The Walthamstow school was recently fined £50,000 for failing to deal with a mice infestation in 2020
By Victoria Munro & Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter
The kitchen of a Walthamstow primary school recently fined £50,000 over a mice infestation has shut down again after failing another food hygiene inspection.
Parents and carers of children at St Saviour’s Church of England Primary School in Verulam Avenue received a letter yesterday from headteacher Emma Cherry explaining the kitchen received a zero rating for food hygiene on 16th January.
She explained the inspector from Waltham Forest Council “found evidence of mice activity, a historical ongoing issue” in the kitchen, which is currently run by caterer Edwards & Ward.
In October, Genesis Education Trust, which runs the school, was fined £50,000 at Thames Magistrates’ Court for failing to act for months after a mice infestation was discovered in 2020.
At the time, the kitchen was run by a different caterer – The Pantry – which was fined £40,000 at the same court a month earlier for its part in the appalling state of the kitchen.
In the letter yesterday, seen by the Echo, headteacher Emma Cherry wrote that “very importantly” the kitchen was closed by the caterer Edwards and Ward, rather than the inspector, as a “precautionary measure given historic events”.
She added: “We are confident that Edwards and Ward are doing everything in their power to eradicate the issues with great urgency and they have been very proactive from the moment they were informed of the mice activity.
“We understand that this is a concern for you as well. We will be at the school gate this afternoon to respond to questions and queries you may have.”
Her letter explained that all food stored in the kitchen has been thrown away, today’s lunch was “bought last night[…] and cooked off-site” and food for the breakfast and after-school clubs was purchased today. It also stated that a “deep clean” took place this morning, as well as a visit from pest control.
The kitchen’s last failed food inspection took place in October 2020, when inspectors found mouse droppings on the floor, inside machinery and on a shelf.
At the time, a chef working in the kitchen reportedly told inspectors that the school had known about the mice problem and not taken action for four months.
Last October, magistrates’ bench chair Reverend Abraham Lawrence awarded the school the highest possible fine due to the duty of care it owes its three to eleven-year-old students, the risk to the “352-plus staff” and the school’s knowledge that “something was going wrong”.
Genesis Education Trust is an “independent church multi-academy trust” that also manages St Mary’s Primary School, Walthamstow, and St Margaret’s, Barking. It was contacted for comment and declined.
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