The government has refused funding to improve the kitchens in five out of six primary schools put forward by Cornwall Council, with Stithians the only successful applicant in the Duchy.

Last year, following the Government’s requirement to provide free hot school meals to all key stage one pupils, Cornwall Council had to carry out works at 112 of its 236 primary schools. 

While the majority of these works only involved providing new cooking and serving equipment , food storage items, and eating and cooking utensils, major works were required at four schools, with complete new build kitchens provided at Dobwalls and Tregadillet Schools and the conversions of existing servery units to full functioning kitchens carried out at two others.

The Council received £846,000 from the Department of Education towards the £1.4m costs of carrying out these works, with the £555,000 shortfall having to be met locally from the previously unassigned Dedicated Schools Grant, as agreed by the Schools Forum.

At the end of last year the Department for Education announced it was providing a second tranche of funding for its universal infant free school meals policy and invited local councils to submit bids to fund works to improve school kitchens.

The Council submitted bids on behalf of six local maintained primary schools – Menheniot, Pencoys, Stithians, Pensans, St Agnes and St Francis CE Primary School, with the total costs of the works estimated at £360,615, but yesterday it was told that only Stithians had been successful.

"We are incredibly disappointed by this decision by the Department for Education," said Andrew Wallis, Cornwall Council cabinet member for young people. "This is the second time the council and the people of Cornwall have been let down by a lack of government funding for universal infant free school meals.

"Last year we had to find £550,000 to ensure that primary schools in Cornwall could meet the new government policy to provide free school meals to all infant children.  Now, yet again, we are faced with another shortfall in funding and no clear options to fund the shortfall.

"We will now have to look at what, if anything, we can do to deliver the improvements at the five remaining schools."