ISS took over primary school meals in September. Its first 33 kitchen inspections in Chichester district gave 26 fives, five 4s and two 3s. The list by school.
The company that took over primary school meals across West Sussex in September has had its first hygiene inspections in Chichester district. Of 33 kitchens, 26 were rated 5, five were rated 4 and two were rated 3.
None was rated below 3. A 3 means “generally satisfactory” on the Food Standards Agency’s scale. But the other 73 school kitchens in the district hold 72 fives and a single 4, so ISS starts below the standard parents here are used to.
The figures come from the Food Standards Agency’s hygiene rating register, downloaded in full for the district on 1 November 2026. Each ISS kitchen is listed as a new premises, “ISS @” followed by the school’s name, and each was inspected between 3 September and 1 October.
Why the caterer changed
West Sussex County Council awarded the primary school catering contract for schools with finishing kitchens to ISS Mediclean Limited on 5 December 2025. The contract award notice on Find a Tender values it at £140 million excluding VAT. It runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2033, with a possible three-year extension to 2036. Three tenders were received.
ISS announced the deal on 27 May. Its press release says it will serve about 25,000 meals a day across the county’s primary schools, using dishes developed over 14 months with the food firm apetito.
The meals are sold to parents under the name FEED West Sussex. ISS replaced Chartwells. A letter to parents from Bury CE Primary School, dated 12 June, said the price there would fall to £2.95 a day, 25p less than before.
The seven kitchens that did not get a 5
| School kitchen | Inspected | Rating | Food handling | Premises | Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birdham CofE Primary | 4 Sep | 3 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| St Richard's Catholic Primary, Chichester | 22 Sep | 3 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| Bosham Primary | 3 Sep | 4 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Seal Primary Academy, Selsey | 14 Sep | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Hollycombe Primary, Milland | 22 Sep | 4 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| Kingsham Primary, Chichester | 22 Sep | 4 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| Petworth CofE Primary | 25 Sep | 4 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
The register gives three area scores for each inspection, and lower is better:
- Food handling (hygienic handling of food): 0 is very good, 5 good, 10 generally satisfactory.
- Premises (cleanliness and condition of facilities and building): same scale.
- Management (management of food safety): 0 is very good, 5 good, 10 generally satisfactory.
So no ISS kitchen was marked “improvement necessary” in any area. The lower ratings come from several “generally satisfactory” marks adding up.
The pattern is in the second column. Six of the seven were marked 10 on premises. That score covers the condition of the kitchen and the building as well as how clean it is. A caterer working in a school’s kitchen does not own the building. The register does not say which of the problems the officer found were down to ISS and which to the school site.
The 26 that did
ISS kitchens at these schools were rated 5, very good:
- Boxgrove, Bury, Chidham, Easebourne, East Wittering, Fernhurst, Fittleworth, Funtington
- Harting, Jessie Younghusband, Loxwood, Medmerry, Midhurst, North Mundham, Northchapel
- Parklands, Plaistow and Kirdford, Sidlesham, Singleton, Southbourne Infant, Southbourne Junior
- Stedham, Thorney Island, Westbourne, West Wittering, Wisborough Green
The one other school kitchen in the district rated 4 is not an ISS site. Caterlink’s kitchen at Portfield Primary Academy was rated 4 on 15 September.
What it means for you
- A 3 or a 4 is not a failing rating. The Food Standards Agency calls a 4 “good” and a 3 “generally satisfactory”. The concern is narrower: a new contractor has started below the level the previous kitchens held.
- You can look up your child’s school. Search the register for “ISS @” and the school name. The record shows the date and the three area scores.
- The ratings can change. A business can ask for a re-inspection once it has made the improvements, and it has a right to reply that is printed on the record. None of the seven ISS records carried a reply when we read them.
- Questions about the meals go to ISS. The FEED West Sussex team is on feed@uk.issworld.com or 01243 306314, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm, according to the FEED West Sussex site.
How the rest of the district’s food businesses did in recent months is in our latest food hygiene report. Term dates are on our school term dates page.
Sources
- Food Standards Agency hygiene rating register, Chichester District Council area (authority 279), full download read 1 November 2026, for every rating, inspection date and area score
- Contract award notice 086078-2025, Find a Tender, published 12 December 2025, for the supplier, value, dates and number of tenders
- ISS secures seven-year partnership with West Sussex County Council, ISS, 27 May 2026, for the meals per day and the apetito partnership
- Letter to parents, Bury CE Primary School, 12 June 2026, for the change from Chartwells and the £2.95 price
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