Cost of school milk goes up
The price of school milk across Nottinghamshire primary schools has increased to £11 per term from £8 from this week.
The price has been held for the past 2½ years. Providing school milk in its entirety is also being privatised by the Conservative-led Nottinghamshire County Council.
The county council’s cabinet member for personnel and performance, Andy Stewart, said: "The price increase kicks in as the children return from their Easter holidays.
"This does coincide with our decision to outsource management of school milk to Cool Milk.
"It’s worth bearing in mind that, with the wholesale cost of milk rising, we would have needed to increase termly prices to a similar level anyway in the very near future regardless of whether we had outsourced.
"All under-fives and children aged between five and seven years old who are eligible for free school meals will continue to receive their daily milk free.”
The price parents pay for school milk under the new arrangements will also continue to include a 3p subsidy per carton from the Rural Payments Agency.
"We are one of only a handful of local authorities across the country that still supplies free milk to five to seven year olds receiving free school meals - a position that the authority wishes to maintain,” said Mr Stewart.
Free milk was brought into schools after world war two to try to offset vitamin deficiencies that came through food rationing.
When Education Secretary in 1971, Margaret Thatcher's banned free school milk for children over the age of seven, leading her to be dubbed the 'Milksnatcher.'
The coalition Government ditched plans to axe free school milk for under-fives last year.
Cool Milk has been handling school milk for the under-fives in Nottinghamshire since the beginning of the spring term.
Parents are also able to pay for milk using a variety of payment options, in amounts to suit them and are being advised by their individual schools on how they can register and pay online.
To mark the launch of school milk for the over-fives, Cool Milk will be running a competition where schools can win sports coaching packs and a trip to Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.
