Does your DC go to East Sheen? Tell me about your school dinners... PLEASE.

[Eleusis]

That's it really. I've started a thread about the parent survey I got for a particular Twickenham COE school. They are considering going from cooked dinner to sandwiches and I'm trying to find out what other schools in Richmond Borough do. Apparently East Sheen has a pilot program with a different caaterer and it has had good reviews.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you have any first hand experience tell me about it.

I heard over the weekend that Orleans is also opting out of the borough led contract. Does anyone know anything about this?

I now have 18 supports from our school who want to sign a letter to the Governors asking that the parents have a say in the decision and that it is not left up to the borough to decide what our kids will eat for the next 4 - 6 years.

Sinclair,
I didn't mean we would opt out of funding, I meant we want a say in how it is spent. But, that is an interesting point. If we don't want the borough to sort out the contract on our behalf, does than mean we lose the funding?

It is the governors' decision how they manage school lunches, whether they stay in a centrally negotiated contract (if there is one, and if there are enough schools clubbing together to make it work) or whether they go it alone, either running their own kitchen or buying in from their own supplier. I can't imagine they would change the system without consultation with parents, but the first thing to do is ask them where they are at. Some of the governors down the thread if they are in your boro might know why it is coming up for discussion now (maybe the boro wide tender is up for negotiation?)

The funding is the dinner money - from you and from some central pot for those on free school meals - ie around £1.65 per child per day. But good point - there must be some 'Jamie Oliver' money sloshing around - didn't he get the Education Secretary to pledge ££ in one of the shows? No idea where that comes in - any primary school governors on their Finance Commmittee care to enlighten?