School Background
Blake Valley Technology College is a secondary school in the Cannock area of Staffordshire. There are 770 – 800 students on roll depending on exams and 6th form and the take up of school meals is around 200 a day of which 65 are free school meals.
“It is a specialist technology college and is a member of the Specialist Schools Trust’s improved club. The percentage of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is very low, as is the number of students for whom English is an additional language. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals is slightly above the national average. The school is part of a consortium with two other schools that offers joint sixth form provision.”
(Ofsted 2008)
Project Team
- Head Teacher
- Deputy Head & Healthy Schools Co-ordinator
- School Business Manager & Project Manager
- Catering Manager
- Local Authority Catering Service Area Manager
- Industry Forum Facilitator
- SFT Contact
Case Study
Read the case study on Blake Valley Technology College here:
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/casestudies/blakevalleytechnologycollege
Final Report
Executive Summary
Objectives as decided by all stakeholders
- Increase seating capacity in dining area by better utilisation of space and better seating
- Improve equipment available in the kitchen, e.g. dishwasher, Panini grill, potato oven and mixer.
- Increase the number of service points and the variety of menu choices on offer.
- Improve cash collection system, including FSM handling system.
- Involve key staff in the ongoing improvement of the service on offer.
- Improve marketing of service by working together as a team.
- Improve the quality of the food to provide a good service to all customers, aiming to increase and sustain take-up levels.
Many areas were identified for improvement in terms of work flows, servery area and food quality. The dining facility is set up as a bistro in the dedicated dining hall, with seating capacity for 90 pupils at any one time.
The kitchen did potentially have the capacity to provide meals for all pupils on roll using the current processes and equipment; however, the dining hall capacity and length of the lunchtime service (40 minutes) would be a constraint.
Results
Kitchen
- New equipment has allowed a greater choice in menu options
- Updated and redecorated kitchen now in service.
- Improved food quality and greater menu choice
Servery
- New servery area in kitchen presents food in a more appealing manor
- Second servery set up and is very popular
- Biometric system now in use, reducing the time to pay and improving the FSM handling system
Dining Hall
- Refurbished dining hall is now in service.
- New furniture and décor make the dining hall a better environment
- Dining hall capacity has been increased to 110 seats.
Overall the project at Blake Valley has proved to be a success. The next step is to sustain and increase the improvements in Take up by maintaining the quality of food on offer and continually working together as a team to promote the service to pupils and their parents to make full use of the service now available.
