‘It’s disgusting’: Parents rail against school after ‘shocking’ lunch served to student
A school has come under fire for serving a student food with seemingly little to “no nutritional value” for lunch, as parents blast how their kids are treated.
A student at The Charter School Bermondsey in Drummond Road, Southwark, took a picture of the lunch they were served which was made up of one fish stick and around 10 chips.
The child’s mother – who wants to remain anonymous so that the child does not get in trouble as students are not allowed phones in the school – said the sight of the meal was “heartbreaking”.
She said: “To think for some kids this may be the only hot meal they get throughout the day what with the cost of living crisis, it’s heartbreaking. I don’t even know what to say to be honest.”
The mother also claimed the school had “chased” her for late payments over school lunches. Students at the school are not allowed to bring their own packed lunches in.
The picture of the meal was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by housing activist Jackie Gilmartin, 65, who lives on the Dodson estate in Southwark and is a friend of the mother whose child was served the meal.
Ms Gilmartin said: “It’s disgusting. There’s no proper nutritional value for the child and the portion size is disgraceful. What is the school doing? How can a growing teenager survive on this? It’s shocking. My dogs eat better than this.
“I’ve spoken to many parents at the school who say their children come home hungry in a cost of living crisis.”
Another mother with a child in the school said the quality of food was “just the tip of the iceberg” when it came to problems there.
Michelle Lloyd, 26, from the Rennie estate in Bermondsey, whose son is in Year 9, claimed she heard some students do not eat the lunch and maybe go the whole day without eating.
Ms Lloyd’s son is an SEN student and said she has a history of problems with the school. She claims she is banned from school premises for six months for calling a teacher there a bully.
“It seems like a really militarised environment,” said Ms Lloyd. “They don’t see the SEN students as SEN, just naughty children.
“They get sent to the behavioural unit and they can be in there for hours,” she claimed. “That’s sometimes where they eat their lunch. I doubt that fish stick [in the picture] even had much fish in it.
“They pushed me to a dark place mentally with my son’s education that it took me a long time to get out of,” she said. “I feel let down, fragile, and with zero trust in any of the teachers. I know my son can be a handful but it feels like they don’t want to help.”
A spokesman for The Charter School Bermondsey said they would be unable to comment on any specific child’s case but that SEN provision at the school included a multi-agency approach from a wide array of education sector professionals.
The spokesman said: “Alongside fish and chips on a Friday, our students can also choose peas and salad, and fruit/dessert as part of their meal deal.
“There are free fruit pots at break time, and our breakfast club offers free toast, fruit and cereal every day.
“We are always happy to work with our pupils and families on the best provision for our community and to help pupils make the right choices from the range of options available.”
Southwark councillor Jasmine Ali, deputy leader and cabinet Member for education, said: “Secondary schools, particularly those who are academies, directly manage their own catering, where Government guidelines state that they have to include vegetable and fruit options.
“It’s only right that pupils have a choice of what they want to eat and we are working with schools to help encourage pupils’ uptake of the healthier options.”
Pictured top: The Charter School Bermondsey and the lunch served to a pupil there (Picture: Google Street View and Jackie Gilmartin)