The Government?s autumn statement included some good news for primary schools with an announcement that schools in England will get an extra ?150m for new kitchens and dining rooms, to cope with the roll-out of free meals for infant pupils next year.

The ?150m comes on top of ?450m set aside in 2014/15 and ?635m in 2015/16 to fund the free lunches.

Under the Government’s plans every child in an English infant school will be eligible for a free school dinner, which is expected to save parents about ?437 per year, per child.

A survey of local authorities conducted by the Children’s Food Trust, published last year, found that about a quarter of primary schools did not have their own full food-production kitchen.

A Children’s Food Trust spokesman is reported as saying: “If we want more children eating in our canteens, schools have got to have the kitchens, equipment, dining room space and systems they need to serve them well. With the right support some schools are already in a good position to get ready to serve more meals next September, but for others, capital funding for new facilities or refurbishment is going to be absolutely essential.”

This is where Portable Offices can help. From conception to completion, Portable Offices can provide a wealth of knowledge that can prove invaluble when a school is looking for additional space either to provide a canteen or dining facility or to provide temporary accommodation while a building is constructed.? We have experience of providing ?turn key? fully functioning kitchens and dining rooms, or incorporating extensions to existing facilities.? We can ensure that the building we provide fulfils all the requirements of Ofsted, inculding Disability and Discrimination Act.

Any of our nationwide depots can assist in providing kitchen and dining solutions for primary schools.