At Christchurch Church of England Primary School in Battersea, London, children are tucking into their lunch with relish. Jerk chicken, sweet potato bake, vegetable rice, sweet corn and broccoli are on the menu,followed by fruit and carrot cake, yogurt and a fresh fruit platter - all freshly cooked and beautifully presented.

Just over 18 months ago, such a scene was unimaginable. At the time when Harrison Catering Services took over the school meals contract in the London borough of Wandsworth in February 2004, the take-up of the service was in free fall. Only 47% of children were choosing to eat school lunches.

"We told the client that arresting the decline would be a major achievement and therefore there was no immediate expectation of growth," says Harrison's managing director, Geoffrey Harrison. But, with changes swiftly in place, the take-up of meals in the 60 nursery, primary and special schools and four secondary schools increased almost immediately and today stands at 58%.

So how did Harrison not only encourage more children to eat lunch, and gain the support of the teaching staff, parents and children, but also turn what previous contractor Scolarest called "no longer commercially viable" into a commercially successful contract? "Quite simply, we made a root-and-branch change to the menu, which meant that instead of opening boxes, the catering staff started cooking," says Harrison. "Without exception, this is what all the catering staff that we took on wanted to do - cook properly and serve good food."

Harrison wouldn't give details of its profit beyond saying that it makes a "sensible commercial return" on turnover up from £2.5m in 2003 to £3.25m.

With a very short lead-in time - Harrison Catering Services was first approached about the contract shortly before Christmas 2003, just over six weeks before it eventually took it over - the first step was to draw up a template menu. This resulted in an initial menu which removed all bought-in processed items, except for fish fingers, sausages and sponge mixes. Since the contract has been up and running, the sponge mixes have been gradually dropped, with home-made items such as sultana oat bars, apple cake and winter berry sponge now the order of the day.

A major change has been the improvement in the cooking of vegetables. As well as the introduction of more freshly prepared vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, cauliflower and sweet potato, there has been a move away from items being cooked a long time in advance of lunchtime, replaced by batch-cooking taking place during service, ensuring those served at the end of the lunch break don't end up with soggy, overcooked vegetables.

Sourcing high quality supplies with a sound provenance has been critical. "My son Gareth is the company's procurement and food development manager," says Harrison. "He's a trained chef and isn't just concerned about striking the best deal. He also knows exactly what to look for when it comes to quality." All meat is sourced in the UK, except for some New Zealand lamb, and all pasta is made from durum wheat. Harrison operates no long-term contracts with suppliers, preferring to retain business with a company only so long as the quality of ingredients meets its standards.

Training is key to the delivery of a freshly cooked menu. Craft-based training sessions are held before every menu change, three times a year. Cooks from different schools get together to cook and taste new menu items, with additional training on specific skills, such as baking, held during holidays. Group managers visit each school at least once a fortnight and may hold in-house training as required.

"Our basic philosophy is to get the food right first, then not only do the teachers, children and parents gain confidence in what we're doing, but so do the catering staff," says Harrison. "Serving food they're proud of gives the cooks an enormous morale lift."

Wandsworth's catering staff have also been given a boost by a rise in pay, lifting them above the minimum wage. "Not only has it made them feel more valued, but it's also made them more receptive to change and helps with staff retention," says Harrison.

With the loss of confidence in the previous caterers, it was imperative from the outset for Harrison Catering Services to win over everyone at Wandsworth, and this was achieved by briefing groups held with head teachers and catering staff to explain the changes, and meetings at which parents have been invited to sample dishes.

The improvements in food quality and increased staff pay come at a price. An increase of 20p was immediately put on to the cost of a primary school meal, taking it from £1.65 up to £1.85. The price rose again last month to £1.90. In the secondary schools, where a canteen system operates with a wider choice of food, two-course set menus - such as Mediterranean roasted vegetables with couscous and apple crumble and custard - are being promoted for £1.90.

"There's been no issue with the rise in the cost of the meals as parents want good food for their children and are prepared to pay for it," says Harrison. "Parents recognise what we're doing is better value than before."

Back at Christchurch Church of England Primary School, where 140 out of 220 pupils are choosing to eat school lunches compared with 112 before the arrival of Harrison, head teacher Frances Bussey talks about the new catering contract with great enthusiasm.

