Chartwells wins contract with Derbyshire schools

The deal is worth approximately £300,000 in annual revenue across two secondary schools. Chartwells will introduce a chef's theatre and tasting zone at Bolsover School where students will be able to view live cooking demonstrations and sample new cuisines before choosing their lunch. The two secondary schools involved in the contract will see brand new kitchen facilities installed when they open in 2010 after Private Finance Initiative (PFI) rebuilds as part of the Government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Bolsover School and Springwell Community School will provide breakfast, morning break and hospitality catering, and serve sandwiches, wraps, baguettes and hot meals including a pasta counter at lunch. Tony Byrne, business director at Chartwells, said, "Our aim in these two new Derbyshire schools is to bring the Chartwells ethos to life. The live cooking theatre at Bolsover School demonstrates how seriously we, as a caterer, take our responsibility to providing innovative meals which exceed the Government's requirements while simultaneously educating students about food and healthy eating." In the bid for the Derbyshire BSF project, Chartwells supported strategic outsourcing and asset management company Mitie as part of the Equitix consortium. Chartwells already works with 80 PFI schools across the UK, approximately half of which are in partnership with Mitie.