During the recent UK election one of the key policies the Labour Government ran on was imposing the standard VAT rate of 20% on Independent Schools fees. This is planned to come into effect from the 1st of January 2025 and will put financial strain on both the Schools and Parents affected by these changes. This will not only cause an increase in tuition fees but will inevitably have a knock-on effect to operational budgets, such as those for catering, where any cost reduction could prove highly valuable to counter the additional strain and would be an essential strategy point to help Independent Schools maintain their financial health moving forwards under the new rulings.

As a company that specialises in Catering consultancy, we often find that our clients in Independent Schools are overspending on their catering services due to outdated processes, inefficient management, and unfavourable supplier contracts.

Red Box’s approach to auditing current catering operations has helped Clients to identify inefficiencies and excess spend in their service, such as:

• Overstaffing,
• Non-competitive supplier pricing,
• Excessive food waste in the dining hall.

We have helped our clients raise these issues to their suppliers and either push for a higher quality service or have supported them with exploring cost-effective alternatives such as:

• Renegotiating contracts,
• Tendering the service to a new supplier,
• Or even bringing the service in-house.

At Red Box, we know it is important to balance cost with quality and we ensure that schools maintain their food standards against government guidelines whilst working to reduce their costs at the same time.

Red Box also provide broader financial management services, including budgeting strategies and financial analysis against the schools’ long-term goals. Our experts can assist in schools setting realistic cost-reduction targets for their catering services and, by providing our ongoing support, Red Box can ensure that the school remains compliant with regulatory requirements and gets the level of service they are entitled to within their contract at the cost they have negotiated.

As Independent Schools face increasing financial pressures in the near future, reducing costs in non-core services becomes essential. Red Box can offer the expertise, impartial advice, and tailored strategies to help schools cut costs and maintain high standards in their catering and cleaning service, allowing the school to focus on their primary goal – educating the next generation.

If you would like to enquire about how Red Box could support your school with their Catering or Cleaning facilities, please reach out to us via our website contact page (https://redboxcs.com/contact-us.html) or via email to admin@redboxcs.com.