Blackpool Council Sets Benchmark for School Catering

Blackpool Council Catering Services is demonstrating what’s possible when local authorities invest in their school catering workforce, becoming the first in the North West to graduate school chefs from an intensive, 10-week training programme delivered by national charity, Chefs in Schools

The graduation will be celebrated on 18 February with a ‘School Meal Takeover’ at Abingdon Street Market.

Why Workforce Investment Matters Now

Blackpool’s strategic investment comes at a critical time for child health in the town. According to Blackpool’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, childhood obesity rates are significantly higher than national averages, with 26.8% of reception-age children and 42.5% of Year 6 children classified as overweight or obese – among the highest rates in the North West.

Research consistently demonstrates the link between nutrition and educational attainment. By investing in the skills of school catering teams, Blackpool is taking practical action to address both child health outcomes and create an environment where children are properly fuelled to learn.

Investing in Workforce Excellence

Blackpool Council Catering Services made a strategic decision to prioritise professional development for the team who are currently serving 6,000 meals daily across 17 schools.

The School Chef Educator programme builds on participants’ existing knowledge base with advanced culinary techniques, nutritional knowledge, and leadership capabilities – all of which are adapted specifically for school kitchen constraints and budgets.

“Blackpool showed real vision in prioritising this,” says Naomi Duncan, CEO of Chefs in Schools. “You can’t transform school food without investing in the people who prepare it. Blackpool understood that, and now they’re leading the way for the North West.”

The programme emphasises locally-sourced, high quality ingredients and techniques used in professional restaurant kitchens, adapted for the unique environment of school catering. The result isn’t just better food – it’s stronger teams, reduced waste, and chefs who can confidently meet School Food Standards while creating meals children want to eat.

The School Meal Takeover: Celebrating Blackpool’s achievement

The graduation event at Abingdon Street Market on 18 February (9-11am) will showcase exactly what professional development delivers in practice.

Hosted in the Market’s recently refurbished food hall, the event brings together education catering professionals, industry experts, and local authority representatives to celebrate the School Chef Educator graduates, as well as wider Blackpool Council Catering team members who have achieved NVQs in catering.

Attendees will hear from industry leaders about the future of school catering workforce development and taste exactly what Blackpool Catering Services will serve in schools moving forward, with a selection of mouthwatering school food bites.

Cllr Jo Farrell, cabinet member for communities and wellbeing, said: “Children need a variety of things to be able to thrive in school, including good food to fuel their learning. We’ve invested in their wellbeing and the professional development of our wonderful school kitchen teams through this training. Our school catering service already does an excellent job of keeping pupils and teachers well fed and all those who completed the training really embraced the opportunity to increase their skillsets. We’re all excited to try samples of their new menus at the School Meal Takeover event.”

Setting a Regional Example

As the first North West local authority to complete the programme, Blackpool is cementing itself as a leader in school catering excellence. The investment in workforce development addresses a critical sector challenge: how to deliver high-quality, nutritious school meals at scale while working within budget constraints and meeting statutory standards.

The programme’s practical focus on reducing food waste, increasing vegetable uptake, and meeting School Food Standards while working within tight budgets makes it a replicable model for other authorities facing similar operational and health challenges.

Building Long-Term Capacity

The ten newly qualified school chefs will continue their professional development while mentoring colleagues across Blackpool Catering Services’ school kitchens. This creates sustainable capacity building, with trained professionals who can drive continuous improvement and support new team members.

“Every school catering service we work with becomes a beacon for others,” says Nicole Pisani, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Chefs in Schools.”Blackpool’s commitment to their workforce will inspire other local authorities across the North West to make similar investments.”

Event Details: Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 9:00am – 11:00am Abingdon Street Market, 16-20 Abingdon Street, Blackpool FY1 1DR