Management Information Sheet

Changes from 1st April 2014

A new Norfolk schools catering contract with NORSE comes into effect from 1st April 2014. There will be changes to the way Free School Meals costs appear in schools accounts.

In the past the Services for Schools buy back figure for the catering contract was based on an element of a fixed sum (management fee), plus an amount for Free School Meals based on the previous year's actual take up of Free School Meals. From April 2014 only the fixed sum will be charged as part of the Services for Schools.

Free Meals will now be charged to schools based on the actual meals received instead of being paid as a lump sum as part of the Services for Schools buyback. Each month the charges will be journalled from the school in the same way paid meals are, but will be charged direct to the schools EB code and subjective 42920 as these are costs that are set against the budget rather than ones that are recharged through the sale of paid meals. Information of actual free meals invoiced for each school will be available on the Internet www.eficts.norfolk.gov.uk/Finance/NorseCatering. To assist with budgeting for Free School meals data for the previous two years is also accessible here.

Free School Meals will be coded to EBXXXX 42920

Paid meals will continue as before, and will be charged to schools catering (EC) account, using the Catering Contract Subjective codes, each month based on the actual meals taken (so they will be offset against the meals income banked by schools). At the end of the year any difference between actual meals income received/banked and the charges from Norse for paid meals will continue to be taken from/credited to the school budget so the schools catering (EC) account will equal nil.

All the information of actual meals invoiced for each school will continue to be available on the Internet www.eficts.norfolk.gov.uk/Finance/NorseCatering

Data is usually available on the internet soon after the 15th of the following month.

ACTION:

• Budget for the Fixed Sum, as per the Services to Schools catering contract figure
• Budget for Free School Meals, based on expected take up. Free School Meals data for previous years is available on the internet to help with this process
• DO NOT include anything for the Universal Free Schools Meal grant from September as the exact mechanism and calculation of FSM numbers for the payment of this grant has not been finalised by Dept of Education
• Continue to code Paid meals income as before using the Catering Contract Subjective codes