Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with academy schools charging parents for school meals (a) over period where schools were closed as a result of covid-19 restrictions and (b) at increased rates while schools were open compared with pre-pandemic rates.

Schools are responsible for setting the prices at which they charge parents for the provision of school meals. This must, however, be within the parameters set under the law.

State-funded schools, including all academies apart from 16-19 academies, must provide meals for all registered pupils upon request and meals must be provided free of charge for those who meet the entitlement conditions for free school meals.

Where schools charge for meals, the prices they charge should not exceed the costs they have incurred in providing those meals.

If parents or pupils at a school feel they are being charged unfairly, they should contact the school at first instance and follow the steps in the school’s complaints procedure. If, having done this, they feel that their complaint was not dealt with correctly, they can ask the Department for Education to consider their complaint using the following link: https://form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education.