A primary school kitchen was closed down after staff were spotted placing a freshly baked loaf of bred on mice droppings.
Inspectors found evidence of rodent activity ‘throughout’ the kitchen at Ark Atwood Primary Academy in Westbourne, documents obtained by FOI request show.
A report said that droppings were also found near canned food in store areas, in baskets containing sauces and spices as well as near clean equipment including chopping boards.
Gnawed bags of rice and pasta were also found on the premise, which caters for more than 400 students from 3 to 11 years old.
The report further detailed that staff told food safety officers that they were aware of the mice droppings in the school kitchen but ‘forgot’ to deal with them as they were preparing lunch.
A week before the inspection in early December, kitchen staff reported a live mouse had been present. No further measures had been taken, including monitoring, the report confirmed.
A pest control report indicated further presence of rodents in the kitchen. This, the food safety officer wrote, showed ”lack of adequate supervision, insufficient training, poor prioritisation of food safety and a failure to recognise the seriousness of pest contamination.
The school agreed to a voluntary closure on December 1 and was given the lowest food hygiene rating of 0 out of 5, which it continues to hold as of this week.
Staff were ordered to throw out all opened food items in the storeroom as well as any disposable plates and cutlery.
The academy belongs to Ark Schools which, according to its website, educates 30,000 students across 39 schools, including 27 in the capital.
As well as the Atwood primary academy, the charity runs the King Solomon Academy. Both schools in Westminster received ‘outstanding Ofsted ratings in their last inspections.