Juniper Ventures new report – School Catering at a Crossroads – explores the pressures facing primary school catering and how to navigate them to deliver food that works.
The report draws on research conducted by Juniper Ventures across 100 schools, combining school leader interviews with wider sector insight to build a clear picture of the current primary school catering landscape.
The findings point to a system under growing pressure. Schools are managing sustained food inflation, rising labour costs, staffing challenges and tighter budgets, alongside increasing expectations around nutrition, sustainability and pupil experience. While provision can appear stable day to day, this is often maintained through significant behind the scenes effort.
With school catering playing a central role in the school day, the report underlines the importance of pupil voice in shaping menus. It also calls for a more open and practical conversation about how to deliver catering that works in real settings, regardless of the delivery model in place.
Key themes explored in the report include:
• Catering services remain dependable, but often rely on increasing levels of unseen operational effort
• Funding does not always reflect the true cost of food, labour and compliance
• Stable teams are critical to consistency, service flow and overall pupil experience
• Better use of pupil insight can help reduce waste and inform more effective decisions
• There is no single model that suits every school, with the right approach depending on local capacity and priorities
Michael Hales, Chief Executive Officer at Juniper Ventures, said:
“We commissioned this report to better understand the real pressures schools are facing and where practical support is most needed. The findings show many schools are delivering well, but under increasing strain from rising costs and tighter capacity. Now is the time for a more honest conversation about what sustainable school catering requires, and how we work together to protect it for the future.”
Rather than promoting a single approach, the report encourages schools, trusts and sector partners to focus on resilience, operational fit and long term sustainability.
Michael Hales added, “As a community rooted provider of catering, cleaning and safety services, we believe stronger collaboration across the sector will be vital to protecting high quality provision for pupils in the years ahead.”
You can download and read the full report here: School Catering At A Crossroads – Juniper Report