News

David Laws, Minister for Schools, has today announced a huge step forward in the increasingly productive relationship between LACA and the Department for Education.

From 2015 the DfE will present the ‘School Food Excellence Award’ as part of the LACA Awards for Excellent. This new awards will be presented to a primary and a secondary school that, in the opinion of the judges, have strived to achieve the most exceptional standards in catering and food education within a whole school environment.

The winning schools will have to demonstrate how they have worked collectively across all areas of the school to improve and excel in all areas of food provision and food education.

The proposed awards criteria are:

1. Improvements and excellence in the delivery of a quality school meals service to all pupils, with a particular focus on the principles and key expectations in the 2013 School Food Plan and the execution of the 2015 revised School Food Standards. Views from pupils and parents about the quality of the food and delivery of the service will significantly enhance any entry.
2. Delivery of dazzling food education in a way that engages children and has had a significant and measurable effect on their understanding of health and nutrition and the vital role it plays in their lives, food choice, food provenance and practical cooking skills.
3. Engagement by the school with parents, governors, suppliers and the local community in delivering education, skills and support around the subject of health, nutrition and cooking skills that can be used to improve the delivery of a more appropriate diet in the home to support the great work provided by the school catering staff.

Best practice is at the heart of this award:  Winners will need to demonstrate not only how excellence can be achieved, but also how what has been learnt can be applied in all schools.

The award will be open to entries from January 2015 and will be presented to the winning school/academy at the LACA Main Event Gala Dinner and Awards on Thursday 11th July 2015.

LACA will be working with the Department for Education on the final detail over the next few weeks and will post the registration pack on the 2015 awards section of our website in December.