Derbyshire teacher 'disgusted' in County Council raising school meal prices
They've gone from £2.30 to £3.25 for one school meal
A Derbyshire teacher is criticising the County Council after they raised school meal prices from £2.30 to £3.25.
The parents of children returning to school this week will need to fork out the over 40% increase.
It's after we reported a Glossop mother who was 'furious' at the County Council, who announced the price increase during the summer.
During the summer, Derbyshire County Council announced a price increase to their school meals, which has been met with a backlash by many parents across the county.
Brent Poland, is a humanities teacher in Derby and a rep for the National Education Union and he said:
"When you add the price of uniforms, and the price of school dinners, and sometimes the price of buses, it is becoming extremely expensive for many parents.
"This is going to impact those very people who are on this breadline, those very children who are not statistically qualified for free school meals, but who are living in deprivation and poverty.
"Derbyshire County Council have shamefully and disgustingly increased the price of school dinners during this cost-of-living crisis.
"Our issue now is the increasing number of children who are falling through the cracks. This disproportionally hits again those who are on the margins, and those who need the help the most."
Councillor Alex Dale, Cabinet Member for Education, said:
“The decision to increase meal prices has been an incredibly difficult one which we’ve made very reluctantly, given the pressures we know families across the county are facing. However, unfortunately our catering service is not immune to the soaring costs of ingredients and staffing.
“The increase has been calculated to only cover those increased costs so that the service can continue to be viable and sustainable for the future, and there is no intention - nor are we legally allowed - to make any profit from school meals. Our prices have always compared favourably to other local authorities and catering services.
“Evidence shows that a nutritious meal can boost a child’s ability to learn so it’s vitally important that we don’t compromise on quality, healthy ingredients or reduce meal portion sizes. It’s also particularly important that we continue to provide quality food for children in low-income families who may rely on us for a hot meal every day.
“Our school catering service have been doing a fantastic job in a very challenging time and a portion of the price increase will cover increased staffing costs, helping to retain our 1,500 valued staff.
“We are acutely aware that the cost of living crisis continues to put lots of families under significant pressure and I’d encourage anyone who may be struggling to look at the support available through the Household Support Fund, check their eligibility for free school meals or get general support and advice details of which are available on our website.”