Nottingham City Council beats private sector competition to win Derby school contracts

Nottingham City Council has beaten competition from the private sector to win four school catering contracts in Derby.

The council adds the four Odyssey Collaborative Trust schools to the 44 primary and secondary contracts it currently serves. It is looking to expand its work in the sector to build upon the £20m it raises from commercial operations each year.

Councillor Neghat Khan, cabinet member for early years, education and employment, said: "The key to the council's recent success is that the education catering team recognises the importance of working in partnership with each school to ensure individual needs are met and expectations are exceeded.

"Our highly experienced team are always prepared to go above and beyond – from reflecting the school's teaching programme in the menus and providing educational enrichment through clubs to running engaging cooking classes and supporting fundraising initiatives."

Jo Bunting from the Odyssey Collaborative Trust said: "We felt that Nottingham City Council's emphasis on local fresh ingredients, quality meals for all with a flexibility of choice of menus to suit our children – including their halal offer – and commitment to meet the Food for Life Schools Award silver standard from the start of contract made them the perfect partner for us to continue developing our catering service."