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Derbyshire County Council unveils school catering shakeup
17 Aug 2011

Head teachers who are exploring methods of revamping their school dinner payments systems could be interested in a new scheme from Derbyshire CountyCouncil.

According to the Burton Mail, Springfield Junior School in Swadlincote is set to receive £120,000 to cook its meals onsite in a bid to save money.

The cash injection will be used to transform the institution's servery into a fully operational kitchen where lunchtime food will be cooked and prepared.

Aiming to increase the number of pupils eating school dinners, the move will see a reduction in transportation costs, saving around £6,000 for the local authority.

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire County Council said: "We reviewed our school catering service and found school meals were not as popular in schools where meals were delivered."

Recent research revealed that 17 per cent of poorer pupils who were entitled to free school meals entered higher education by the age of 19 between 2008 and 2009, Times Higher Education reports.