UK school dinner disparity highlights wider socio-economic divide

Campaigners have argued children face a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to the quality of school meals. But as portions decrease and prices rise, school meals highlight the hurdles faced by parents amid a cost-of-living crisis. 

I’d hazard a guess that few of us look back fondly on our school dinners. From jacket potatoes to stodgy pasta, they weren’t always the tastiest meals. But many of us were extremely lucky to receive them at all. And they contained, for the most part, the right nutritional value.

Nowadays, however, parents are pushing back against lacklustre school meals, with campaigners arguing that children face a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to their food, the quality varying drastically depending on where the child goes to school. This outcry underscores a broader issue of socio-economic disparity amid an escalating cost of living crisis.

The discussion around school meals came after a head teacher in Southampton blamed ‘completely unacceptable’ food standards in his school on a private catering company Chartwells.

Jason Ashley, head of Redbridge community school, said in a letter to parents that ‘if my children’s school served this I would be exceptionally unhappy.’

‘I am simply fed up with the lack of progress being made. We have concluded with our photographic evidence that Chartwells do seem to be unable to ‘bake a potato’ correctly. Our evidence shows that in recent times portions have gotten smaller, while prices have risen.’

These financial struggles are exacerbating the divide amongst students and schools.

Food campaigner Saffron Stedall has said ‘It’s heartbreaking to see the differences between schools,’ with some students receiving nourishing school meals, while others are left with unappetising lunches. For some, Stedall has pointed out, a school lunch is their only meal of the day.

Just last month, a survey found that 37% of school children said they knew someone at school who ‘sometimes does not have enough food to eat at lunch’. 21% said they shared food with classmates two to three times a month.

The deterioration of school meal standards comes at a time when families are grappling with rising food costs and stagnant wages. And as household budgets are stretched thin, parents rely more and more on school dinners to provide their children with vital nutritious meals.

When this isn’t an option, students can go hungry.