27th July 2010
School Dining Halls Fit For Consumption
Robert Woodhead Ltd has
proudly started works this week to refurbish five school dining halls to
support Lincolnshire County Council’s bid to eradicate queues and encourage
children to eat healthy meals.
The project will entail in depth consultation with Inox Equip, catering industry experts, to redesign the layout and functionality of the halls to cut waiting times and create a state of the art dining area, with mixed level seating and flat screen TVs to allow catering staff to display menus.
The six week programme at Boston High, Spilsby King Edward, Spalding Gleed, Lincoln Chirst Hospital and Bourne Robert Manning schools comes after Woodhead successfully refurbished three dining halls earlier in the year at Tattershall Gartree, Boston Grammar and Kesteven and Sleaford Girls High schools during the two week Easter break.
The scheme also includes creating a multi-use dining hall at Lincoln Christ Hospital school that can be used for dining, exams, amateur dramatics, PE and that can be rented out for general functions.
David Saunders, Food in schools coordinator at Lincolnshire County Council, is delighted with the three refurbishements at Tattershall Gartree, Boston Grammar and Kesteven and Sleaford Girls High schools: “I can’t thank Robert Woodhead enough for their commitment to our campaign. Waiting times at all three schools have been significantly reduced from over 15 mintues to a position where pupils are able to get served straight away, allowing catering staff at each school to serve 300 extra meals a week.
“Since the new look dining halls have been open, the schools have reported an increase in profits, signifying more children stay on site at lunch time instead of seeking unhealthy alternatives outside the premises.”
Sandra James, Business Manager at Tattershall Gartree school, said: “The refurbishment has transformed the dining area into a modern, café style social dining environment that we are all very proud of at Gartree. Not only have we benefited from a faster service and more choices, the cashless till system that has been installed is also saving students money!”
In addition to the refurbishment works at the schools, Robert Woodhead will also:
- Redesign the roof of the dining hall at Spalding
Gleed Boys school to improve the acoustics and reduce echoing.
- Carry out asbestos type 3 surveys and remove any asbestos to support Lincolnshire County Council’s bid to eradicate asbestos in schools.
- Decorate the kitchen and lay external paving areas to Spilsby King Edward school.
- Donate old furniture to local primary schools across Lincolnshire.
The extensive refurbishment
project is part of the East Midlands Property Alliance minor works framework.
