Essex Wide - School Catering Service

School Meals at Canonium Learning Trust

At Canonium Learning Trust, we are committed to giving every child the best possible education.

High-quality, safe and well-managed school meals form an important part of that commitment.

Our Trust-wide catering arrangements are designed to deliver consistency, resilience and strong food safety standards across all our Essex schools, regardless of school size or location.

Our Catering Partnership

School meals across Canonium Learning Trust are provided in partnership with Edwards & Ward, a specialist school catering provider with extensive experience in primary education.

Edwards & Ward deliver:

Cooked meals prepared from fresh ingredients each day
Menus fully compliant with School Food Standards
Robust allergen and special diets management
Professionally trained catering teams
Clear food safety, quality assurance and audit systems

This partnership supports a high-quality, professionally governed catering service aligned with the Trust’s values and expectations.

Find out more: https://edwardsandward.co.uk

How Our Catering Model Works

Canonium operates a hub kitchen and dining centre model, designed to ensure:

Consistent food quality across all schools
Strong food safety and allergen control
Operational resilience and staffing stability
Financial sustainability for small schools

Meals are prepared daily in designated hub kitchens and transported, by specialist delivery partners (Sheridan Myers) in temperature-controlled insulated containers to dining centre schools, where they are served in line with strict agreed operational procedures.

Food Safety and Compliance

Food safety is a non-negotiable priority.

The catering service operates within a robust food safety management framework, including:

Statutory food safety and hygiene procedures
Trained and appropriately accredited catering staff
Controlled preparation, transport and service arrangements
Robust allergen management and audit trails
Independent oversight by local authority Environmental Health teams

Since the introduction of these arrangements, Environmental Health Officers have carried out routine inspections across schools receiving meals under the model. All schools inspected to date have been awarded a 5-star Food Hygiene Rating, confirming high standards of hygiene and regulatory compliance.

Oversight, Monitoring and Assurance

Our catering service is actively overseen at Trust level to ensure consistency, quality and fairness across all schools.

This includes:

Regular operational reviews
Formal issue logging and escalation processes
Contract management meetings with the provider
Audit and compliance checks
Engagement with Environmental Health where required

This structured approach ensures the service operates as intended and that standards are maintained consistently across the Trust.

Which Schools Are Hub Kitchens?

Within Canonium Learning Trust, some schools operate as hub kitchens where meals are cooked, and others operate as dining centres, where meals are delivered and served.

Kelvedon St Mary's CofE Primary Academy (Hub)

Tolleshunt D’Arcy St Nicholas CofE Primary Academy
Stisted CofE Primary Academy
Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy

St Andrew’s CofE Primary Academy, Marks Tey (Hub)

Ardleigh St Mary’s CofE Primary Academy
Langham Primary Academy

From St Michael’s CofE Primary Academy, Ramsey (Hub)

Stourview CofE Primary Academy

From East Hanningfield CofE Primary Academy (Hub)

St Peter’s CofE Primary Academy, West Hanningfield
Woodham Walter CofE Primary Academy

This structure ensures that every school, regardless of size or location, benefits from the same high standards of food quality, safety and compliance.

How This Supports Our Trust Purpose and Principles

At Canonium Learning Trust, everything we do is driven by our purpose: to provide the very best education possible.

We believe children learn best when they are healthy, well supported, and attending schools that are financially stable and well organised. Good food, reliable services, and secure school systems all play an important part in making this possible.

Our decisions are guided by our three Trust principles:

Opportunity

We want every child - regardless of which Canonium school they attend - to have access to a high-quality, nutritious meal every day. The hub kitchen model ensures small village schools have the same opportunities as our larger schools: the same menus, the same quality, the same safety standards, and the same positive lunchtime experience.

Challenge

We do not accept “how things have always been done” when it no longer serves children well. Small schools have faced mounting financial and operational pressures around staffing, kitchen upkeep & compliance. We have challenged these limitations and looked for a better, safer, more reliable model - one already used successfully in thousands of schools across the UK. The hub kitchen model represents a thoughtful, evidence-based improvement.

Integrity

Integrity is about making decisions that are right for children, not simply convenient. This model protects teaching budgets, strengthens safety and compliance, and removes operational pressures from small schools - allowing our headteachers and staff to focus on what matters most: children’s learning and wellbeing. No staff have lost their jobs as a result of this change and all existing staff have been supported into new roles within the new structure. Every decision has been taken with fairness, care and transparency.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions about the catering arrangements at your child’s school, please contact the school office in the first instance.

We will continue to review our catering provision throughout the year, working closely with Edwards & Ward, to ensure it remains safe, sustainable and in the best interests of all Canonium pupils.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How are school meals prepared?

All meals are prepared fresh each day by professional catering staff in designated Trust hub kitchens, using standardised recipes and quality-assured ingredients.

Are meals cooked on the same day they are served?

Yes. Meals are cooked on the day of service and transported directly to schools for lunchtime.

How is food kept safe during transport?

All schools are located within 10-40 minutes of their hub kitchen. Meals are transported in sealed, insulated containers designed specifically for hot food delivery. Time and temperature controls are built into the service to ensure food safety from kitchen to service.

Does the food meet national standards?

Yes. All menus comply fully with the Department for Education’s School Food Standards and are designed by catering professionals with nutritional expertise.

How are allergies and medical diets managed?

Allergen and medical dietary requirements are managed through robust, centrally overseen systems. Meals for children with specific needs are prepared separately, clearly identified, and handled under controlled procedures.

Who serves the meals in school?

Meals are served by familiar school staff, maintaining continuity, supervision and a calm lunchtime environment for pupils.

Why does Canonium use a hub kitchen model?

Canonium is a Trust of predominantly small schools. A hub kitchen model ensures:

Consistent food quality and safety standards
Strong compliance and professional oversight
Resilience to staff absence
Financial sustainability
Equity across all schools

This approach ensures no child is disadvantaged by the size or location of their school.

Is this model widely used?

Yes. Hub-and-delivery catering models are widely used across the UK, particularly in small, rural and multi-school settings.

Will meals be served at an appropriate temperature?

Yes. Both hot and cold food items are managed and served in accordance with regulated food safety time and temperature controls.

What happens if there is a disruption to delivery?

The service includes contingency planning. Schools and the catering provider follow agreed procedures to ensure pupils continue to be supported and lunchtime routines are maintained.

How is the catering service monitored?

The service is overseen at Trust level through structured contract management, operational monitoring and formal reporting processes. This ensures consistency, accountability and high standards across all schools.

Who provides the catering service?

Meals are provided in partnership with Edwards & Ward, a specialist school catering provider with extensive experience in primary education.

How do parents raise a question about school meals?

Parents should contact their school in the first instance. Schools liaise with the Trust and catering provider through agreed routes to ensure queries are addressed appropriately and consistently.

Is the Trust confident in these arrangements?

Yes. Canonium Learning Trust is confident in its catering provision. The service is intentionally designed, professionally delivered and actively overseen to support pupils’ wellbeing and learning.

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