds (16483/1)HEADTEACHERS across the county have backed calls from a council task force to bring more fresh and locally-produced food into school dinners .

The call came after a team of councillors looked at the county contract with school meals provider Sodexho, which had sparked a flurry of complaints about poor quality food, small portions and rising costs.

A report published last week by Wiltshire County Council made 14 recommendations for improvement.

Among them is a move towards more fresh and locally produced food, championed by TV chef Jamie Oliver, and a change in policy that allows schools to claim for the number of children currently on roll rather than at the start of the Sodexho contract four years ago.

Clare Brookes, headteacher of Potterne Primary School, near Devizes, which is signed up to Sodexho, said: "We like the idea of locally produced food and moving away from processed food.

"We have had concerns about the food provided by Sodexho and to be fair Sodexho has taken these on board and now provide a packed lunch option with a protein filling, wholemeal bread and carrot sticks.

"As part of a multicultural week this week Sodexho were able to accommodate our request for a special Indian lunch and they cooked chicken or vegetable korma, poppadums and rice."

Southbroom Junior School in Devizes is one of the supplier schools. As well as cooking for their own pupils the meals cooked in its kitchen are then transported to seven other schools and one nursery.

Headteacher David Jopling said: "Sodexho have listened to us and acted on some of our concerns but we do think it costs us more.

"Our electricity and gas bills have gone up by 24 per cent since the contract started but we haven't had a rise of 24 per cent in the money we receive from Sodexho.

"Next year we will also lose out because we will have 30 less children on our roll. To base the payment to Sodexho on how many children were on roll in January 2001 is crazy. Those schools who have a rising roll are making a profit out of it."

The nine month review concluded that school meals must be made healthier. The task group of five councillors looked at why take up of school meals was low and examined the quality of the food served up.

The group has come up with 14 recommendations and while all involved welcome the proposals to make meals healthier and look into the possibility of reopening kitchens at schools, the question still to be answered is how much it will cost and who will fund it.

The report reveals that the seven year contract struck with Sodexho in June 2001 has shortcomings. Not enough schools signed up to the contract meaning Sodexho has been making a loss. Of the county's 260 schools, 119 signed up but Sodexho needed 150 to make the service viable.

Of concern to the schools is the funding formula. Schools pay a lump sum every year but also an amount based on the number of pupils they had on roll in 2001. Schools that have less pupils than in 2001 say they lose.

One of the task group's recommendations is for the council to make recompense for this by paying £5,774 to schools whose numbers have fallen.

Another loser in the contract are schools that cook the Sodexho meals in their kitchens and transport them to other schools. They receive a percentage back from Sodexho but they say it is not enough to cover the costs.

A review of the arrangement is due to take place next year and the task group has made it clear it wants the supplier kitchens to be properly compensated.

The quality of the food served up by Sodexho was criticised by some parents and teachers who thought there was too much processed food and did not provide value for money.

New nutritional standards to be introduced by the Government will increase the amount to be spent on food per pupil to 50p in primary schools and 60p in secondary schools.

The task group says Sodexho currently spends 46p on ingredients per meal in primary schools and 55p in secondary schools in Wiltshire, which is above the national average.

Task group member John Thomson, at the time chairman of the council's scrutiny committee, suggested the review after his 11-year-old daughter Jade complained about meals at Sherston Primary School.

He said: "The main aim of the review is to improve the food served as we should be feeding our children decent meals and not processed, reconstituted rubbish. But we also wanted to find out what went wrong in the original contract.

"The basic infrastructure of the school meals service in Wiltshire isn't too bad. The problem was not as many schools as indicated signed up to the contract in 2001.

"When the council decided to stop supplying school meals it didn't take enough time to lock enough schools into the contract and it was rushed."

A Sodexho spokesman said: "Sodexho is committed to encouraging children to think about what they eat and the lifestyle they adopt and will continue to organise promotional campaigns which help drive home the healthy eating message.

"Sodexho does a lot of work behind the scenes to boost the nutritional content of its school meals while retaining their appeal to children and sees lowering the salt, fat and sugar content of its food as a key part of its healthier eating policy."

Parents choose healthy menu

CRISPS, sweets and single portions of chips will be swept off the menu as Chippenham's Sheldon School seeks to encourage healthy eating for its 1600 pupils.

