Extracts from food inspection reports: local authorities A-M

Below are extracts from food inspection reports of school kitchens around the country. The Guardian submitted requests to a number of local councils for copies of reports of inspections which had been conducted since November 2004. Like other kitchens, the cleanliness and hygiene of schools is governed by food safety laws. Click here for local authorities N-Z

Full story: Dirt, droppings and decay: the state of many kitchens by Rob Evans, Alan Power and Felicity Lawrence

We had to make Freedom of Information Act requests to get access to reports about food safety in schools. These reports are still not generally available to parents but we feel they should be. Parents should have the right to be informed about what is going on in their school kitchens, and to be actively involved in effecting improvements. We have summarised the key issues below and welcome responses from schools, kitchen staff, caterers, parents and pupils.

The reports are snapshots at the particular time of each inspection visit. Some parents will find the reports comforting, for others the report may act as a starting point for enquiries. Some inspection reports date back to November 2004 and improvements will have been made since then. The purpose of the report is to draw attention to areas needing improvement by the time of the next visit, and most schools and caterers will have addressed any criticisms. Your school and its caterers should have taken action since the report - you might want to check.

If your school is featured and you have tackled the problems detailed below then email us at education.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk and we will add to this article the measures you have undertaken.

Amber Valley borough council
Inspectors made criticisms of a number of schools, many kitchens were dirty and had broken tiles and dirty vents or fans. At Corfield Church of England infants school there was no hand basin for people serving school meals and the one used in the toilets had no hot water. At Denby Free Church of England Aided school, the ceiling fan was broken and temperature in the kitchen was 33.8C. At Ecclesbourne school, inspectors were concerned that sandwiches were being made three hours before lunch. They also found food past its 'best before' date. There were breaches of safety regulations at Heage school where paint was peeling in the kitchen, Riddings school where hot food was delivered below the recommended temperature and at Langley Mills junior school there were ants in the storeroom, kitchen tiles were dirty and paint was flaking. At Riddings Infant school there were "accumulations of food debris and dirt on the floor" and the inspector was told "there was no time allowance to thoroughly clean the kitchen". At Ripley junior school there had been a mouse infestation, eggs were out of date, there were "long standing accumulations of food debris" and high-level cleaning was "urgently" needed. At Southwood House school the food temperature probe was not working properly, at Somercotes infants school the ventilation system was condemned in 1994 but was still being used

In May, inspectors found breaches of the food safety laws at Thurlstone primary. At Penistone St Johns, Summer Lane, Summerfields and Holy Cross Deanery, there were "no problems".

Basildon district council
Great Berry county primary had "very high standards" of food hygiene, as did Abacus school. At Sunnymede school physical standards at the premises were high but some worktops were not capable of being cleaned and "could pose a risk of physical contamination to foods". At Bromfords school there were concerns about temperature monitoring - sandwiches were being held at between 10C and 14C when they should be kept at below 8C, which could support bacterial growth. In addition there was no system of checking the temperature of hot foods, and "makeshift" covers for the display cabinets were not satisfactory.

District of Bolsover
Many schools had satisfactory practices but there were some breaches of regulations. At Scarcliffe primary school paintwork and skirting boards were peeling and cracked and walls were greasy, at Clowne infants school best before dates on frozen foods were being lost when food was transferred to the freezer and inspectors requested a "thorough" clean of the kitchen. Inspectors noted there was a "build up of dirt and grime" on kitchen walls at Bolsover Church of England school. At Creswell infants school one preparation surface was used for both raw and cooked food, at Blackwell primary school there nearest hand washing facilities to the kitchen were some distance away, this was deemed "totally unacceptable" by inspectors.

Braintree district council
Inspectors were critical of Scolarest's service at several schools - at St Andrews primary school, the floors were "dirty", "potentially harmful" green potatoes and out-of-date eggs were found; "beetles were noted in the dry goods store" at De Vere county primary; there were "dirty" ceiling extractors and "cracked and flaking" walls at Colne Engaine primary. Scolarest meals at other schools attracted less criticism.

Brentwood borough council
Inspectors found that the floor in the sixth form bistro at St Martin's school was "dirty with food accumulations and dust". At Brentwood county high school there was "failure" to check and record chilled and frozen delivery temperatures and the wall covering in the sandwich bar area was "in disrepair". There were several food safety breaches at Hutton Manor school where food was being put into hot cabinets in a lobby between the toilets and the kitchen; it was also suggest that a cleaning schedule was devised.

