A PRIMARY school has been given a food hygiene rating of just one.

Barrowford Primary School, in Rushton Street, received the rating following a visit from food hygiene inspectors.

The school was rated' improvement necessary' for both its hygienic food handling and cleanliness and condition of facilities and building.

It was also rated ‘major improvement necessary’ for its management of food safety.

This relates to whether systems or checks are 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.

During the visit inspectors identified an issue which led to a Hygiene Improvement Notice being issued.

A food hygiene rating of one (major improvement necessary) was given in accordance with the Food Standards Agency’s brand standard.

Pendle Council inspected Barrowford Primary School on September 25 last year as part of the authority's routine inspection programme.

Philip Mousdale, corporate director at the council, said: “Our inspectors revisited the School on 19 October to check the areas in which the School wasn’t complying.

“We were satisfied that all of the issues raised during the initial inspection have been rectified.

“We therefore no longer have concerns regarding food safety at Barrowford Primary School.”

Lancashire County Council said it wanted to reassure parents ‘that health has never been put at risk and the issues raised did not relate to the production of school meals.’

A spokesman for the county council said: “It is disappointing that a routine food hygiene inspection in September 2017 identified some issues for improvement within the school.

“All of these issues have been addressed and we are confident of a significantly improved food hygiene rating soon.

“We want to reassure parents that health has never been put at risk and the issues raised did not relate to the production of school meals.”

According the the Food Standards Agency website and the 'Scores on the doors' website, the school is the only one in East Lancashire to receive a rating as low as one.

For more information on food hygiene ratings and to view the ratings of businesses, people can visit the Food Standards Agency website http://ratings.food.gov.uk/