A private school has been handed a low hygiene rating.
Scarisbrick Hall High School, just outside of Southport in West Lancashire, has been given its first one out of five hygiene score. The inspection took place on November 16, with West Lancashire Council finding that the management of food safety needed major improvement.
The report, published three years after the last inspection where the school was given the highest rating possible, outlined that the system or checks in place to make sure food sold or served is safe to eat and evidence that staff know about food safety needed to be improved.
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The other two sections of the report which concern hygienic food handling and the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building were deemed "generally satisfactory". In response, the school confirmed that the head chef has since left his position and that the report "does not accurately reflect the standards, systems and policies" in the school's kitchen.
In response to the report, the school told the ECHO: "On receipt of the EHO Report, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Directors of Scarisbrick Hall School (SHS) were concerned the facts presented to the Environmental Health Office (EHO) Inspector are not an accurate representation of the high standards SHS demands of all departments, nor does it reflect the documented practices and policies carried out on a usual day-to-day basis and which have been observed and inspected previously.
"The SLT and Directors are at a loss to understand how and why our well-respected systems and procedures were not evidenced to the EHO during the inspection. At SHS we put a strong emphasis on the benefits of a healthy balanced diet, we can assure parents and pupils that the report does not accurately reflect the standards, systems, and policies within our kitchen, and we cannot explain why the former Head Chef did not provide evidence to the EHO inspector.
"Since receiving the report SHS has been in regular contact with EHO to evidence our high standards and previously inspected policies, procedures, and training records, and to arrange an urgent reinspection which has been agreed, we look forward to reinspection in early 2023 during which the EHO inspector will be presented with all relevant information and we look forward to an updated report to reflect.
"The head chef in charge at the time of the inspection is no longer in post. A highly experienced and qualified Executive Chef has been appointed to support our experienced and committed team currently running the kitchens.
"Scarisbrick Hall has an excellent reputation across many ratings (eg one of the few schools being rated 100% excellence by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)), and attributed great importance to its EHO rating of 5
"In order to maintain scrupulous kitchen standards we ensure:
- Scarisbrick Hall uses the NCASS due diligence system;
- Daily checks
- Cleaning schedules and records, including a 6-weekly deep clean schedule;
- Allergy information/procedures.
- Dietary requirements.
- Kitchen Maintenance Routine.
- Senior management team bi-monthly reviews.
"We would like to ensure all our community that this is not a true reflection of the catering department and that management systems are in place."
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