Camarthenshire county council
At Abernant county primary school inspectors noted that standards of cleanliness and food handling were "excellent", at Whitland county primary school food handling practices were noted as "excellent" and at Copperworks infant school there was a "high standard of cleanliness". At Cefneithin county primary inspectors were concerned that paintwork was "stained with black mould growth and that the air temperature of the fridge was too warm and at 10.6C, could "support the growth of bacteria". At Pembrey county primary standards were satisfactory but the vegetable boiler was "condemned by a gas CORGI engineer in 2002". At Gwynfryn county primary school there were several areas of concern - the kitchen walls appeared dirty high up and paint was flaking, an upsurge of water whenever it rained in the dry store was deemed "completely unacceptable" and there was a "substantial leak" to the vegetable preparation sink, the lid of the chest freezer had "deteriorated to the extent that it couldn't be cleaned". At Llanbodoidy county primary the extractor fan was dirty and storage rooms were "affected by condensation and mould". At Llandovery College inspectors registered a series of breaches including condensation and mould on walls in the storerooms, old food debris in the fridge. It was noted that "high level cleaning" was needed in the kitchen, the ceramic tiles behind the fryers were greasy, the walls behind the dishwasher were "stained with old food splashes and a room used for crockery storage was "unsatisfactory" for storing food containers.

Caradon district council
No action was required at 12 of the 13 schools where reports were obtained. At Lanreath school one member of staff was required to attend a basic food hygiene refresher course.

Carrick district council
St Erme county primary school was noted as having very good standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

Castle Point borough council
Inspectors were critical of Hadleigh junior school where wall and ceiling surfaces were discoloured with mould. Inspectors were critical of cleanliness at Leigh Beck infants and Juniors, Northwick Park where there was mould on a fridge seal and Canvey county Juniors, which also had mouldy fridge seals. At Carnelius Vermuyden school sandwiches were being stored at 27C when the recommended temperature is 8C and below.

Chesterfield borough council, Derbyshire
St Mary's RC primary school inspectors found that there was cracked plasterwork and dirty paintwork throughout the kitchen. At Newbold C of E Aided primary school, following a reinspection of the school kitchens, inspectors identified "some significant risks to food safety" - the walls and ceilings to the main kitchen were dirty and stained, the paintwork to the internal doors and frames to the main kitchen and two dry goods stores were badly chipped and damaged and it was said that they were not being kept clean.

Chichester district council
"Excellent" standards found at Prebendal, Bishop Luffa, Conifers, and Little Green.

Colchester borough council
Most premises were satisfactory although inspectors consistently commented that regular cleaning of extractor fans and high level cleaning and repair to peeling paintwork was necessary in many kitchens. Some staff also needed 'basic hygiene training'. At St James primary school inspectors noted that, "there was not enough time for cleaning", because staff were only paid until 1.30pm each day, the floor needed "mechanical cleaning".

East Renfrewshire council
Inspectors made some criticisms of Carolside, Braidbar, Busby, eaglesham, Woodfarm High, Crookfur, Our Lady of the Missions, Isobel Mair, St Thomas and St Marks.

Eastbourne borough council
"Excellent standards" were found at Bourne county primary school and most schools were satisfactory. However, inspectors found that the kitchen at Hampden Park infants school had a "possibly insect infestation" and some walls had flaking paint. At Parkland junior and infants school some areas of "deep cleaning" were required and at Ratton school the sandwich chiller was operating at 12C, above the required 8C and this was considered "high-risk", wooden preparation tables were deemed "inappropriate" for use with high risk foods. At Tollgate junior school a ceiling fan was in a "very poor state of cleanliness" and was considered a "risk" because food was being prepared under the fan. There was a failure to adequately clean the "more inaccessible areas" of the kitchen and food debris was found underneath the cooker, grill and steamer, the tiled floor was "contaminated" with grease and was slippery and eggs in the fridge were past their 'best before' date.

Epping Forest district council
Scolarest run some of the kitchen services for the council, others are council-run. In March inspectors commented that standards at High Ongar county primary were very good, the premises was "very clean". Roding Valley high school was also very clean. In January inspectors found several food safety breaches at Daiglen school; there was mould on the seals of the fridges and freezers, it was noted that staff were not wearing protective headwear. At Shearing Church of England school dish used for weighing ingredients was badly rusted up and freezers were badly frosted up. Inspectors said Epping Forest College was a "well-run and organised unit" but said the that the general condition of the kitchen was, "unsatisfactory" and made recommendations including blocking a potential rodent access hole. At Theydon Bois county primary temperature checks on hot food were not being made.

