A council has apologised for halting hot lunches for hundreds of children on free school meals due to a recruitment crisis in hospitality staff.
Dudley Council wrote to four primary schools using its catering service on Friday to inform them the number of staff available to work is “below safe operating levels”.
The council said it is reducing counter service on a temporary basis meaning pupils on free school meals will be given a “grab bag” style lunch. This includes a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt and cake or dessert.
The council said despite a “targeted” summer recruitment campaign they are “unfortunately experiencing a high number of vacancies and sickness absences within our organisation”.
The letter adds: “This is being compounded by the limited availability of catering staff across the national hospitality industry to replace vacant positions.
“We will look to improve the service delivery as soon as possible and our catering
management team will continue to communicate any updates with your child’s school in due
course.
“Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding during this difficult time.”
Across these schools there are 330 children eligible for free school meals. Measures were put in place this week to ensure children get a hot meal from Wednesday.
Brad Pearce, chair of school caterers’ association LACA, said school caterers are “working hard” to ensure that services are maintained.
But he added: “If recruitment issues continue, and as we approach winter, we are conscious that any additional sickness absence could impact services further which may result in providers having to make changes to how services are provided.”
Change made ‘without consultation’
But the move has prompted pushback from schools. Dudley Wood Primary School said the change had been taken without consultation and attempts to get decision overturned “have been unsuccessful”.
A notice to parents on the school’s website said hot meals would not be offered to any children.
But on Monday, it was updated to say Dudley Council had “made some changes to their position” and from Wednesday a “reduced school menu” which includes some hot options will be on offer.
Grab bags would still go to children on free school meals today (Tuesday).
Councillor Simon Phipps, enterprise lead at Dudley Council, said the high volume of sickness absence is being “compounded” by a number of vacancies “we are finding difficult to recruit”.
He added: “For the safety of children we have taken the decision to temporarily provide lunch bags to pupils at four primary schools for children who are eligible for free school meals.
“Measures have also been put in place to ensure children will receive a hot meal from tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Recruitment ‘ongoing issue’
A survey run by LACA in May found that 78 per cent of companies had a lack of applicants for vacant roles. Nearly half – 44.6 per cent – said the situation had worsened since January.
Pearce said recruitment is an “ongoing issue. It’s much worse since the pandemic and it could be around the hours available to work and that there’s more jobs to choose from elsewhere now.
“There may be more flexible working maybe within supermarkets and betters times of the days, not just lunchtime.”
LACA is calling for an “urgent inflationary increase” in funding for free school meals and universal infant free school meals to meet the rising costs of food and labour.
Hospitality trade bodies warned in June that “record” staff shortages were costing the industry £21 billion in lost revenue.
Other schools are feeling the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis.
King James’s School, in North Yorkshire, told parents last month it was having to increase most food items by 5 to 10p due to soaring energy prices.
But they assured parents a “broad menu of both hot and cold meals” would be available.
Two Jewish secondary schools in London are due to stop providing kosher meals to students next month, the Jewish News reported.
Hasmonean High School for Boys and Hasmonean High School for Girls have asked parents to send in packed lunches instead.
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