Hot meals have returned to pupils at Woodingdean Primary School in Brighton after a kitchen equipment fault disrupted the service for around a month.
Hot meals have returned to pupils at Woodingdean Primary School in Brighton after a kitchen equipment fault disrupted the service for around a month. The issue arose when an air-handling unit, responsible for circulating air from the kitchen throughout the building, stopped working in mid-May, making the school’s oven unsafe to use.
During the disruption, the school consulted parents about possible alternatives, including continuing with sandwiches, purchasing hot meals from an external provider, or buying a replacement electric oven costing around £700. Concerned about the situation, several parents contacted local ward councillor Jacob Allen for support.
Councillor Allen subsequently wrote to the chief executive of Compass EKO Academy Trust, which took over the management of the school earlier this year when it converted from a local authority-maintained school to an academy. He stressed the importance of resolving the issue quickly, noting that academy trusts are generally responsible for major repairs, while schools handle routine maintenance.
Allen described hot meals as an essential part of school life rather than a luxury, highlighting the importance of nutritious lunches for children, particularly in communities experiencing high levels of deprivation. He added that, had the school remained under local authority control, he would have pressed the council to secure funding for the necessary repairs.
The school confirmed that hot meals resumed on Friday, 11 June, and thanked parents and pupils for their patience throughout the disruption. In a statement, the school explained that the faulty air handling unit had prevented use of the oven since mid-May and expressed gratitude for the understanding shown by families during the period without hot meals.
From LDRS – Original article by Sarah Booker - Lewis
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