Self Managed (In-House) Schools Catering

In April 2000 "Fair Funding Legislation" came into place which gave schools the opportunity to review how services are provided within their School.

This gives Schools the opportunity, independence and flexibility of self managing their own catering function in-house. In doing so it enables the School to enhance the quality and service provision and in the majority of cases generates profit for reinvestment in their school.

The benefits of schools self managing their catering operation include:-

• Opportunity to improve the quality, choice and flexibility of menus
• Total control over menu and nutritional planning
• Total financial control

Frequently asked questions and answers regarding self managed in-house catering include:-

What is the difference with a self managed in-house catering service?

The key difference is that the catering staff are employed directly by the school, so they are an intrinsic part of the school community and so the reporting lines are unified.

Why do schools choose to manage their own catering and what are the key benefits?

There are many reasons why schools choose to take a service in-house. For some, achieving a catering service really supports and responds to the individual needs of the schools is the aim. Improving the quality of the food, together with the cost base of the service are factors alongside a better social experience of lunchtimes for the children.

Who benefits from an in-house catering service?

Everyone does. Heads and their teachers use the new catering service to enhance school activities and receive a unique responsive service. The catering team become integral to the school, but crucially, the students receive bespoke menus of nutritionally balanced meals.

What if any are the disadvantages of operating an in-house catering function?

Catering is not an industry that is for the faint-hearted. A lot of specialist knowledge is required to sustain consistently cost-beneficial quality catering operations. In-house catering means that schools doing it alone are vulnerable to pitfalls, securing reasonable deals with suppliers; coping with additional workload in transitioning or ensuring the compliance of the service.

How do Food Service Options assist schools that choose to self manage their catering in-house:-

Food Service Options have assisted schools nationwide in undertaking the transition of managing their own catering operation and these, along with other schools that use Foodservice Options, have benefited in a number of ways enabling schools to make their own decisions regarding pricing, staffing structures, menu choices etc resulting in an increase in the uptake of school meals generating a financial surplus for reinvestment. Our support services that help schools attain such benefits include:-

• Free of charge access to legally compliant food and equipment supply contracts that offer not only full traceability but also the financial benefits of our large buying power.
• Access to our bespoke software package, which will enable schools to analyse their menus to ensure that they nutritionally balanced and meet the required nutritional standards.
• Professional catering support services including health & safety audits, CIEH registered food safety and healthier food training and consultancy.