Sodexo awarded new five-year catering contract at Oundle School

Oundle School, a co-educational boarding and day school, has awarded a five-year catering contract to Independents by Sodexo following an extensive tendering and evaluation process.

Coming into effect on 1 January 2021, the contract will include a significant investment and refurbishment programme to upgrade and modernise the catering infrastructure across the school’s extensive estate, including Laxton Junior School. Catering at the school was previously operated in-house.

Jeremy Alderton, managing director, independent and private schools at Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with Oundle School and recognise the importance of partnership working to meet and exceed expectations.

“Building an understanding of the role that good food and nutrition plays is paramount and it’s our ambition to work with pupils, staff and parents to ensure they are engaged with and supportive of the programme at every step.”

Oundle, based in Northamptonshire, traces its history to 1556 when Sir William Laxton, lord mayor of London and master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers, endowed a ‘free grammar school’ in Oundle. The school buildings, some dating from the 17th century, are dispersed throughout the town.

Sarah Kerr-Dineen, head at Oundle School, said: “Independents by Sodexo impressed us throughout the comprehensive tendering process, and I am particularly excited by their vision for all aspects of the catering operation, from provenance and sustainability through to professional development.

“They demonstrated a genuine understanding of how young people engage with meal choices and the importance of developing positive relationships with food that will sustain them throughout their adult lives.”

Sodexo employs more than 31,000 people in the UK and operates at more than 1,700 locations in the corporate, energy and resources, healthcare, education, leisure, justice and defence sectors. The wider group employs more than 420,000 people at sites across 64 countries and serves 100 million customers every day.