Headteacher Gerard MacMahon asked parents what they thought of school dinners, and in the light of Jamie Oliver's campaign for healthier grub, they voted for change. From September, pupils will have their choice of food restricted. Sweets and crisps will be off the menu, vending machines will only sell water, fruit juices and healthier snacks and a portion of chips will only be available as part of a meal.

"We asked parents to respond to a number of questions in our newsletter and about 30 responded," said Mr MacMahon.

"We have a contract with Sodexho, but it is separate from the county council's contract. Sodexho have been very positive about the changes we've proposed."

From September, the cafeteria-style menus, where children can pick and choose which items they want, will be scrapped and instead pupils will have a choice of full meals offered.

The main dining room will serve hot meals at lunch. There will be four £1.50 choices, including a meat option, a vegetarian option, a pasta meal and a filled jacket potato. Salads and fruit will also be available.

The hall foyer will have a salad bar, jacket potatoes, paninis and cold tortillas, as well as a fruit bar, and the sports hall will sell cold items such as baguettes and sandwiches, French bread pizza and filled wraps. There will also be fruit, cereal bars, some cakes and cookies, and healthy drinks.

A breakfast menu, served from 8am to 8.30am, will offer fruit, toast, yoghurt and bacon rolls.

The school is also seeking to reduce the salt, sugar and fat content of its meals.

Of the 30 parents who responded to the survey, 14 said their child currently ate at school but this number increased to 29 with the proposed new menu. The vast majority 29 out of 30 said they were in favour of the new menu and agreed £1.50 was about the right price for a main meal.

The school is also considering introducing a voucher system to pay for meals so parents know children are getting a proper lunch.

"This is a dramatic change," said Mr MacMahon. "We are removing choice, because often children are making bad choices.

"Sheldon will be retaining two vending machines but these will only sell water and healthier drinks and snacks, such as muesli bars.

In a school with 1,600 pupils some 300 to 400 eat school meals but Mr MacMahon believes more might do so once the menu is changed.

"We are less interested in the income to be made than in providing something healthier," he said. "Many teachers believe this will have an impact on behaviour in the afternoons as well."

John Bentley School in Calne has also responded to the call for change by opening an outdoor healthy eating area.

The 14 recommendations made on school food

-The promotion of healthier menus be strongly recommended, whilst recognising the autonomy of schools. Following completion of the inspection of all kitchen facilities and a thorough consultation with Sodexho, school staff, parents and pupils, consideration be given to financing the necessary additional costs, such as equipment and facilities catering skills and time, either with forthcoming government and/or new council funding. This should be done alongside reducing the availability of unhealthy options.

-That the council determine an additional source of funding of £5,774 to be allocated to smooth out losses made by schools under the consortium fee with reducing pupil numbers on roll.

n That the findings from the review of commercial rebates between the council and Sodexho ensure those supplier kitchens are properly compensated.

-That further work be done by the task group on the proposal to provide a financial incentive to encourage schools and Sodexho to increase take up, as well as ways in which Sodexho can reinvest in the school meals service.

-That consideration be given to raising the free school meal allowance in line with paid meal prices and that encouragement be given to children entitled to take them up. That the Government be lobbied to provide funding for cashless systems to remove stigma surrounding free school meals.

-That there is detailed communication with all schools and Sodexho on the issues arising from this report, to ensure responsibilities are made clear and expectations are accurate.

-That Sodexho be encouraged to create more innovative approaches that encourage pupils to choose healthier options, taking into account the suggestions made

-That more regular and thorough monitoring and inspection regimes be carried out to ensure a more consistent quality in schools.

-That the work currently taking place through the Healthier Wiltshire and Healthy Schools Projects be linked and related to the new Ofsted requirements.

-That the current policy on beef be revisited, with consideration given to its re-introduction in schools within the current contract.

-That sufficient time be allowed for future negotiations and consultation with school staff, parents and pupils and potential contractors during the new tendering stage.

-That in future, the council move towards a contract with more locally sourced and organic food, where possible, and away from reconstituted products, and that nutritional standards be enhanced in line with forthcoming Government guidelines and the Caroline Walker Trust guidelines.

-That the overview and scrutiny management Committee reconstitute the task group to take the findings of this review forward.

-That the subject be considered again in a year, following the Sherston pilot and potential new Government guidelines in September 2006.

-What do you think about the school food served at your child's school?

Is the county doing enough to improve the standard of meals? Did your child once have meals but now takes packed lunch? E-mail us at glawrence@newswilts.co.uk