8 March 2018 | Prithvi Pandya
Sodexo has won a three-year contract with Wellspring Academy Trust to deliver catering and hospitality services to 12 schools initially in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
The schools will benefit from Sodexo's new modern school food offer, Food & Co, which moves away from tradition and has been developed following research conducted with pupils in key stages 2, 3 and 4 (ages 7-16) to understand the type of food they like, as well as their preferred dining environment and experience.
Sodexo will introduce programmes across schools and academies to encourage pupils to get involved in service development, and appreciate food and cooking. These include 'Agents for Change', which sees peer-elected pupils take on the role of food and health champions, and 'Project Cook' - a school cookery programme.
The company's research revealed that pupils have more sophisticated palates than ever before. They also have a strong understanding of restaurant brands and wish to eat in a relaxed environment that allows them time and space to connect with friends.
'Schools by Sodexo' also brings together an integrated suite of services including premises management, cleaning, and grounds maintenance and asset management.
The company currently works with 125 schools in the state sector and has over 10 years' experience delivering integrated facilities services to schools across the UK and Ireland. The new offer is designed to meet the needs of multi-academy trusts and local authorities that are increasingly looking for suppliers who can offer greater standardisation and integration of services across their schools.