Disappointment as church school cancels Christmas dinner for pupils

PARENTS of pupils at a church school in Warrington have been left disappointed after a decision was made to cancel the traditional Christmas dinner and replace it with a buffet-style menu of cheese, tuna or ham sandwiches.

Christ Church CofE Primary School at Padgate, says it has made the decision as an experiment due to food wastage last year

Parents took to social media to post their displeasure, some blaming the quality of school meals for the wastage.

One posted: “I just think it is daft to do a bland butty for Christmas dinner. Maybe different if they did a loaded turkey and cranberry – but cheese, ham or tuna have nothing to do with Christmas. seems cost-cutting to me.

A parent who contacted Warrington Worldwide, Matthew Tolley, said: “I’m not happy that the kids are getting a cold meal as a Christmas dinner it’s not Christmassy it maybe the only hot meal the kid gets that day and in the current climate it may be the only Christmas dinner they get with parents having to choose between putting her heating on or getting Christmas presents
“When I spoke with the school they explained there reasons and after a discussion with the head over it all he basically ended it by laughing it off because he had more important issues to deal with. Which I completely understand he has a very tough job. He’s always been a amazing head teacher and he knows the little things make the biggest difference. He always remembers all the kids names and even remembers previous pupil’s details. He’s always on the playground to greet the children in the morning.
“The school hasn’t even consulted any of the parents about this and not a lot are happy about this. They mentioned about the waste – is it down to bad cooking? The kids not having time to eat it. Or kids just not liking Christmas dinners?”
“Surely as a Christian school they should celebrate Christmas with a Christmas dinner. Not a ham, tuna or cheese sandwich?”

Ian Williams, Headteacher at Christ Church CofE Primary School, said: “Every year, this one included, all of our staff and pupils come together to enjoy a Christmas lunch before the festive break. As part of this, the hall is decorated, children sit at festively-decorated tables, there is Christmas music playing, and plenty of time to socialise.
“In previous years, we’ve noticed that there has been more food wastage than usual at the end of the traditional Christmas dinner, so this year, our school meals service suggested that we could experiment with something slightly different by providing more of a buffet-style menu. More food wastage is usually a sign that children aren’t enjoying or eating the whole meal, and perhaps then go hungry, which is something no-one would want. Hopefully a revised menu will appeal to more children and everyone will enjoy the experience of our annual Christmas gathering.”