Meals at Darlington school branded 'disgusting' by parents

A concerned mum posted images of the food her daughter was fed during the week on Hummersknott Academy parent's Facebook group, which led to an outcry.

The post read: “I wanted to get others’ opinions on the quality and quantity of food the kids are getting because this is costing me a fortune and she’s still starving when she gets home!”

Pictures shared online included the school's version of a burger, a sausage roll, a chicken burger, and a cheese and bacon panini, with one parent commenting: “I have higher standards for my dog.”

Academy chiefs have admitted they had an issue with a supplier - but now say the issue has been rectified and better choices are available.

Beef Burger (Image: Picture: CONTRIBUTOR)Sausage Roll (Image: Picture: CONTRIBUTOR)

But the pictures have sparked a flurry of comments and complaints from frustrated parents, including one mum, who spends around £20 to £30 a week on school dinners for her son.

Speaking to the Northern Echo she said “My son has always come home every day from school and said he is starving. I never understood why and always just thought he was being greedy or dramatic because surely, I don’t pay that much a month for him to be fed next to nothing.

“Children need food. How are they going to manage to concentrate in class when they are hungry. It just means they are not at their best learning capabilities; no child should be at such a disadvantage to be able to get a substantial meal”.

What shocked her the most, she said was that her son considered the images of the food as “the better options” available at school.

She added: “If we as adults got fed that food in any establishment it would not be acceptable, so I don’t know why we allow this and still have to pay for food like that."

Cheese and bacon panini (Image: Picture: CONTRIBUTOR) Chicken burger (Image: Picture: CONTRIBUTOR) Several parents have also commented saying their children had received mouldy food, with one mother recalling that her child was given a mouldy brownie on the first day back at school.

One mum commented: “That all looks dire! Where’s the healthy options? Where’s the salad in the burger? Awful. Schools bang on about healthy lifestyles and healthy food choices yet serve this!”

Another commented: "I don't think I want to know what that is in the first pic" (referring to the sausage roll), with someone else replying "whatever it is it needs a blood transfusion to sort it out".

One more said: "Looks very poor, it's not hard to make nice food. Not much love going into any of that food." 

The school has now acknowledged and accepted that an incident did occur with a supplier causing the issues to the school dinners but believes a high standard is maintained overall.

James Keating, Executive Principal at Hummersknott Academy, said: “Catering at Hummersknott Academy is delivered by our in-house teams and we are confident that, overall, a high standard is maintained.

“However, there was an isolated issue with a supplier at the beginning of the school year that was rectified immediately.

“As in every other aspect of school life at Hummersknott Academy, we are always looking at ways to improve and we place great importance on feedback from pupils and parents as part of that process. As a result of those regular discussions, we are extending our catering offer to include fresh made-to-order sandwiches and salads, plus a new hot food offer.”

While the school administration assures parents that improvements are underway, the controversy continues to fuel frustration among families who believe the school should have ensured better meal quality from the outset.