From General Assistant to now working as the College's Hospitality Manager, Mrs Claire Old has worked her way up over the last five years! In this week's 'A Conversation With...', we chat to her about some of the events she has organised, as well as the numbers involved when it comes to feeding over 500 ravenous pupils!
What is your role and how long have you been at Shiplake?
I started working at Shiplake College in 2018 as a General Assistant before I worked my way up to Supervisor, then Assistant Catering Manager, and then on to my current role as Hospitality Manager.
My current role is a very varied role, from dealing with all internal events, to bookwork, to planning and running large events such as weddings and summer balls.
What were you doing before Shiplake?
In my younger years, I always worked in the hospitality industry; working in pubs, restaurants, hotels and conference centres. Just before I came to Shiplake, I had been working as a childminder while my children were young - I did this for seven years and it was great fun! But when my own children started school, I decided to go back to what I know best.
What is a day in the life for you at the College?
My day usually starts with a much-needed coffee! Then I log on to my emails and see what I am dealing with that day. We serve breakfast, lunch and supper and so we prepare for each service. Then I may have meetings, admin, orders to place and dealing with anything that pops up really!
What are some of the challenges of working in hospitality at a school and how does it differ to elsewhere?
One of the biggest challenges is feeding so many people in a short space of time, especially when we are feeding around 500 hungry children! So, our services are quite fast paced to ensure that everyone gets fed in the time we have. Another challenge on the event front is ensuring weddings go to plan - they are such an important day so planning and running events like those can be stressful. We always want to give our brides and grooms a day they will remember.
Having said that, working in hospitality in a school has its advantages; one of the biggest being is that on a normal school day, our late shifts really aren’t that late. Working in a pub or restaurant we’d be finishing late at night while here at the College, we finish around 8pm. So, in the hospitality industry, that’s a real plus point!
500 pupils are a lot of mouths to feed! What are some of the numbers when it comes to the food we produce?
When it comes to breakfast, we use approximately 100 eggs. We’d also use around 120 eggs in a sponge pudding for lunch & supper. There are always eggs in different forms on the salad bar so that adds to the number as well! We also provide over 500 pieces of fruit every other day in the snack provisions for the children, as well as stocking up our fruit stand in the servery which is around the same number but on a daily basis.
You must've worked on many events here at the College, what have been your memorable ones?
I have worked on many events here at Shiplake and our weddings always stand out to me. From Bucking Broncos to space hopper races, we’ve had some really fun weddings! But also, our leavers' balls always stick in my mind. They are quite an emotional event as most of us have known the children from an early age, so it can be quite emotional when they leave!
What do you do away from work?
I have two sons who keep me on my toes and I spend a lot of time ferrying them around to football matches. But I also have a passion for art and interior design and try my hand at anything DIY related - some are even successful! I have a dog as well and we enjoy family walks together.
What does the future hold for you?
I certainly hope to stay at Shiplake College in my current role for the foreseeable future. I have managed to create a suitable work life balance which works around my family; I am looking forward to watching my children grow and plan on continuing being the best mum I can be for them.
