Parents claim cost of living crisis is ‘forcing them to drop off food at the school gates after canteen regularly runs out’: Pupils text relatives to bring in supplies as they face eating ‘disgusting’ meals… or nothing at all
- Parents at Wyvern Academy in Darlington say children often left without food
- They are forced to drop off food at school gates to ensure they do not go hungry
- Others on low incomes are having to pay out for more expensive lunchboxes
- Are there issues with food at your child’s school? Get in touch with us via [email protected]
Parents have claimed the cost of living crisis is ‘forcing them to drop off food at school gates as its canteen regularly runs out’ – as pupils are faced with eating ‘disgusting’ meals or going without anything at all.
Parents at Wyvern Academy in Darlington, County Durham, claim children are regularly going without food because the school’s kitchen supply is continually running short of produce.
Others have also voiced concerns over the state of the menu, with many also having to fork out for packed lunches, despite already facing financial difficulties, just to ensure their child has adequate food.
It comes as pictures have emerged of tiny portions of potatoes, pasta and undercooked chicken being served from the school’s kitchen.
Parents say have subsequently had to drop food off at the school gates so their children do not face being hungry for the rest of the day.
Inflation, surging food prices and cuts have led to some head teachers having to find savings at their schools and one of the ways they have cut costs is by offering cheaper meals with hot dinners replaced by cold sandwiches.
Last month, Bidfood boss Andrew Selley said school catering firms may have to make ‘difficult decisions’ because of the rising costs of ingredients.
He added that baked goods are currently up to 30 per cent more expensive due to rising wheat prices, which are also due to feed into pasta, eggs and chicken.
It comes after a study by Bite Back 2030, founded by celebrity chef and school meals campaigner Jamie Oliver, last year found that food standards in UK schools ‘are routinely not being upheld’.
The research also found that pupils’ experiences of food is ‘vastly different from school to school’.
Parents at the school have said they often have to drop food off at its gates to ensure their children do not go hungry
Pictures have emerged from Wyvern Academy in Darlington, County Durham, of plates showing undercooked food or very small portions
One parent at Wyvern Academy, who did not want to be named, said: ‘They regularly run out of food by the time it’s my daughter’s turn in the dining hall. She often texts and asks me to drop off food.
‘She takes a packed lunch as standard now in case she can’t get a meal at school, so she isn’t hungry for the rest of the day.’
Another parent added: ‘This has been going on for a while. My child, along with others, are eligible for free school meals [but] now I’m having to provide her with a packed lunch.’
Several more said they had tried to speak to the school to raise their concerns, but have not received a reply.
One explained: ‘I complained about the school meals as my daughter didn’t get fed one day. They rang me and said there is always food left, perhaps she didn’t want to eat what was there as it was a healthier menu.
‘My son comes home and says regularly that there is no food or water left when he arrives.
‘When looking on the parent pay it tells you what they have had and most days they have red crosses on or just water. My children have free school meals and I very much need the free school meals. I often find that I have to drop food off for them if they don’t feel they can cope till home time.
‘My son says there was just five pieces of pasta in his pasta pot that he ordered one day. When telling the school this they told me that it just wasn’t possible that this is true.
‘If it isn’t enough for my children then I should give them packed lunch. I really need the free school meals as a single mum on Universal Credit.’
Several parents at the school said the lack of food was having a detrimental impact on their child’s energy, work rate and concentration levels – in turn affecting their education.
One said their child had to rely on medication maintain his weight and skipping meals risked harm to his health.
Another picture taken at the school showing a plate containing a paltry amount of food for a pupil
Another parent added: ‘The pictures I have seen of the dinners are disgusting and wouldn’t fill a baby never mind a teenager.
‘I’m extremely angry over this as my child is doing exams. I think it’s important she eats. What about the children who don’t get much at home and rely on the dinners?’
Wyvern Academy was rated as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in 2019, with a further probe due.
The school says it had recently introduced a number of reforms to its dining hall menu to make its meals more balanced and reduce reliance on sugary carbohydrates – in line with the Healthy Schools Agenda.
A statement added: ‘Wyvern Academy introduced changes to ensure students were offered a diverse choice of quality food, from breakfast club before school to mid-morning snacks and healthy lunches, all made on site from fresh produce.’
Headteacher Owen Inglis said changes were introduced in line with research that saw a direct link between nutrition and brain function.
It comes after teaching unions called for an extension of free school meals last week.
To be eligible for free school meals, a household has to have a post-tax income of less than £7,400 a year, not including benefits.
Barbara Crowther, of the Children’s Food Campaign, says this threshold is too low and families are getting into debt and being forced to opt out of school lunches.
She said: ”Every day the numbers of families struggling to pay for school lunches are increasing, whilst headteachers are reporting school meal debts are increasing.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘We recognise the pressures that some schools may face and have given them the autonomy to agree individual contracts with suppliers and caterers, using their increased core funding.
‘This funding has gone up by £4bn in 2022-23 alone – a 7 per cent increase in cash terms per pupil from last year.
‘Schools also have flexibility in the food they offer, under the School Food Standards. If a particular product is not readily available for any reason, the standards give schools and caterers the freedom to substitute in similar foods that are available.’
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