An appeal has been launched to recruit more dinner ladies to primary schools across Moray.
The recruitment drive, being spearheaded by Moray Council, will ensure the local authority is prepared to fulfil the Scottish Government’s plan to feed all youngsters in primaries one to three for free.
The scheme, being served up in Scotland’s schools from January, is expected to lead to a huge surge in the number of children opting to eat school meals each day.
In Moray, primary schools currently produce around 16,000 meals each week.
That figure is expected to rise to over 19,500 from January 5, and having the new recruits in place will help ensure the service continues to run smoothly.
Moray Council’s operational manager, Susan May, said an additional five assistant cooks as well as 20 catering assistants were required.
The posts are permanent part-time, during term-time, and involve working two hours per day over the lunchtime period.
Ms May said the positions would be ideal for mothers in search of a bit of part-time work.
She added: “We are hoping to attract mothers thinking about returning to work.
“These are ideal posts because they can still be off with their children during the school holidays.”
The starting rate for an assistant cook is £9.01 an hour and for a catering assistant £8.24 an hour.
The council plans to host three drop-in sessions next week where council staff will be on hand to provide more information to potential recruits.
They will also offer practical advice on how to apply.
Ms May added: “We are hoping for a good response at the recruitment sessions, which will give us a chance to chat with everyone who attends.”
The sessions will take place at the Keith Sport and Leisure Centre on Tuesday, November 18; Buckie Community High School on Wednesday, November 19 and Elgin library on Thursday, November 20.
Each of the sessions will take place from 10am to 2pm.