November 09

What do all independent schools have in common? Simple. The words ‘independent’ and ‘school’. The rest is all open country.

In the current climate, the independent school market is changing, with many schools increasingly finding the need to diversify in order to appeal to demanding parents. Inevitably, each school is looking to clarify its position. Of course, as with some organisations in alternative markets, some schools appear untouchable: oversubscribed, with long waiting lists and healthy bank accounts. But for many schools with long and proud traditions times are tough and numbers for next year uncertain. Books are being re-opened and budgets tested and re-tested, with sensible heads, bursars and governors looking for smart savings wherever they can be found – crucially, without damaging the real or perceived qualities and infrastructures of their schools. Outsourced activities may be brought in-house; building activities may be postponed; staff numbers may even be threatened – it would seem that almost nothing is set in stone.
But in many cases, it’s arguable that this enforced soul-searching can yield positive long-term results: schools are looking long and hard at themselves, asking the question ‘what makes us different?’ or in many cases ‘what will make our students different?’ Independent schools must be able to clearly demonstrate how their ethos and environment will be a positive atmosphere for the development and wellbeing of their students whilst at the school, and provide significant impetus for their alumni to go on to achieve great things after they leave.
Independent schools are sometimes unfairly accused of moulding students into a particular specific image - but nothing could be further from the truth. Our best schools don’t just accept diversity and difference; they revel in it. Never before have our boys and girls been given such opportunities to explore their skills, personalities and the world around them both near and far. The best independent education creates an environment focused on the needs of the individual, but which celebrates and encourages diversity, confidence, empathy, motivation, a sense of self and a sense of community.
So Independent schools need to make sure that they make all these attributes clear – their aims, ethos and ambitions – in order that parents will be able to make sure they are choosing a school which is the best fit for their child.
However, the concept of ‘the fit’ can be the root cause of difficulties, as it implies that there is a single solution which works – and schools, teachers and suppliers to schools are beginning to recognise that the market can no longer accept a purely off-the-shelf solution. The nature of Independent education, as with all markets in this challenging economic climate, has become fluid and the expectations of students and their parents have understandably increased. It is therefore a responsibility of suppliers to schools to understand the ever-changing nature of these demands and to work with their schools to constantly adapt to meet their needs. Big corporate suppliers who offer a one-size-fits-all package will have to reassess their methods if they are to retain a steady footing on the ever-shifting sands of the independent school market.
So how do these demands present themselves to caterers and what can catering suppliers do to maintain and grow their position in this market? Well, many suppliers will offer what they refer to as a ‘bespoke’ service, where they will assess a school’s needs and create a service to fit; this might involve flexing menus, redesigning dining areas and refreshing cooking and preparation facilities. In addition, behind the scenes, it might mean creating a contract form which suits the school (subsidised, zero-subsidy, trade discounts returned etc) and providing training to existing staff to engender the new contractor’s methods and beliefs. But where should this process end? To me, this is where the concept of a ‘bespoke’ service is brought into sharp focus.
‘Bespoke’ and ‘Made to measure’ are not the same thing – ask any good tailor. Where made to measure implies that something is measured, assessed, planned and activated to a specific, given situation or requirement, the nature of bespoking is something quite different: like a good suit, the supplier needs to build in flexibility and room to grow (or contract) whilst retaining the overall shape, style and quality of the offering. Like hidden folds of material buried in the seams, a caterer must have ideas, support facilities and a true understanding of the client’s needs in order to make sure that the relationship established at the beginning of a contract can grow into something which is more than purely ‘adequate’. Essentially, the difference is in taking a long-term view and making a total commitment to working with a school in order to continue to meet their needs.
And to take the analogy further, a great tailor will never throw ludicrous ideas or offers at a client in the earliest stages of a working relationship: he will take time to get to know a client, see how his suits and coats wear and spread over time – and most importantly listen to him, before he can be confident that he knows the client well enough to suggest changes and options which he is sure will be relevant.
In much the same way, a good, responsible caterer will not wave a chequebook in the air when negotiating a contract. Instead, they will prove first to the client that they can improve the food offer straight from the off, before assessing the specific needs and requirements over and above what is currently available in terms of menus, facilities, staff and training. Only then can they make the necessary investments to genuinely improve the service based on a school’s immediate needs and vision for the future. Developing good solutions takes time and careful analysis and good solutions, in the long run, are always the most cost-effective ones.
The key to true bespoking is trust and communication: firstly, in schools without cash meal payments, a contract caterer is the custodian of the client’s budget and must prove that value for money is being achieved; secondly, contract caterers are like a guest in a client’s home, and guests must remember their manners. Trust can only be gained through honesty and excellence and the lines of communication must be permanently open – and most crucially, caterers must be able to prove that they have achieved this with existing clients. When you’re considering changing your caterer, don’t just look at the clients a caterer has, look at how long they have held on to them - this holds the key not just to the quality of service a caterer provides, but to the effectiveness of a caterer’s ability to flex and adapt to meet a client’s needs.
Essentially, what true bespoking does is give the client complete control over their service, from the specifics of the contract through the food offer to the preparation and dining facilities – control over how the catering service is set up, control over how it grows and changes with time and demands, and control over how it adapts to the inevitable challenges all schools face in their lifetimes.
So why is it important to understand what we really mean by bespoke? Well, in much the same way as you believe that no two students are the same, we believe that no two schools are the same – and in the same way as you believe that a student’s individual growth and development plan must change to remain relevant as they go through their school life, we believe that just because a contract starts in one form doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
If there is a lapse in the analogy, it’s this – a bespoke suit might cost ten times that of an off-the-peg suit, but a bespoke catering service can be delivered for the same cost as a standard, off-the-shelf solution or a regular in-house operation. And as a final thought, consider this: if you tried measuring, designing, cutting and stitching your own suit, would you expect it to last 10 minutes, let alone more than 10 years? Or would you consider that a job best left to the experts?

by Geoffrey Harrison, Founder and MD of Harrison Catering.
Visit www.harrisoncatering.co.uk for more details.