Independents by Sodexo secures £4m deal with Chester school


Independents by Sodexo has been awarded a five-year contract to manage catering services at The King’s School in Chester, one of the leading co-educational day schools in the country.

Independents by Sodexo won the £4m contract following a competitive tender process and will take over the service on 4 April 2019.

The King’s School, Chester has been educating children for 477 years and currently has over 1100 pupils aged four to 18. The school blends outstanding academic tuition with opportunities to develop sporting, artistic and social skills to help build pupils’ confidence and attainment.

The new catering service from Independents by Sodexo will offer a wide range of dishes with a focus on fresh, nutritious and seasonal food.

Independents by Sodexo will provide investment to the school for the ongoing development of the services, while the onsite team will have opportunities to continually enhance their culinary skills by taking part in the company’s chef scholarship, which provides access to industry-leading training.

Jeremy Alderton, managing director for Independents by Sodexo, said, “We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with The King’s School. We know that young people want variety in their food but are also conscious about sustainability and provenance.

“Our highly skilled chefs will be creating a selection of dishes using sustainably sourced ingredients that will not only interest and excite the pupils, but will also power performance to help them get the most out of school.”

Hayley Jordan, bursar at The King’s School Chester, said, “We were really impressed with the way the Independents by Sodexo team engaged with us throughout the tender process. They took the time to understand the ethos of the school and what we are looking for from our catering service.

“Independents by Sodexo have an impressive track record of taking an innovative approach to providing healthy school meals, and we are looking forward to working with the team to develop menus that will nourish and satisfy pupils and staff alike.”