Another primary school gets ready to offer hot meals

Tuesday 13 August 2024

Trinity School is the latest States primary seeking to add a kitchen and servery as part of the continued rollout of the Government’s hot meals programme.

The Children, Young People, Education and Skills Policies (CYPES) department has submitted a planning application to create a kitchen servery and store at the south end of the Assembly Hall, as well as some various internal and external works to Trinity Primary School.

Architects Axis Mason Limited have put together the proposals to renovate the space which CYPES believes is "best suited" to providing an "essential food service" for the school.

Previous Education Minister Inna Gardiner announced in 2022 her intention for hot school meals to be available in all Government-maintained primary schools by September 2024.

The provision has so far been rolled out at Grands Vaux, Plat Douet, Springfield, Bel Royal, St Saviour, Rouge Bouillon, First Tower, d'Auvergne, Janvrin, St Luke's, Samarès, St Peter and St Martin schools.

The Government Plan 2023 to 2026 put up continued funding for the programme, and Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham has since committed in his Common Strategy Policy (which sets out the Government's top priorities) to seeing through the roll-out before the end of this December.

The Government has said that ministers are on target to deliver this commitment.

All primary schools have required construction to form the serveries, to some extent, which includes drainage and electrical supplies being installed.

Some schools have required full planning and others have only required bye-laws, the Government explained – and Trinity School's transformation is more extensive than some of the others, perhaps due to listed aspects of its buildings.

The application confirms that the proposals "result from an initiative to provide on site kitchen facilities to the Island's primary schools"

A study identified that the sound end of the existing Assembly Hall is the preferred location for the kitchen servery, adding: "It is acknowledged, however, that the Assembly Hall is central to the listed status and incorporates many original features."

But the architect and CYPES intend to construct the new facilities with "minimum impact to existing features such that the interventions will be reversible in nature".

It added: "The proposals to provide kitchen facilities have been proposed to School Hall as the location best suited to providing an essential food service for the school.

"Whilst the new facility will divide the hall, there will be limited impact to the historic internal features of the building.

"The details and servicing of the additions have been given careful consideration such that the proposals will not affect the setting of the listed asset."

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