Published
By Ashley Cox
Following the UK Government's newly-confirmed commitment to providing free school meals in England, we would like to highlight how CPC's Outsourced Catering framework can support English schools and academies in meeting new demand.
Championed by footballer Marcus Rashford and the award-winning #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign, the expansion of free school meals has long been a pressing topic, with a 2023 assessment by the Child Poverty Action Group determining that a third of school-aged children in England were living in poverty while also failing to meet the means-tested threshold for free meals (which stood at £7,400 per year, per household).
However from September 2026, all pupils in England from a household on Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson calling it "the moral mission of this government to tackle the stain of child poverty".
From free school meals to free breakfast clubs, breaking the cycle of child poverty is at the heart of our Plan for Change to cut the unfair link between background and success.
Read the full free school meal announcement from the Department for Education and UK Government ministers here.
The announcement brings English policy more in line with that of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, who offered less restrictive thresholds and/or a wider commitment to free meal provision for some time prior to the 4th June 2025 update.
London-based charity School Food Matters (SFM) reacted to the news, saying: “Hundreds of thousands of children who have been living in food-insecure households will now be able to come to school knowing they have something nutritious to eat at lunchtime. It will mean they can come to class ready to concentrate, learn and thrive.
The policy will save families an estimated £500 each year, providing much-needed relief during the cost-of-living crisis.
The change is thought to affect more than half a million youngsters across England and, as such, we anticipate a increase in demand for on-site meal provision at English schools and academies, with CPC’s robust supply chain able to take the strain.
Launched in 2022, CPC's Outsourced Catering framework is a fully compliant route to market for procuring a managed service for healthy school lunches. The agreement is recommended to schools and academies by the Department for Education and is the latest incarnation of a framework used by more than 400 UK education establishments.
This convenient outsourcing solution can help your institution acquire a brand-new catering service, with a straightforward structure and pre-assessed supplier list ensuring CPC members can connect with able, approved providers of on-site meals.
Divided into 32 regional lots, each lot has a minimum of ten incumbent suppliers to vie for any contract, giving you significant choice and driving potential value for money. What's more, it's easy for members to put the framework to work by making use of its 'Invitation to Mini Competition' template, a useful resource in pitting the relevant framework suppliers against each other for new business, fuelling innovation and a higher overall standard of food and drink provision, to the benefit of your pupils.
With our dedicated User Guide telling you what you need to know, procurement functions at England's schools and academies may find the CPC Outsourced Catering framework an ideal purchasing partner, especially ahead of the changes afoot in 2026.
CPC Contracts Manager Lisa O’ Shea, who oversees this framework, said: "I would like to encourage CPC members who have a contract expiry date in 2026 to consider whether they have any extensions left on their current contract - and to start thinking about how they are going to tender the opportunity, should they need to do so.
The whole process of tendering for a caterer can take around six months, so if a members' contract expires in early 2026, now is the time to look into tendering.
"The sooner members go out to tender, the more likely it is that they will receive a number of comprehensive bid responses", added Lisa, who can discuss our Outsourced Catering buying framework in more detail by email or by calling 0161 974 0947.
Why use Crescent Purchasing Consortium? In addition to benefits outlined, CPC is a non-profit organisation, with surpluses forming the basis of our flagship Giving Back charity initiative, an endeavour that seeks to support the education sector by providing grant funding for projects and purchases that aid wellbeing, empower SEND learners and tackle absenteeism.
Established in 2019, Giving Back has already committed £2 million in reinvestment to UK education, with the bulk of funds accrued via spend made through CPC frameworks just like this one. Additional information on Giving Back is available here.
Finally, can CPC assist if your organisation lacks the resource, experience or confidence to run a tender via our Outsourced Catering framework? The answer, in short, is yes. Our Crescent Consultancy team offers experienced catering consultancy professionals who can run the tender for you, so why not get in touch and see how they can lend their expertise? 🤝
For further information on the CPC Outsourced Catering procurement framework, visit the framework page here.