The apprenticeship aims to fill a crucial gap in the training landscape for the early years sector, focusing on nutrition and cooking for individuals up to five years-old. The apprenticeship is the
School Kitchen partners with local schools to use their kitchens, turning an underutilised asset into a thriving and eco-friendly food service, with the school receiving a share of the revenue.
The charity School Food Matters commissioned research to compare the Government’s allocated school meal funding with the actual costs of serving nutritious and sustainable meals.
The Breakfast Club programme provides free and nutritious breakfasts to over 75,000 schoolchildren in the UK every day, with support targeted to schools and pupils where the need is greatest.
Now in its 25th year, the independent caterer will see revenue reach a record £65million for 2024/25 as a result of new business wins.
The catering facility serves 150 staff and 730 students daily.
The project will see around 2,500 children automatically enrolled for free school meals following a data matching exercise on their eligibility.
The funding will be used to support pupils in 400 schools where there is a higher-than-average free school meal ratio.
The contract caterer aims to provide high-quality nutritious food for the education, workplace and leisure sectors with a growing portfolio of 82 schools, three workplaces and two leisure sites.
Having joined the TUCO Board in 2015 and becoming vice-chair of the organisation in 2022, Pettingill has an abundance of experience within the catering industry including work within contract cater