Food-hygiene standards at Highfield and Brookham School have earned the highest possible praise yet again.

The school has been awarded the maximum five stars from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the wake of its latest unannounced inspection.

Run in conjunction with the environmental health department at Chichester District Council, the school’s local authority, the FSA ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection.

Visiting roughly every 18 months, inspectors leave no stone unturned as they scrutinise handling of food, how food is stored, how food is prepared, cleanliness of facilities and how food safety is managed.

The result was another clean bill of health for Highfield and Brookham School with no recommendations or advisory notes, something which is very rare, just a big helping of pride and satisfaction for catering manager Marco di Michele and his dedicated team.

Highfield Head Suzannah Cryer said she was “immensely proud” that the school had once again maintained its strong reputation for having the most stringent standards when it came to food hygiene.

And she added: “As a school, we naturally take the health and welfare of both our children and our staff incredibly seriously. While much is made of the importance of strong pastoral care and good mental health, and rightly so, it’s just as important to focus on the importance of good physical health too.

“And we can rest assured that through the phenomenal working practices of Marco and his brilliant team, everything that goes through our kitchen is as safe and healthy as it can possibly be, something that has been borne out by the latest impromptu visit from health authority inspectors.

“Marco and his team deserve all the credit in the world for this tremendous achievement.”

Highfield and Brookham has a team of highly-skilled chefs who produce a varied choice of delicious, nutritious and well-balanced meals cooked on the premises using only the freshest ingredients four times a day – breakfast, pre-prep lunch, prep lunch and boarders’ supper.

Seasonal produce is a regular staple of the menu while the catering team also prepare ‘themed’ menus and overseas dishes. They also cater for a wide range of special dietary requirements.