"The transformation in the quality of food being served at the school has been phenomenal," she says. "There's been a very real and genuine desire by Harrison to meet the needs of the children, particularly in terms of their nutritional intake. They're treating the children as valued long-term customers, rather than using gimmicks which may bring them in for the short term but which, in my opinion, never work."

Christchurch is one of 263 state primary, 41 state secondary and 24 independent schools served daily by Harrison Catering Services. School catering accounts for three-quarters of its £32m business. The contract at Wandsworth runs for three-and-a-half years.

Sodexho - Hayesfield School for Girls
Sodexho was faced with the challenge of boosting turnover at Hayesfield School for Girls in Bath, on taking over the catering contract for 600 pupils in the lower school and 300 pupils in the upper school in September 2004.

The upper school had a very low take-up of school meals - only 50 a day was being taken. Sodexho completely changed the menu to reflect the tastes and habits of the pupils. Much healthier meals, including dressed salads, fresh pasta dishes and filled jacket potatoes, are now on offer.

Sodexho recognised that the older children wanted to be treated differently to those in the lower school, and, as a result, revamped the restaurant with a brighter colour scheme and put in new bistro-style furniture to make the area more appealing to 14- to 16-year-old girls.

A year on, daily takings in the upper school restaurant have increased fourfold to 200.

Taking a contract in house - Coulsdon High School

Coulsdon High School, a secondary school with 900 pupils in Coulsdon, Surrey, took its catering in house two years ago. "I felt we could provide better quality food at a better price," says catering manger Pauline Keeling.

Now at the start of her third year in charge of the catering, she feels justified in taking the decision she did - in conjunction with head teacher, Colin MacKinlay. "I now have the flexibility and freedom to offer the children a more balanced and healthier selection of food," says Keeling, who heads a team of seven catering staff.

About 650 transactions are now carried out at break and lunchtimes, compared with 450 when Scolarest was in charge. There has been an increase in the number of freshly prepared main-course dishes, while snack items, such as burgers, pizzas and chicken nuggets, are gradually being made in the school kitchen rather than being bought in.

By the end of the first year, operating in house, Coulsdon High School was £50,000 better off. A profit of £26,000 was made, equivalent to the annual fee paid to Scolarest. This can be either reinvested in the kitchen - it has been painted and a new till system, dishwasher, fridges and shelving have been purchased - or ploughed into school funds.

The transition from using a contract caterer to running its own catering has been supported by Eatdot, a company set up in 1999 to support schools as they throw off the constraints of a large caterer or direct-service organisation. Working on a consultancy basis, Eatdot provides balanced menus, recipes, purchasing discounts, due diligence and financial systems, with an adviser working directly with the catering manager to make strategic changes. The company is working with 30 schools nationwide.

"For schools apprehensive about taking on the responsibility of the catering themselves - particularly the financial one - we're there to support them throughout, as much or as little as they may need us," says Eatdot's general manager, Martin Jones.

Taking over a failing contract: Check list

• Carry out an internal feasibility study to assess the current catering provision and outline the goals for a new regime.
• Put together a school management team, including parent governors, who have the enthusiasm and commitment to oversee any changes.
• Make sure a capable catering manager is in place to head the changes. If appointing a new person to the position, consider someone with good commercial sense as well as sound craft skills.
• All catering staff should be fully conversant with basic food hygiene training.
• Ensure the termination of the previous contract is carried out properly, with all parties aware who is responsible for the stock, catering and kitchen equipment, and vending contracts.
• Carry out all necessary health and safety and first aid training.
• Make sure Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) are in place, which include the monitoring and recording of temperatures for deliveries, in storage and during food preparation.
• Put in place menu planning for at least six weeks, ensuring nutritional standards are met by following the Caroline Walker Trust guidelines.
• Bring catering staff into school for five days before the change over to ensure all initial training is completed and that they are conversant with the new system.
• Draw up a training schedule for staff to ensure continual development.

Source: Tenet Food Service Consultants

Contacts

• www.harrisoncatering.co.uk, 01844 216777
• www.sodexho-uk.com, 020 7353 7400
• www.eatdot.co.uk, 0800 316 3575
• Tenet Food Service Consultants, 01245 399270