Falkirk council
In February inspectors at Stenhousemuir primary school found that food temperature checks were not being carried out. The chilled display storing milk and yoghurt was 10.3C when the recommended temperature is 5C. The ventilation system was dirty, shelving in the dry store area was damaged and unable to be cleaned and the fridge was overloaded. There were breaches at Bankier primary school where the ceiling in the kitchen was dirty and windows needed redecoration. At Grangemouth high school, inspectors found greasy and dirty surfaces, dirty doors and dirty flyscreens. At Grange primary school the fan in the sandwich fridge was "rusty and incapable of being effectively cleaned" and the shelving in the fridge had deteriorated and could no longer be cleaned. Inspectors found the kitchen at St Andrews's school to be "cramped with limited working areas". At Falkirk high school the oven was not working properly and the ceilings and walls were dirty and greasy. Breaches were also found at Westquarter primary school, where shelving needed replacing and the kitchen was dirty, at Bo'ness public school where there was loose plaster on the walls and a "large build-up" of grease and dirt on the walls, and Sheildhill primary school, Carronshore primary school, Ladeside primary school and Hallglen primary school where the kitchens all had dirty walls or tiles.

Greenwich, London
At Pound Park nursery school, inspector was "concerned to find that there were serious breaches of the law that compromise food safety" in its kitchen. The inspector noted: "At no time during the inspection was any member of staff observed washing their hands. The basin was dry indicating that it had not been used". There was no soap and no drying facilities. The inspector added: "Given the poor hygiene practices witnessed, I recommend that (one member of staff) is given a refresher training in basic food hygiene". Other schools which were criticised include Plumcroft, Boxgrove, Henwick Road, Heronsgate primary and De Lucy primary.

Hampshire county council
The council has 540 schools in its area. Most of the school kitchens are run by the school meals catering service. There are around 20 schools where the council has no involvement in the catering services, these contracts are held by Scolarest and Initial. At Crestwood school inspectors noted that the service was "to a very high standard" and the quality of the food was "extremely high", the kitchen and all areas were kept to a very high standard. At Wildern school inspectors found dirty grills and fans, a hole in the wall and flaky paint, it was commented that "the whole kitchen requires decorating."

Harlow council
Inspectors were critical of the cleanliness standards in a number of schools. In March at Broadfield primary school, where Scolarest runs kitchen services, inspectors said "a thorough deep clean" of the kitchen was required. In addition, the main ovens were not clean and there was spilt food on the floor and on shelves in the dry goods store. Mouldy onions were found in the storeroom. At Fawbert & Barnard's primary school hot Quorn pieces delivered to the school were stored at 30.7C when at least 75C is recommended. At Katherine's county primary school, the kitchen, run by Scolarest, the standards of cleaning were generally "satisfactory". However, there were goods found that were seven months past the best before date.

Hastings borough council
Many schools had good practices in place. Inspectors commented on "exemplary standards" at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic school. "Excellent" procedures were in noted at Helensworth Lower school where inspectors had "high confidence" in management systems. At Sandown primary school premises practices were " very good" but food hygiene training was out of date. At William Parker Sports College inspectors requested that a bubbling ceiling was seen to "as a matter of urgency" although generally standards were good. At St Paul's primary school "deep cleaning" was required.

Hounslow borough council
At Beavers Community primary extractor fans were broken, the seal to one of the fridges were broken and the freezer was "in a dirty condition". At Hounslow Heath infants there was concern over temperature that food was not served at the correct temperature. At Hounslow Manor school inspectors were concerned over the temperature of the salad bar fridge which was between 4-6C higher than recommended. At Worple primary school inspectors reported that "the floor covering in the food preparation area was dirt, especially at the floor and the wall junctions". At Grove Park primary there were several breaches of regulations. Inspectors noted that "the inside of the oven in the kitchen...had a build up of grease and dirt".

High Peak borough council, Derbyshire
Hadfield infants school kitchen was "well-managed".

Islington, London
Scolarest has the contract to supply meals. In June, inspectors served a formal warning notice on Rotherfield junior to improve its food safety measures. Inspectors have also been frustrated that Scolarest staff have been slow to rectify breaches of the law at Winton primary, St Johns primary and Blessed Sacrement schools. In February, mouse droppings were found in the kitchen of the Dean school. Rats had been seen at St Joseph's primary where inspectors found "the bottoms of both wheelie bins were encrusted with putrescent food waste, pests had visibly damaged the lids to both and there was extensive flying insect activity within the said bins". At Yerbury primary, the "deep fat fryers and adjacent oven are encrusted with burnt grease and food residues and require immediate and regular cleaning". At Holloway school, "the grease filters are dirty and saturated". The bins were overflowing and in danger of attracting pests at Islington arts and media school. In April, inspectors found that the thermometers were not working properly at William Tyndale primary, with the temperature of one chicken dish far below the required temperature.

Kerrier district council
Most premises had satisfactory standards and procedures.

Maldon district council
In March, inspectors were critical of Upper Plume school, and were "concerned by the volume of food preparation in the coffee bar where preparation space is minimal", peeling paint, and "unacceptable" grease accumulation. Poor standards also found at Lower Plume school.

· Reports by Alan Power, Rob Evans, Susannah Osborne and Felicity Lawrence

Continued N-Z here.