Thurston Community College, located four miles outside of Bury St Edmunds, is one of the largest co-educational schools in West Suffolk. In September 2014, up to 1 065 Year 7 – 9 pupils mainly from the local middle schools at Beyton, Blackbourne and Ixworth will move to the main College site in Norton Road, Thurston and the current Sixth Form will move to the site at Beyton. The contractor selected at the conclusion of this tender process will therefore be providing a catering service for between an estimated 1 865 to 2 090 pupils across both sites and up to 200 staff.

The proportion of students entitled to free school meals is below average and the proportion of minority ethnic backgrounds well below average.

Under the leadership of the Principal, Helen Wilson, Thurston Community College is thriving. It is accredited as a National Healthy School and is a flagship school for the Food for Life Partnership.

The College serves a large rural catchment area and therefore the majority of students are bussed in. With the exception of the Sixth Form, all students have to remain on the College premises unless they live in Thurston and have a note from parents stating they are going home for lunch. When the Sixth Form moves to the Beyton Road site next year, there will be no local shops for them to buy snacks or lunch. The catering operator will therefore have a largely “captive audience” for its services on both sites and this is therefore a great opportunity for the right bidder.

At Beyton the service is managed in-house but the new contract will be for both sites and therefore TUPE is likely to apply to these staff. The catering service at the Thurston Site is outsourced but the contract ends in July 2014. The College is therefore taking this opportunity, at a moment of significant structural change, to ensure that going forward the best possible service is provided to all ages of students across both sites, and on the most competitive terms.

Students and staff at the Thurston site pay for breakfast, morning break and lunch services with a cashless biometric system. Annual paid-for meal income is currently around 166 000 GBP, with 22 000 GBP of this from Sixth Form sales. 186 students are currently entitled to a free school meal, of whom typically 115 actually take up the offer. In addition, staff who undertake a voluntary lunchtime duty are also provided with a school meal, paid for by the college. The total value of free school meals and staff meals is 37 000 GBP. The College is seeking a contractor who is able to adapt their services flexibly to the requirements of a changing student population. A healthy food offer that maximises uptake at both communities on the most economically advantageous terms is sought.