Overview

College catering services seen as part of the colleges’ reputation

• Full on-site management and food preparation
• 24-hour catering for 450 boarders
• High quality food, economically priced
• Proven reputation for service and delivery

When Wrekin College amalgamated with Old Hall School the need for professional college catering services that matched their well earned reputation was high on the list of changes. Elior submitted a comprehensive tender and now provides a full, on-site catering service for the college and School.

Wrekin College was founded in 1880 as a new type of school offering a broad education and individual attention to all its pupils. Today the co-educational college combined with the Old Hall School offers unique educational opportunities to 450 pupils aged between 3 and 18, the majority of whom are full time boarders.

Student welfare is a key concern of the staff and college administration team, and it is very important to offer the highest quality of catering and services to complement the superb reputation it has earned over the years.

College Catering and Facilities Management

Yvonne Thomas is the Bursar at Wrekin College and the Old Hall School, She has the responsibility to select and run all the services for the site, and this includes the facilities management and catering services for both Wrekin College and the Old Hall School.

Catering for youngsters can be a formidable task

Catering for young people is a formidable task and maintaining a high quality and excellent standard of catering services is essential to students’ wellbeing. This is why choosing the right catering contract is so important to any school. The provider selection process is based on a number of critical factors and the performance of the contractor always tops the bill. High quality of food is imperative and, naturally in this economically aware age, the price has to be a factor which must be taken into account when making a choice.     

Increased requirements

Wrekin College put its catering contract out to tender because of the new link with the Old Hall School and the increased requirements for on-site catering.

Enthusiastic bidder

The school had a number of responses to the tender request, but the one which they found most attractive was from Elior. The company’s bidding team was extremely enthusiastic and presented a well thought out and comprehensive tender document, which detailed all the requirements. One of the key reasons that Elior won the contract was their immense enthusiasm for the task. Yvonne Thomas first heard of Elior at an ISBA Bursar’s Conference.

Cost effective service

The  relationship with Elior has grown and developed over time and Wrekin School enjoys an excellent, cost effective service with friendly efficient staff providing high quality college catering and a great deal of attention to a healthy diet. The menu offers a wide range of meals including popular vegetarian options and also covers special dietary needs where required. In addition, Elior provides excellent service at special on site events. Elior also provide a dedicated catering Manager, Ruth Kerrigan, who takes care of all the day-to-day running of the catering facilities, including the provision of food to the boarding houses for snacks – young students are always hungry! A food committee meets regularly to liaise with the Elior team to discuss meals and suggest new options.

Excellent reputation

The key factor for Yvonne Thomas is that Elior is totally consistent. The company has an excellent reputation in the educational sector, with particularly good references. It provides Wrekin College and Old Hall School with an excellent, cost-effective service is recommended by the school as a key service provider.”