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Food, not so glorious food: Whalley Range primary named as worst for school dinners by hygiene chiefs

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UPDATE: The school has since been reinspected and now has a food hygiene rating of four. Check back soon for full coverage about the improvement.

A Whalley Range primary school has vowed to improve after being named as dishing up the worst food of any Manchester school by hygiene inspectors.

Manley Park Primary School on College Road has received the lowest rating given to any of the 243 Manchester schools inspected by the Food Standards Agency in 2013.

The school, which has around five hundred pupils aged three to 11, was told to make ‘major improvements’ with immediate effect after scoring a lowly one in five rating in an inspection carried out in July.

The inspection identified ‘major’ problems after looking into how the school handled its food, food safety and the cleanliness and standard of the school buildings where food is prepared.

Tracy Hamilton-Hall, headteacher of Manley Park Primary School, said: “Unfortunately when the school was inspected just before the summer holidays a couple of issues were picked up that have since been rectified.

“We followed the advice given as part of the inspection and are just waiting for our re-inspection to confirm that the necessary standards are now in place.”

Since 2005, just 14 schools in Manchester have received a rating of three or below from the national watchdog. The remaining 229 schools either received a score of four or of five which equate to a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ hygiene rating.

Barlow Hall Primary School in Chorlton, with a two rating and Acre Hall Primary School on Irlam Road Flixton, which received a one rating in 2012, are the only other schools to drop below a three although both schools are believed to have put in place plans to improve.

Image courtesy of RotherhamNHS via YouTube, with thanks.

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