BETTER school dinners are on the menu after Oxfordshire cooks completed a nationally recognised qualification.

A total of 28 cooks have now completed an entry-level NVQ Level 2 in food processing and cooking at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College – an industry-wide recognised qualification.

And that is good news for thousands of schoolchildren.

Long gone are the days of semolina and spam – today’s schoolchildren are served a veritable feast, with Moroccan lamb and freshly baked bread among items on the menu.

The NVQ Level 2 is the first step of professional qualifications in food preparation and cooking, and leads on to hospitality NVQ Level 3.

There are also other, simpler short courses, including a VRQ Level 1 Award in providing a healthier school meals service, which is designed to boost cooks’ confidence and improve their abilities in preparing healthy meals for pupils.

Gina Goatley, catering supervisor at St John Fisher Primary School, in Littlemore, said: “I’ve learned so much, which I’m finding hugely beneficial to my job in the school kitchen.

“The course has definitely built my confidence and it has been really good fun to do, as it provides an opportunity to meet people in similar roles and share their experiences and tips.”

Her headteacher Jo Milham said: “Staff and pupils here are all really proud of all the work that Gina has done to complete this course.

“Her training will ensure pupils receive nutritionally-balanced healthy food every day, and that the kitchen continues to run efficiently and to a high standard.”

Eighty per cent of Oxfordshire primary school meals are provided by contractors Food with Thought.

Michele Staff, the catering supervisor at Marsh Baldon Primary School, near Oxford, said: “It’s really enjoyable and I’ve had a great time doing it.

“I was a bit worried at first, having left school for such a long time, but it was actually brilliant.”

She said she had to follow a menu set by Food with Thought but the course had given her the inspiration and confidence to prepare ever better meals – as well as a qualification.

The college is one of 29 across the country providing the course, which is part of the School Food Trust’s School Feast Network. It was set up to improve the quality of school food by training kitchen staff at all levels.

The 28 school cooks were the first group to complete the qualification at the college.

College trainer Ruth Daykin said: “I’m confident we will play a key role in nurturing school cooks of the future. We offer a range of options to help the school food workforce develop the skills, confidence and inspiration to do a difficult job even better.”

The School Feast Network was set up in 2007 with £2m from the Government, topped up with another £2m last year.