Concerns some Suffolk parents may struggle as Vertas increases cost of school dinners

Some Suffolk parents are facing a rise in the price of school dinners from April after catering provider Vertas announced an increase in the daily charge.

A number of education providers have been contacted by Vertas about the daily cost of a meal per child increasing to £2.53p. For some parents, this follows an increase of 5p per dinner in October last year.

At one academy trust SuffolkNews spoke with, parents could be forking out an extra 23p per daily meal for each child they cover the cost for, which equates to around an extra £43 for a school year.

Vertas, which is understood to be the biggest provider of school dinners in the county, says they are continuing to see an increase in food, energy, and other costs.

The catering provider added that the Government sets the funding for school meals and they take this into account when managing their prices.

This rise in the cost of school dinners does not affect Reception, Year 1 and 2, which have meals provided for free by the government under Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM), or those on Free School Meals (FSM).

The Tilian Partnership - which has eight schools, including Rougham and Ixworth primaries, both near Bury St Edmunds - uses Vertas for school meals.

Andrew Berry, CEO of the Tilian Partnership, said some parents may well opt out of school dinners for their child because of the increased cost.

"There may be some who do that," he said. "I'm more concerned about those families who are just about managing; those families who are not entitled to Free School Meals, but have really been hit significantly hard by the cost-of-living crisis.

"They are going to really struggle. It may only be a few pence a week increase, but that might be significant for some of our families and that's my concern."

He said this was why the Suffolk Education Partnership, a newly-formed group that he co-chairs of education leaders and the local education authority, wanted the eligibility criteria for FSMs to be expanded by the Government.

The Government has said it continues to keep all FSM eligibility under review.

Mr Berry said schools in the Tilian Partnership have responsibility for their own finances, but the trust would be recommending that the £2.53p cost announced by Vertas is the charge their schools set for the meals, rather than them trying to cover it out of their own budgets.

He said school budgets were 'incredibly tight' and they had to be able to cover the cost of the dinners.

He said their schools would try to support families as much as they could and recommended they get in contact if they are struggling.

Stowupland school Freeman Community Primary School, which also uses Vertas, contacted parents and carers on January 18 about the increased cost of school meals.

In the email, headteacher Daniel Pettitt said it was going up by 18p each day, from £2.35p to £2.53p on April 17.

"This is an overall increase of £34.20 a year for pupils that pay for a daily meal," he wrote. "We appreciate it is a challenging time financially in many ways and wanted to give you as much prior warning as is possible."

If parents or carers would like to explore whether they are eligible for FSMs, they can contact the school office.

Combs Ford Primary School in Stowmarket, which is also part of the Children's Endeavour Trust like Freeman, said they were aware of the cost going up to £2.53p and had let parents know.

Kat Palmer, office manager at Combs Ford Primary, which has 381 children, said they were awaiting feedback from parents, but the increase would have an impact on people with the rise in the cost of living.

"It's another thing on top," she said.

Vertas also supplies schools across the John Milton Academy Trust, including Stowupland High School, and the trust is aware of Vertas' price rise.

The trust had no further information to add at this stage.

In a statement issued to SuffolkNews, Keith Buet, Vertas Group’s chief operating officer, said: “We, along with a number of caterers provide meals to schools across the county.

"Like all education catering providers, we are continuing to see an increase in food, energy, and other costs. The National Living Wage (NLW) is also set to rise from April 2023.

"The £2.53 is the new April 2023 figure for Free School Meals (FSM) not Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM), both set by Government for education funding.”

He continued: "The Government set the funding and we take this into account when managing our prices."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We understand the pressures many households are under, that is why we are supporting more children and young people than ever before.

“Over a third of pupils in England currently receive free school meals in education settings and we have just announced a further investment in the National School Breakfast Programme, extending the programme for another year backed by up to £30 million.”

“We have acted on soaring energy costs through the Energy Price Guarantee, saving a typical household over £900 this winter.

"The Energy Bills Support Scheme is also providing a £400 discount to millions of households this winter, further support is available for the most vulnerable who will receive £1,200 each this year.”

• For more information on Free School Meals see here on the Suffolk County Council website.
• Are you a parent or carer affected by the rise in the cost of school dinners? Email mariam.ghaemi@iliffepublishing.co.uk to share your story