Over Hall Community School's £1 lunches to continue

In a bid to cut the stress on families of feeding hungry children, Over Hall Community School has been charging £1 for its in-house lunches on two out of five school days for a number of years. 

Now, responding to the extra financial strains of the recent cost-of-living crisis, the stand-alone academy has been trialling a £1 lunch every day since children returned from Easter holidays in April.

The response has been very positive, and the school now plans to keep it up as long as possible.

Claire Edgeley says the school is able to manage the low cost meals are they're a stand-alone academy, so can keep everything in-house (Image: Over Hall Community School)

Over Hall head teacher, Claire Edgeley, said: “At this time when so many households face real financial challenges, as trustees and senior leaders, we looked to see what we would do to support our families.

“There is a very strong link between diet and attainment. If a child is not in good state of mind through being hungry, we’re not going to get the best out of them.

“If there was ever a push towards universal free school meals, I would definitely be in support.  

“If we didn’t need to charge at all, we would have very well-fed children during the day, and that would support them in their learning.

“A lot of our children get free school meals, but there are still a lot of families who aren’t eligible, but who truly appreciate the reduced cost of our high-quality, nutritious lunches.

“Because we’re an academy, it’s allowed us the opportunity to do all the management of it ourselves. We’re not paying for other suppliers to manage it for us.

“We try to do everything we can to have lots of happy children."

Parents have been invited to enjoy a meal with their child to experience first-hand what the school has on offer.

Mrs Edgeley said many were ‘absolutely over the moon’ with the standard of the food. 

Parent, Natalie Ray, said: “I think it’s brilliant that Over Hall only charge £1 for a school lunch and still maintain a high-quality meal.

“This is a huge help to all families, especially in the cost-of-living crisis we find ourselves in.”

Another, Ruth Platt, said: “If a family can’t feed their children at home, they can have a lovely meal at school and there is no need to go hungry.

"Hopefully school can keep the prices down especially with everything else going up.”

Another parent, Jennifer Boughey, said: “You can’t get much for a pound, but our wonderful cook Mrs Garstang provides a healthy and nutritious meal, including a main, a pudding, and a salad bar.

“I really hope it can continue as it eases the pressure knowing my children have had a decent lunch and haven’t gone hungry and won’t need another hot meal at teatime.”