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7
The two Central Schools, at Picardy and at Northumberland
Heath, have canteens in the school grounds, although in
the case of the Northumberland Heath Schools the canteen is
adjacent to the British Restaurant in Belmont Road.
In the case of each of the four other groups of schools,
premises continuous with school grounds have been acquired
for the combined feeding of both the school population and
the general public. In two instances, at Bedonwell and at the
Corinthian British Restaurant which serves the West Street
School, new buildings have been erected—in the case of
Bedonwell a central kitchen serving the school meals to the
one side and the public restaurant to the other side. The
Fourseas British Restaurant is an adapted premises on the same
plan as Bedonwell, the school canteen serving the St.
Augustine's Road School on the one side, and the public
restaurant on the other side. At the Manor Road British
Restaurant the old school buildings have been adapted and
rebuilt to serve the general public and the Crescent Road
School.
It will be noted that in all but the one instance of the
Picardy Central Schools the school canteening is combined with
the public feeding of the district, and it should be mentioned
that the same premises are utilised for the town's emergency
feeding following enemy action. The fact that the catering
Manager of these three municipal services is also the Borough
Electrical Engineer, is well reflected in the modern lay-out and
heating apparatus in the various kitchens, and this amalgamation
of the three services with its decentralisation into six main
groupings ensures that adequate kitchen space is always
available, and obviates the need for packing and transporting
meals in containers. The meals are served hot over the counter
which conserves the vitamin C content of the cooked vegetables
usually lost in meals cooked centrally and transported in
containers.
A weekly copy of the proposed menus for the school meals
is sent to the School Medical Officer in advance and dietetically
it would be easy to criticize them. In the early days they
certainly lacked variety but they have much improved in this
respect. Many voluntary workers together with the teachers
have given most generously of their time and rendered yeoman
service.
I consider this service contributes in no small measure
to the maintenance of the good physical condition of the school
children in the town.
The following table illustrates the number of attendances
at the school canteens, including holiday periods, during the
year : —