Cost of school meal in Hampshire to rise for second time this year
School meal provider facing 'significant increased costs'
Last updated 11th Oct 2022
The price of a school meal in Hampshire is going up another 20 pence after the half term break.
It means from October 31st it'll cost ÂŁ2.80.
It's the second increase this academic year after an earlier 10p rise back in April.
The County Council says its school provider, HC3S, is being forced to increase meal prices to avoid 'significant losses' as the costs of ingredients, energy and staff wages increase.
Deputy Leader and Executive Member of Children's Service, Roz Chadd, says the rise is 'regrettable but unavoidable.'
Nearly all of Hampshire’s 426 primary schools and many of the special and secondary schools use HC3S to provide their school catering
The company is not profit making and aims only to cover costs.
Councillor Steve Forster, Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Estates and Property, said everything possible had been done to avoid the rise;
“HC3S has negotiated with suppliers to keep food costs below current inflation rates, but despite all efforts, the current meal price is not sustainable without reducing the nutritional quality or portion size of our meals. That is not fair to children, especially those from households that are experiencing financial hardship, when the provision of a hot meal is vital.
“We appreciate these are extremely challenging times for everyone and this is not a decision that has been taken lightly but we remain determined to provide a high-quality lunch to Hampshire’s children and young people to support their classroom learning.
There's a warning too that the impact won't just be felt by families but by individual schools.
While schools are funded by the Government to provide Universal Infant Free school meals for Key Stage 1 pupils (those in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2), council bosses say the funding is no longer fit to cover the full associated costs. Schools also cover the costs of free meals for eligible older pupils from their wider funding.
Hampshire County Council says the shortfall could leave a two-form entry infant school needing to find ÂŁ13,000 in it's budget.
Along with the LACA, the school catering industry body and Hampshire County Council are calling for additional funding from the government.
The local authority says it will step in with a package of support to help schools bridge this gap in funding over the winter.
The funding being made available will also be targeted to help parents struggling with school uniform costs.
Councillor Roz Chadd, Executive Member for Children’s Service and Deputy Leader of the County Council, said:
“Our focus now is on doing all that we can to bolster our support for vulnerable families over the challenging winter period and ensure that schools are adequately equipped to cover these additional costs.
“In response to this challenge, over the winter period we will be supporting those schools where further financial help is most needed to cover the increased costs, and where there is greatest need for vulnerable families. Moreover, we will be providing funding to schools to help families facing hardship with the costs of school uniform as the colder weather approaches. We are currently working through this detail and will be in touch with schools in due course."