Contact: Terry Rath, 01962 846457, [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This is the second year of the implementation of the agreed School Meals Strategy 2005-2008. The Strategy is attached as an Appendix. The report concludes that there are no financial implications for the County Council's budget in continuing to implement the agreed strategy.

2 Background

2.1 The County Council's School Meals Strategy was developed in response to the introduction by the Government from September 2005 of Grant 5A, the Targeted School Meals Grant. The Strategy sets out how this grant will be used across the years 2005-2008 to support the introduction of higher nutritional standards in school meals, additional staff training and some limited additional expenditure on school kitchens. The food and nutritional content of school meals will continue to improve during 2007-8 to meet national standards set out in the government publication "Turning the Tables : Transforming School Food" which was published in September 2005. Under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 new nutritional standards for food in schools will have statutory force from March 2007.

2.2 The strategy proposes an increase in school meal prices from April 2007 from £1.70 per meal to £1.80, an increase of 5.9%. Of this increase 3.5% is needed to cover additional food costs following the continued improvement in nutritional standards and food content and the remaining 2.4% to meet other cost increases. In the past this increase in school meal prices would have impacted on the County Council's budget as it would have increased the cost of providing free school meals. However, with the separation of Schools and LA Budgets this increase falls entirely within the scope of the dedicated schools grant provided by central government.

2.3 Neighbouring local authorities have a range of prices for school meals. Dorset charge £1.95, Isle of Wight £1.65 for primary and £1.90 for secondary and Southampton £1.60. Prices could be affected by the point different authorities have reached in implementing the new nutritional standards.

3 Corporate Strategy

3.1 The proposals in this report are expected to maximise wellbeing by providing schools meals with an improved nutritional content in support of the County Council's corporate policies.

3.2 It also supports the following outcomes of the Children Act

· Being healthy (enjoying good physical and mental health and living a health lifestyle): through further improving the nutritional content of school meals.

4 Consultation

4.1 In developing the School Meals Strategy 2005-2008 consultation was undertaken with representative Headteachers and the Schools Forum.

5 Legal implications

5.1 Provision in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to make nutritional standards for schools meals statutory will come into force from March 2007.

6 Financial implications

6.1 These are set out in the School Meals Strategy 2005-2008 and the body of this report.

7 Personnel implications

7.1 None.

8 Impact assessment

8.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

9 Crime prevention issues

9.1 There are no crime prevention issues

10 Views of the Local County Councillor

10.1 This is a county wide proposal

Recommendations

1 That in line with the agreed School Meals Strategy 2005-2008, the price of school meals is increased to £1.80 per meal from April 2007 to reflect the continued improved food and nutritional content of the meal.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

List documents here or type `none'.

None