Issue - meetings

This report highlights the current provision in Bath and North East Somerset with regard the numbers of pupils who are in receipt of Free School Meals and the provision they can expect to receive, and also explains the statutory requirements of schools food standards that apply to meals provided in schools.

The Chair commented that she would find it useful to have the information in the report broken down on a ward by ward basis.

The Education Business Manager replied that allocating the information to specific wards could be difficult and said that it would be more possible to do it school by school.

The Chair said that she felt the Council should do more / use different types of media to make parents aware that they are eligible to apply for Free School Meals.

The Education Business Manager replied that they do currently use a range of resources to raise awareness, such as local libraries, the One Big Database and the Council’s Facebook page, but said they were willing to do more.

Kevin Burnett asked if there was a defined break even point for schools on this matter.

The Education Business Manager replied that this does really depend on the make up of the school and whether the provision is in house or sourced from an outside provider. He explained to the Panel that either cold or hot food constitutes provision and that all but one of the local schools were providing hot meals.

Kevin Burnett asked if there had been an increase in overall pupil numbers within schools.

The Education Business Manager replied that there had not and that the pupil population was currently stagnant. He added that there has been a reduction within the Reception year and an increase in other years.

He informed the Panel that the Schools Organisational Plan could be discussed by them at a future meeting.

Councillor Dave Harding referred to the Holiday Activity Programme that was held at the Chew Valley Rugby Club and asked how many young people had attended it.

The Education Business Manager replied that he would need to follow up with a response after the meeting.

Councillor Paul Crossley referred to subject of the School Meals Voucher Scheme and said that while the funding is guaranteed until Easter holidays 2024 it must continue beyond this date and called for the Cabinet Member to address this within the upcoming budget.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if many self-assessment audits were carried out within schools regarding food standards and is there any control over quality / provision.

The Education Business Manager replied that the standards are applied to all forms of food provided in school. He added that he was unsure of the numbers of self-assessments that had been carried out.

Councillor Joanna Wright commented that she would like to see the data for how many Free School Meals (FSM) there are per school and the take up of FSM Vouchers for the different areas of the Council in a future report. She also asked if the Holiday Activity Programmes were situated in the right areas.

The Chair replied by saying that the topic of Leisure could be discussed in more detail at a future Panel meeting.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the information within the report.