Parents complain that students at a secondary school are going without meals because the cafeteria is so crowded.
At Co-op Academy in Higher Blackley, parents complain that their kids are “starving” when they get home since there isn’t time for lunch.
Parents complain that students are sent home with growling stomachs because they are forced to wait in line for too long and eat during lunch times that are too short.
According to the school, dinnertime has been increased from 30 to 40 minutes after conversation with parents to allow kids more time to eat.
They said that when new students adjust, wait times might often be lengthier in the beginning of a school year.
Eighth-grade student’s mother, Charlotte Lockwood, stated: “Sometimes she’s been receiving her meal, but then they are telling her she doesn’t have enough time to eat it.
She sometimes doesn’t even bother to stand in line since she knows there isn’t enough time.
“She’s famished as soon as she comes home.” It must be much better organised. The similar sentiment is expressed by several parents.
“Some parents can’t afford to feed their children at home, so this is the only meal they’re receiving,” was the statement made.
He’s coming home from school utterly fatigued, according to Becky Andrews, whose son is in year 10.
He hasn’t eaten, which is why he feels dizzy. I’m not sure how they expect youngsters to focus if they aren’t fed.
They don’t have enough time to finish their supper because of the lengthy lines, according to Jo, the parent of a year nine student. My youngster has been eating nothing but water for supper all week.
He is returning famished. When he gets home, he just passes out. He claims he feels dizzy. Just not appropriate.
How can the school expect students to focus and complete their work while their stomachs are growling?
On a local Facebook group, a number of parents have also expressed their worries. One parent wrote: “None of my sons have taken lunch since they got back.”
There are too many lines and not enough people, so by the time they reach the front, supper has already been served.
“At Co-op Academy Manchester, we are keenly conscious of our duty to our kids and their wellbeing,” the school stated in a statement.
“We take their access to food very seriously, which is why at the start of this academic year, after a consultation with parents the previous year, we increased our lunch hours to 40 minutes.
The school said that during the first several weeks of each academic year, they discovered that new students were often behind, lengthening “wait times.”
The school reports that more personnel is now available, and children who are having trouble getting lunch are asked to contact these staff members for assistance.
Our on-duty staff has been allowing kids who are running beyond their lunchtime remain in the lunch hall. We want to make sure that all parents are aware that under no circumstances are children allowed to go without food or informed they don’t have enough time to finish their lunch.
Additionally, there has never been a situation when there is not enough food left over after lunch for every kid to enjoy a substantial meal.
Following the first few days, we have seen that lines have thinned down 15 to 20 minutes before the end of lunch, so there is no justification for students not to be able to get their preferred meal.
“We have increased contact with families, asking them to kindly let us know if their kid is having lunchtime difficulties so that we can provide help.”
Additionally, if a kid is unable to acquire their lunch, we have requested that they approach the staff member on duty for assistance.
“Our school and Trust as a whole are dedicated about providing our children and the larger community with access to food. All pupils are given free meals, and a communal refrigerator is being installed.
Following a £2.5 million contribution from our sponsor, the Co-op, we were able to distribute food vouchers to all of our Free School Meal (FSM) kids throughout the epidemic. Giving them twice as much as the government’s FSM programme offers, the spokeswoman said.