Bremner and Tower Hamlets Council
Overview
Tower Hamlets Council commissioned us to lead the co-production and delivery of a school food improvement programme across 100 primary and secondary schools. This initiative required extensive collaboration across local authority departments, schools, and catering teams to develop a business case and action plan that would drive sustainable improvements in school food culture.
Our Approach
We applied a strategic, multi-stakeholder approach to ensure the programme was robust, inclusive and aligned with national frameworks. This involved close collaboration across departments, bringing together teams from public health, education, finance and catering to coordinate efforts and build a shared vision. Through a structured co-design process, we developed and agreed on a clear set of interventions that formed the foundation of the programme’s action plan. We focused on embedding sustainable change by ensuring all actions were owned by key stakeholders and integrated into mainstream council operations. To support ongoing learning and accountability, we also established strong governance structures alongside a monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress, share successes and drive continuous improvement.
Key Outcomes
The Fantastic Food in Schools programme has been established to support all schools in Tower Hamlets, providing a structured approach to enhancing school food provision. Developed through close collaboration between council departments and school teams, the programme has created a shared vision and clear action plan for long-term improvements. Strong governance and evaluation mechanisms ensure that progress is tracked, best practices are shared, and successful initiatives are sustained. This coordinated effort is set to have a lasting impact on school food culture, ultimately improving the quality of food available to children across the borough.
Testimonials
Bremner & Co were crucial in building a solid base for the programme at the start, connecting it into the wider national school food framework, identifying opportunities within the council to connect departments and improve the efficiency of our work around school food.
Rab Brownell, School Food Improvement Manager
Working with Tower Hamlets has shown what’s possible when there is genuine collaboration and shared ambition across a council. By bringing together education, public health, catering teams, and finance, we were able to co-produce a school food improvement plan that is not only ambitious but sustainable. This wasn’t just about improving menus – it was about embedding good food into the heart of school life and making it part of the borough’s wider strategy to support children’s health and wellbeing. We’re proud to have played a role in laying the foundations for lasting change.
Myles Bremner, CEO, Bremner & Co
Our Services
This project highlights our expertise in policy development, strategy execution, and multi-stakeholder engagement. Our ability to align diverse teams, create actionable strategies, and build sustainable governance structures ensures lasting impact. If your organisation is looking to develop or enhance school food initiatives, we can help.
Interested in learning more about how we can support your work in school food strategy, policy development, and programme implementation? Get in touch today.
