CASE STUDY: THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE DAY NURSERY

At the Old School House Day Nursery in Cambridgeshire, an outstanding nursery that cares for up to 94 children each day, managing director Linda Baston-Pitt says that food is her second highest expenditure after staffing, and accounts for 67 per cent of the nursery’s remaining direct costs, at £30,000 per year.

She says, ‘Working towards a Children’s Food Trust award, which promotes excellence in children’s food, recently gave us the chance to review our food policy in detail and one of the key areas for us included looking at procurement and budgeting.’

The nursery focused on cost comparisons, frequency of deliveries, the quality of product and service, and the sustainability of that service – for example, food miles involved in delivery. The Old School House has recently appointed a company called Pro Purchase to advise on its ongoing food policy.

‘It monitors and advises us on the most economical options for particular purchases we make, and if savings can be achieved it will then implement them,’ says Ms Baston-Pitt.

‘This has already helped us to make cost savings without compromising on quality, and by reducing our chef’s workload she now only has to do spot checks on prices rather than having to spend a huge amount of time analysing large volumes of individual items. This means she is able to spend more time cooking with the staff and children.’

Source: Nursery World Magazine

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