Definition

What is involved in being a member of the School FEAST network?

A School FEAST centre or partnership will:

provide all learners with access to a core offer;
The core offer is:

• Level 1 VRQ Award in Providing a Healthier School Meals Service.
• Level 2 Support Work in Schools.
• Level 3 Support Work in Schools.
• Level 2 NVQ in Professional Cookery.
• Level 2 NVQ in Food processing & cooking.

In addition, the School FEAST centre or partnership may offer other qualifications, courses or specialisms to serve local needs, or respond to developments in relation to the school food agenda. School FEAST centres or partnerships will select courses as appropriate. Examples could include, but are not limited to, menu planning skills (including seasonality), sustainable development agenda, quality control in purchasing and supply. Potential learners include any member of the school workforce engaging with the school food agenda, including school cooks, lunchtime supervisors, teachers, bursars etc.

be built on excellent training provision;
The organisation(s) which forms the centre or partnership must have a credible track record of achieving excellence in the provision of training, covering hospitality and catering related courses. They must also have the ability to deliver all types of qualification stated in the core offer.

be a new or existing partnership or sole organisation;
Members of the School FEAST network can be established as a partnership or a sole organisation. The number and type of organisations involved, their relationship and role within the School FEAST network will depend on the needs and circumstances of the area it serves. A School FEAST centre or partnership does not need to serve an entire Government Office region. There is no fixed model but it is likely that a partnership approach will be common.

be a self-sustaining organisation;
Each School FEAST centre or partnership must be selfsustaining after any initial funding received from the Trust or other bodies. The business model selected must be able to generate enough revenue or funding to provide all training requirements and continued operation in line with the School FEAST definition and Code of Practice.

carry out pre-training assessments;
A School FEAST centre or partnership will assess each learner’s requirements through a pre-training assessment and develop a personalised learning plan before any training is provided. This will identify core and non-core training requirements.

provide access to non-core offer learning needs;
A School FEAST centre or partnership will assist all learners to access the training identified in their pre-training assessment either directly or through an external agent.

have a lead organisation; and
A School FEAST partnership, however structured, will have a nominated lead organisation and officer responsible for all aspects of management, reporting, governance and ongoing operation. The lead organisation must involve any partner organisations in the direction of the partnership. How this is achieved in practice will depend on the business model selected and the preferences of all organisations involved.

sign up to a Code of Practice.
All School FEAST centres and partnerships are required to sign up to a number of key principles, that are highlighted in a Code of Practice.