Ref. 29763That is the dilemma faced by a Swindon school which has been forced to raise the cost of dinners by 10p or face making drastic cuts.

TWO Swindon schools have been forced to abandon plans to charge children for eating packed lunches in the canteen.

But now the headteacher of one says the missing money will leave a funding black hole which might have to be plugged by taking money from its education budget or ending hot meals altogether.

Earlier this week, Colebrook Junior and Infant Schools wrote to parents to say that pupils using the canteen to eat their sandwiches would be charged 10p a day from the summer term.

The money is needed to cover extra charges levied by meal providers Swindon Services the services arm of the council which is legally obliged to break even.

But the parents have now been told the local education authority has ruled the Colebrook schools would exceed their powers by imposing the charge.

Meanwhile, school meal prices are to go up from £1.50 to £1.60 or £1.70 if the school is told by the council it is allowed to impose a service charge on hot lunches.

Junior school head Nick Vining explained his dilemma in a second letter to parents.

He said: "We have been advised that the proposal to levy a service charge for children having packed lunches exceeds the powers delegated to schools for the provision of school meals and associated facilities.

"This now leaves us with a funding black hole to plug.

"The money can only come from one source: money intended for children's education. We are advised that to use the budget to subsidise school meals might also not be allowed.

"If we cannot find an alternative supplier who can offer us a better deal than Swindon Services we are left with a simple choice in September: either close our kitchen and provide sandwiches for children having free school meals only or raise the price of a school meal even further."

Mr Vining plans to ballot parents on their solutions.

Infant school headteacher Sue Carvey was unavailable to comment due to professional commitments.

One parent who objected to the charges, although she is full of support for the school itself, is Sarah Odey, 28, of Winchester Close, whose children Jessica, nine, and Ryan, eight, attend.

She said: "I hope the school can get more money from the council but it should not be down to the parents.

"I support the school, but not the charges that they were going to make parents pay."

In 2000, the Government gave schools the choice of opting out from meals provided by education authorities.

Swindon's secondary schools did so and a growing number of primary schools are following suit, leaving Swindon Services with fewer clients.

Council spokesman Gavin Calthrop said no other schools had attempted to make a charge. Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms) lead member for education, said the council was not legally allowed to subsidise school meals.

He added much of the problem stemmed from underfunding by Central Government.

Barrie Hudson