County Durham mum’s fury as she shares ‘tiny’ school meals leaving her son hungry

A concerned mother has raised alarms over the state of school lunches after observing what she deemed ‘tiny’ portions being served at her kids’ primary in County Durham. Up in arms, Kay Webb made quite a stir on social media by sharing images of the meals – including pizza and jacket potatoes – that are given to pupils, noting with dismay that ten and eleven year olds are expected to be satisfied by the same amount of food as four year olds.

Taking to social media with photographic evidence, she posted a firm warning to fellow parents at Shotton Primary School: “This is a post relating to the food our children are being fed all parents of Shotton Primary School be advised that this is the meal size your children receive daily so when your children come home hungry this is why.”

The school was quick to address the outcry online, explaining that children can top up on vegetables, salad, and bread but they won’t pressure them into it to avoid “unnecessary upset”.

Speaking to the Mirror, Kay detailed her discovery of the scant portions during a visit to her seven year old son William’s school for one-to-one time during lunch. She said: “I was sitting with him and saw the food and thought how bad is this?”

County Durham mum’s fury as she shares ‘tiny’ school meals leaving her son hungry
William with one of the meals
(Image: Kay Webb)

She continued: “He was coming home hungry every night and has lost a massive amount of weight. I was being offered protein shakes for him and although we always have food at home I was wondering what I was doing wrong.”

It wasn’t until she witnessed the lunches firsthand that she pieced together the root of William’s hunger: “I couldn’t see why he was losing weight as he eats plenty at home. When I saw the meals I realised straight away why he was hungry when he got in”, reports Wales Online.

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The mum-of-four shared her distress as she discussed her children returning from school feeling hungry, with no apparent reason. She argued for increased meal portions, saying, “For some children this might be their only meal – there might not be food at home. They are relying on this and it isn’t enough.”

Kay opened up about her own experiences of hunger due to neglect and time spent in care since the age of eight. Reflecting on her past, she said, “I was that child who was starved and had to try to find food elsewhere.”

Picture of County Durham mum Kay Webb
County Durham mum Kay Webb
(Image: Kay Webb)

She added, “I was in the care system from being eight and I will fight for the food to be enough for children. I am just trying to fight for the children.”

She recounted the challenging start faced by her son, William, who was born four weeks early and underwent a prolonged stay in the Neonatal Unit at North Tees Hospital, Stockton. Now seven years old, William deals with sensory issues which limit his diet, causing him to avoid many vegetables.

Kay closely observed William’s lunch offerings during her time at the school, pointing out the limited choices available to him. Despite acknowledging that her son doesn’t eat vegetables, she insisted he isn’t the only child with selective eating habits.

Kay suggested something as simple as an “extra scoop of mash” could make a considerable difference.

Highlighting her disappointment, Kay concluded: “I believe the standards are beyond shocking for the portion size. Children really need this food – it is their main meal. Every child should be entitled to a decent meal of hot food, especially during the winter.”

A mother has voiced her dismay at the meagre school meals provided to her son, William, which she detailed in a social media post. She noted that upon arrival at school, children were greeted with fruit and yoghurt among other items, but even then, portions were so controlled that each child received only five grapes or blueberries.

Following her online outcry, she’s been instructed to take William home for lunch, with the school offering to pack a meal for him to eat between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

The post struck a chord with many, sparking a debate over the adequacy of school meal portions. One commenter expressed outrage, questioning, “Disgusting and how much are parents paying a week for that.”

Another reflected on the importance of school meals as potentially the only substantial meal some children receive, adding “you assume school dinners are a good meal. Certainly was many moons ago when I was at school.”

Others shared personal experiences, with one saying, “This explains why my daughter wasn’t eating anything everyday and had to put her back on packed lunch.”

The sentiment of shock was echoed by another who reminisced about their own school days, “Shocking. I used to love my school meals, and there was a lot more on our plates. It was 50 odd years ago but kids still need a decent meal and that isn’t one. £3 a day is a total rip off.”

Meanwhile, disgust was palpable in another’s words, “Can that even be classed as food, that’s absolutely disgusting! They wanna hang their heads in shame serving that to kids.”

However, not all feedback was negative, with one parent offering a different perspective, “I’ve just asked my son if his school meals are like this he said yes but there’s always beans or veg or salad to go on the side. Unpopular opinion but if you added those things I really don’t think this is too bad. My kids love their school dinners.”

One commenter expressed understanding for the school’s position, stating: “They will get veg offered too. Not the schools fault if your kid won’t eat veg and they can’t give extra scoops of mash instead as there’ll be only enough for one each child.

“Schools are on tight budgets unfortunately. Not saying it’s right like. I’d personally put my kids on packed lunches. Works out cheaper and at least you know that they’ll like it.”

Another individual, who claimed to have previously worked with the meal provider at a different school, confirmed that “most primary schools in County Durham are the same”. They shared their experience: “As kitchen staff we are told by management the portion sizes to give the children and are inspected every so often to make sure we are doing it correctly and are pulled if not, however I must admit the school I used to work in we’d give extra as we also thought the portion sizes are shocking, it definitely needs looking over in my opinion. On the other hand though I’ve also seen how much gets wasted even with these small portions.”

Shotton Primary School has been approached for a statement, however the headteacher, Mrs Shaw, responded on the school’s Facebook page, thanking “the supportive school community” for their input. Her post read: “We have been made aware that someone has posted photographs of school dinners on social media without permission.

“This approach is wrong and totally inappropriate on so many levels. The post itself is full of inaccuracies and gives a very false picture.

“All parents will be aware of our policy as to the use of mobile phones within school for safeguarding reasons, and I can assure you that this matter will be dealt with. It may well bring about further restrictions as to the use of mobile phones within school, and we will of course keep you informed as to any changes necessary.”

The statement went on: “School lunches are provided by an outside company but are monitored by the Local Authority and of course the school. The photographs that many of you will have seen this evening are of school lunches chosen by a child, not meals that were given.

“Every day children are able to have bread, unlimited salad, coleslaw and 2 portions of vegetables if they wish, along with a choice from a selection of deserts. If children are refusing these additional items, this is not something that staff would challenge as it would cause unnecessary upset for children. Any surplus food is always offered to the children.”

“There is so much that we do as a school to ensure that our children do not go hungry and have access to fresh fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks for breakfast and breaktime. Staff give up their own time on a weekly basis – prior to starting work and on weekends – to collect bread from Greggs and fruit and vegetables from Tesco. Without staff’s help and goodwill and financial support from Greggs and Tesco, none of this would be possible.

“In addition to this our children enjoy bacon, egg and sausage sandwiches on a class rota basis funded by Greggs. The total funding that we access as a school is in excess of £300 per week plus 40 loaves of bread that is spent and provided to ensure that we do whatever we can to provide additional food to our children so that they do not go hungry. If a child is coming home hungry it is because they chose not to access what is available for any child.”

“None of this was mentioned in the post. Social media should not be used as a tool to vent, and mutual respect and trust has to be at the forefront of any relationship between school and home. Should any parent have any questions or comments to make please do so by contacting our school office. Once again thank you so much to all of those parents who appreciate what we do to look after our children.”

View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/county-durham-mums-fury-shares-30907941

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