In March 2005 the Government announced £220m of transitional funding for 2005-08 and a requirement for local authorities to lead the development and implementation of a local strategy to deliver high, quality, sustainable school meals.

Funding devolved to schools

The targeted school meal improvement grant of £307,621 for 2005/06 was devolved to schools on the following basis:

• Primary and PRU’s – Lump sum of £1,070 per school plus 50p per full time equivalent (FTE) pupil
• Nursery – Lump sum of £1,070 per school plus 50p for 50% of FTE
• Secondary – lump sum of £1,500 per school plus 50p per FTE A similar amount is available to schools in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

Funding to Local Authorities

The grant allocation to local authorities is based on pupil numbers – 70% and free school meals (FSM) – 30%. No allowance has been made for the current position so Buckinghamshire has an allocation that does not reflect the current situation of limited kitchens.

Buckinghamshire LA has been allocated approximately £1.2m to support school meal improvement until 2008. If divided equally between schools this would equate to £5,128 per school. A stated condition of the grant is that LA strategies ‘should include plans to begin the reintroduction of universal hot meal provision, where it does not already exist, by September 2008.

Funding application forms and business templates can be downloaded here.

Funding 2008-2011

In September 2006 the Government announced further funding for 2008-11. The further funding is for £240m over three years plus

• Training kitchens - £2m to establish a network of regional kitchens to act as centres of excellence
• An entitlement to learn to cook – pupils’ entitlement to cookery courses in secondary schools from 2008 so that healthy cooking stays with children for life
• A specific fund for building kitchens – in addition to the multi-billion pound Building Schools for the future and Primary Capital Programme, funding will be made available (for local authorities to bid for) from 2008 to local authorities that have the most need for kitchens
• Increasing tendering opportunities for small and local producers – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will work to increase their capacity to bid successfully for contracts to supply schools with food, in particular by helping them to collaborate in consortia and with the rest of the food chain.