Press Release: 20/11/07

The School Food Trust announce the establishment of the first group of School FEAST (Food Excellence And Skills Training) centres and partnerships devoted to the ongoing training of school cooks.

The new School FEAST network will bring together training providers across England who will offer a wide range of training and support to all those involved in improving school meals, including school cooks, kitchen assistants, lunchtime supervisors, teachers, bursars and employers.

Judy Hargadon, Chief Executive of The Trust said, "This announcement sees the beginning of a training revolution for school cooks and other school staff. To support the school food standards introduced in 2006, the School Food Trust has been working to bring about a new training package tailored to the needs of school cooks and the wider school food workforce.

"I am delighted therefore to announce the School FEAST network and congratulate the first centres and partnerships. School food has a deserved importance to the health and wellbeing of hundreds and thousands of children and young people. It is only right that we equip school cooks and those involved in school food with the skills and training they require."

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:
"It's great to see another leap forward in our quest to get all children and young people eating healthily. This is just one part of a range of activity that is happening to make sure the school food revolution succeeds. These centres will train school cooks from across the country and make sure that they are able to prepare meals from healthy fresh ingredients, taking these skills back to their schools. We should recognise the great work that schools cooks do and the vital role they play in transforming school meals for the better."

The School FEAST network brings together new and existing training establishments, sees the formulation of new partnerships and offers a consistent core offer of training. The added value of this formula is the flexibility for any centre or partnership to specialise or diversify in to areas of special interest, which will develop over time. The School Food Trust is actively working to expand the network to cover other areas of the country, and will announce these via the School FEAST website

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Notes to editors

Interviews can be arranged by calling the Trust’s press office on 0114 259 3230 or out of hours by calling Emma Heesom on 07867 536794 or Rebecca Irani on 07841 718692.
The School Food Trust (SFT) is a non-departmental public body established by the DCSF in September 2005. Its remit is to transform school food and food skills, and promote the education and health of children and young people by improving the quality of food supplied and consumed in school.
The School Food Trust has developed a School FEAST easy-to-use website to support the network. Visit the website www.schoolfeast.co.uk to find out more.
The School Food Trust received £2m Capital Fund Grant from the Department for Education and Skills to support the establishment of the School FEAST network. Allocation of the Capital Fund Grant has been made following a robust and vigorous assessment process.
The School FEAST network will provide a comprehensive package of training and qualifications, from hands-on cooking lessons to formal qualifications at NVQ level 2 and beyond.

The network will consist of School FEAST centres and School FEAST partnerships. As a member of the School FEAST network each centre and partnership is required to provide a ‘Core Offer’ of qualifications. The ‘Core Offer’ consists of:
VRQ Level 1 Award in Providing a Healthier School Meals Service
Support Work in Schools Level 2
Support Work in Schools Level 3
NVQ Level 2 Professional Cookery
NVQ Level 2 Food Processing and Cooking
It is likely that centres and partnerships will provide additional training and qualifications that have been designed to meet the specific needs of their learners.
The network includes further education colleges, private and employer led training providers. These organisations either provide training or qualifications individually as a School FEAST centre or together with others as a School FEAST partnership.

It is envisaged that the School FEAST network will develop over time and include other colleges, schools and training providers and extend to areas of the country not currently covered. Initially the organisations that make up the School FEAST network are:

The South

Ashburton Cookery School & its partner City College Plymouth
City of Bristol College & its partner Bristol Chefs Forum
Kent County Council & its partner KEY Training Provider
Oxford and Cherwell Valley College & its partners Oxfordshire LA; Scolarest (Oxfordshire); St Gregory the Great School; and Cheney School
South East Essex College
Yeovil College & its partner Somerset College
Royal Agricultural College & its partners Cirencester College; Gloucestershire College; Stroud College; and Swindon College

The Midlands

Bournville College & its partner Birmingham City Council
Northamptonshire County Council & its partners Moulton College; Northampton College; Bedford College; and Tresham College

The North
St Helens College

Manchester Fayre - Manchester City Council & its partners Accrington and Rossendale College;
Manchester Metropolitan University; and Manchester Primary Care Trust.