Management Information Sheet

The indicative energy charge shown on the initial release of the 2016/17 budget share was based on the 2014/15 academic year’s meals sent between kitchens and dining centres, with no Minimum Funding Guarantee protection from previously cooked meals taken into account, and was a change from the previous methodology. Following consultation with Schools Forum it has been decided that for 2016/17 we should continue to calculate the energy charge using the same methodology as the 2015/16 financial year, only charging dining centres for the energy cost of meals cooked for them over and above 11/12 academic year meal levels where appropriate. At the same time, the charge will reduce from 13.4 pence per meal to 12.4 pence, following updated energy costs agreed by Schools Forum.

The model has been updated to reflect these changes and you are now able to view these on the web.

Points to note:

• Where an academy is involved (either as the sending kitchen or dining centre), the LA will not administer the charge between schools. Some schools converted to academy on the 1st March 2016 after the initial budget share had been produced. So where there was a charge/income showing before there now won’t be any information available for these.
• Where a contract is showing as a new arrangement between a sending kitchen and dining centre, the charge/income will be based on the total meals. The reason is because the sending kitchen will not have had any protection in their budget for this new contract arrangement.
• The charge has reduced from 13.4 pence to 12.4 pence. This is intended to cover the additional energy, water and refuse costs of the sending kitchen for the meals cooked on behalf of dining centres.
• This still remains an indicative figure for budget planning purposes and will be updated with 2015/16 academic year meal numbers in August 2016, so that the data being used is as up-to-date and relevant as possible, ready for the September download. This update will follow the same methodology. The charge will not be processed until August 2016.