Ian Kemp and Hayley Jones, Denbighshire catering managers with catering staff from Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ruthin
Out of the 55 Catering Services that submitted data, Denbighshire School Meals Service is in the top 6 councils in Performance Networks, a national benchmarking system developed by the Association for Public Excellence (Apse), to measure the performance of frontline public services across the UK.
Performance Networks looked at the uptake of school meals in Denbighshire, the level of subsidies it provides, productivity, procurement and communication with stakeholders.
The figures show that Denbighshire Catering Services has the second highest uptake of school meals compared to all councils that were measured and Denbighshire provides the lowest subsidy to its school meals.
The ratio of meals served and staff hours paid proved that catering staff are amongst the top six performers and that the prices paid for supplies are amongst the most competitive and value for money.
Communication with parents, guardians and pupils also rated highly, with Denbighshire being named amongst the best for stakeholder consultation and quality assurance through the regular distribution of leaflets and brochures to ensure all stakeholders are kept fully up to date.
Cabinet Lead member for Environment and Sustainable Development, Councillor Eryl Williams, said: “I am delighted that Denbighshire’s school meals service has ranked so highly in the Apse Performance Networks.
These figures show that Denbighshire offers a nationally recognised service that provides our school children with nutritionally balanced meals from locally sourced ingredients in such a way that also offers value for money.
“Stakeholders are also kept fully informed through the distribution of regular leaflets and brochures and I congratulate all the school catering staff who have helped put Denbighshire in the top six.”
