International Consultancy Support

Protecting School Standards. Strengthening Overseas Operations

Founded in 2007, ISCC is the UK’s leading independent schools catering and cleaning consultancy. We have worked with more than 600 independent schools, supporting governance, financial control, operational excellence and strategic development across catering and soft FM services.

Our work is fully independent of catering contractors and aligned with the expectations of UK independent school boards and senior leadership teams.

As British schools expand internationally, and as standalone international schools seek to benchmark against UK standards. We provide specialist advisory support to protect brand reputation, ensure compliance and deliver sustainable commercial models overseas.

Supporting UK Schools Expanding Overseas

The international replication of a school’s educational offer must be matched by equivalent standards in:

Food quality and nutrition
Compliance and food safety
Brand-aligned dining experiences
Commercial governance and financial control
Risk management and contractor oversight

We work alongside UK Heads, Governors, Foundations and international operating partners to ensure that catering and soft FM provision reflects the standards expected at home.

Our support typically includes:

Pre-Opening & Mobilisation

Catering strategy and model selection (outsourced vs self-operated)
Tender management and contract negotiation
Kitchen and dining facility design advisory
KPI frameworks and governance structures

Brand & Standards Protection

Menu alignment with UK school values
Nutrition standards and allergen management frameworks
Quality assurance audits
On-site compliance inspections

Ongoing Commercial Oversight

Contract monitoring and performance auditing
Financial review and budget alignment
Procurement benchmarking
Issue resolution and contractor challenge

Our role is to provide independent assurance to UK boards that overseas operations are commercially robust, compliant and aligned with institutional reputation.

Supporting Standalone International Schools

For standalone international schools whether British-curriculum, IB or bilingual the catering provision is often a visible marker of quality and community standards.

We support proprietors, Heads and Boards seeking:

Improved food quality and student engagement
Stronger financial control
Enhanced compliance frameworks
Contractor renegotiation or re-tendering
Operational troubleshooting

Our international project experience includes:

Competitive tender exercise management
Renegotiation of commercial and contractual terms
Development of KPI and quality assurance frameworks
Hygiene, Health & Safety and compliance inspections
Allergen policy development and incident review
Modernisation of catering offers and service formats
Menu development suited to diverse international student populations
Budget setting and overspend correction
Best practice benchmarking against UK independent standards

Our Expertise

With a team of over thirty specialists, we provide in-house expertise across:
Catering operations and chef development
Food procurement and cost control
Financial modelling and budget analysis
Governance and contract management
Compliance and food safety
Access to a qualified nutritionist

Our work spans Canada, the Middle East and Asia, supporting both established international campuses and new school launches.

Why Schools Choose ISCC Internationally

Independent of catering operators
Deep understanding of UK independent school governance
Experience across outsourced and self-operated models
Strong commercial and procurement capability
Board-level advisory combined with operational delivery
Discreet, confidential engagement

Protecting Reputation. Strengthening Delivery.

International growth brings opportunity but also operational and reputational risk. Catering and soft FM services must be commercially sustainable, culturally appropriate and aligned with institutional values.

ISCC provides the independent expertise to ensure they are.

For a confidential discussion regarding your international operations or expansion plans, please contact:

James Stacey
Managing Partner

james.stacey@iscc.co.uk