Over the last 30 years many Blewbury School pupils and teachers have come and gone. Meanwhile, Margaret Pritchard has remained at the heart of providing their school dinners.
It is little known that Margaret herself had been a pupil at Blewbury School and hated school dinners at the time, especially the liver! She has however gone on to make an outstanding contribution to the School, serving under five headteachers and preparing and serving an estimated 750,000 meals to around 3,500 pupils. (Yes, that’s three quarters of a million!)
Margaret’s role extends well beyond the preparation of food. She provides positive impact in the daily lives of the children helping with their social development and has a keen set of additional eyes for their welfare. She knows every child by name, their dietary requirements and preferences. Every day, each child arriving at the servery is greeted with a warm smile and treated according to their individual needs.
Margaret has during that time seen much change. She remembers when the kitchen was where the Year 6 Banksy classroom is today and how the current kitchen was the PE store. She loves watching the children develop and grow up through the School and is always sad to see the year 6 cohort leave. Cooking and serving Christmas dinner is one of Margaret’s favourite times of the school year which is always a little bit of a challenge with so many children taking part.
Margaret herself is a high achiever when it comes to passing tests. Food hygiene standards in the school kitchen are one of her top priorities which is demonstrated by successive top scores from environmental health food hygiene inspections.
| Margaret is a popular and valued staff member and a daily constant in the lives of the children The School would not be the same without her, and former pupils talk warmly about the role that she has had in their lives and the delicious food that she prepared for them. The entire school team, governors, along with pupils past and present and the wider village community whole heartedly thank Margaret for her service, dedication and commitment shown over the last three decades enriching the lives of so many children. She is undoubtedly one of Blewbury’s unsung heroes! |