A Wirral sixth form college has been given the worst possible food hygiene rating, after an inspection from environmental health officers.
Birkenhead Sixth Form College, on Park Road West in Claughton, was handed the zero star score after an inspection on March 22. The full report is not yet available, but information released along with the score shows some of the areas in which the college fell down.
The college had the second worst rating, referred to as ‘major improvement necessary’ in the three areas described in the information released with the rating. One of the areas is ‘management of food safety’, this includes having “systems or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future”.
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The same rating was given for ‘hygienic food handling’, which includes “hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage”. The other area of inspection was ‘cleanliness and condition of facilities and building’. This area includes the layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control at the premises.
The rating is not in line with what the college has received in previous years. In the college's four most recent inspections, which occurred between 2016 and earlier this year, it scored either four stars or five stars, the maximum rating.
A spokesperson for Birkenhead Sixth Form College said: "We were very surprised to see the regrading. We do not recognise the basis of it and we are currently taking action to seek redress. As this involves delicate and contested matters it would be inappropriate to comment further until we have completed the current actions."
