An Isle of Wight primary school has been hit with a 2 out of 5 food hygiene rating.
Barton Primary School on Furrlongs, in Newport, was inspected in the Summer holidays by the Isle of Wight Council’s environmental health officers, and issues were found.
It was deemed that improvement was necessary with the school and its catering contractor, Compass.
Some of the issues — like a slip hazard and a lack of hot water to wash hands — had been reported as much as 6 months ago by the catering company, but no action had been taken by the school.
In their report, inspectors said kitchen staff were told to use the basin in the changing area, which was in the intervening lobby from the toilet.
Due to aerosols from the toilets entering the kitchen, leading to the potential contamination of food, the doors should be closed at all times and the basin should not have been an option for the staff, inspectors said.
The general standard of hygiene in the kitchen was mainly satisfactory but inspectors highlighted some areas had been overlooked and required further detailed cleaning. These included a dusty and dirty ventilation system in the ceiling; a build-up of dust and grease in the filters in the hood of the extraction system and a build-up of dust in the old mixer, which inspectors said should be removed from the kitchen if it was not being used.
Another issue was a steam oven leaking water onto the floor, which had been reported to the school, but no action taken. It was deemed a slip hazard. A hazard sign had been placed next to the pool of water, however.
Inspectors also noted the colour-coded chopping boards had deteriorated to the point they could not be effectively cleaned and should be replaced.
Barton Primary School has been contacted for comment but has not responded.
Chartwells, the parent company behind the school’s catering contract, said the structural and cleaning issues raised were the responsibility of the school, so it would not be appropriate for them to comment.
UPDATE WEDNESDAY – Mark Snow, Headteacher of Barton Primary, has said:
“We are aware of recent press reports regarding the two-star rating for the school kitchen — over the summer all issues have been resolved, not least the water issues identified.
“A project commissioned by the local authority has cost £120,000 refitting the heating and water systems across the site. This had already been planned for and has since been completed.
“Inspectors have since been in to see the work and have acknowledged all of the advice has been followed. They will carry out a full re-inspection in the coming weeks.
“While the grading is frustrating and disappointing, we have of course been working with the catering team and the local authority to ensure the rating is improved as soon as possible.
“I would like to assure you that every effort from the school and the catering company has been made to ensure our kitchens are safe.”
Looks like they’ll be getting cheap school dinner’s from now on.
One wonders at what ‘level’ many of their home kitchens would achieve.
Yet they can’t sue their parents.
Perhaps it’s time to end cooked school meals and get those who chose to have children to feed and provide packed lunches for them using their state paid child allowance and overly generous child tax credits or U/C.
I realise that this may cause a few nail bars, spray tan booths and some designer clothes stores a headache, but paying people to have children and then keeping their choice of having such by free meals, school travel, uniforms, and out of school hours meals etc is a burden we tax payers can do without nowadays.
No action taken they have just had 6 weeks holiday to get it sorted
And if you read it ben that’s what they did!
FFS…..It is a school kitchen, not a five star french cuisine restaurant.
It is rated as satisfractory, END OF !
Good chance to harden the kids up.
If this was a takeaway everyone would be ranting to shut it down, the same-free school meal receiving parents have nothing to comment now…..hahahaha
It got two stars, theres takeaways with one star being allowed to trade.
Just because its precious little darlings we are all expected to wring our hands and boo hoo.
Probably get given a worse standard of food at home.
Do you have grandchildren?
If you do, I feel truly sorry for them.
To be honest, it would seem to me that the most important thing would be the supply of hot water to wash hands with. But, even with that, the inspectors said ‘The general standard of hygiene in the kitchen was mainly satisfactory’.
Yes, it could obviously be improved, but the headline stating that the school had been ‘slapped’ with a 2 star rating seems a bit misleading after reading the issues.
I dread to think how many of our kitchens at home would get a 2 star rating or less? I think I’d better go and check my old disused food mixer in the cupboard for dust.