School dinner dilemma

HOT school meals could soon be a thing of the past for Swindon primary pupils as the council tightens its belt, head teachers fear.

The change looks set to result from new rules proposed by Swindon Services, the direct services arm of the council.

Currently, Swindon services meets the entire cost of school meal provision, along with that of kitchen maintenance.

However, from next April it wants primary schools to meet the cost of maintenance and contribute enough money to allow it to break even in providing the school meals service.

This will leave primary school head teachers with the stark choice of paying for hot meals and kitchen costs out of their budgets or keeping the money for other needs such as staffing and equipment.

Swindon Services insists it is merely trying to provide a good and cost efficient service.

Director John Short said: "We are asking the schools to pay for the service that means us breaking even."

The Swindon Association of Primary Head teachers says the change would be a particular blow for children from lower income families, many of whose parents rely on free school lunches to ensure their children have a nourishing midday meal.

Association chairman Michael Keeling said: "It is a bit of a shock to schools that Swindon Services is expecting them to soak up its losses.

"There are also certain issues over whether Swindon Services has tried hard enough to encourage children to eat school meals so they do not have a loss.

"Schools are currently considering whether to give up providing a cooked midday meal for children and instead simply providing a packed lunch for children eligible for free school meals.

"The decision is particularly hard for schools with high levels of free meals.

"Many children come to school with no breakfast, and the free cooked school meal may be the only hot meal they have in the day."

Swindon Services provides about 3,300 meals per school day, which are distributed among 64 primary schools.

Parents must pay £1.50 per day per child if they want their children to receive school meals, although there is no charge for the 40 percent of recipients from low income families.

Mr Keeling, who is also head teacher of Even Swindon Infants School, said: "It is likely that parents will be unhappy for schools to spend money intended for education on providing a meals service."

At Even Swindon Infants School, only about 30 of the 175 pupils have a school meal, and about 17 of them have free meals.

At other schools the figures are far greater.

At Penhill Junior School, 60 percent of the 402 pupils have school meals and 47 percent of the 402 are entitled to free ones.

Head teacher Linda Rankin said it was too early to say how much of a burden the new measures would put on the school's budget if they went ahead next April, but she believes it might reach as much as £20,000.

She said: "It is worrying for some of our children, the school meal is the main meal of the day.

"For a school like mine, and for our children, I think there is a moral obligation for us to provide a hot meal."

Another school likely to be hit hard would be Mountford Manor in East Walcot, where 120 school meals are served daily, 90 of them free.

Head teacher Francis Peer said: "Like a whole range of schools where free school meals are served, there are concerns about our ability to continue."

Council spokeswoman Hellen Barnes said: "Swindon Services intends to continue the excellent school meals service it provides, subject to agreeing 'breaking even' contracts with individual schools.

"School meal budgets are managed by individual schools and it is up to headteachers to decide how their own budget may best be spent to cater for their children, including the provision of a hot meals service.

"Swindon Services is carrying out a review of all school meal contracts with a view to ensuring that the school meals service breaks even."

bhudson@newswilts.co.uk