SCHOOLCHILDREN were ‘left hungry’ after school meals provider Chartwells delivered a lunch too spicy for many youngsters to eat.

Youngsters at Christchurch Infant School were provided with a spicy fajita wrap rather than the ham or cheese sandwich parents were expecting them to have.

And due to the spiciness of the tortilla wrap many youngsters couldn’t eat it, going hungry until the end of the day.

Unhappy parents took to Facebook to vent their anger over the ‘inappropriate’ meal with many saying they would provide their own packed lunches for their children from now on.

Initial problems with the school meals provider Chart-wells in September saw head teachers and staff forced to buy takeaways and sandwiches for pupils when the company failed to deliver promised school meals to infants across the conur-bation.

They blamed a fire next door to their Ferndown kitchens in June for the problems.

When the service fully resumed in November there were only minor complaints and no sign of the major problems that blighted the launch.

Head teacher Jane Ashenden confirmed the school has raised concerns with Dorset County Council and Chartwells over the meal.

She said: “The school is currently providing packed lunches for their pupils due to a lack of both space and facilities on site.

“I can confirm that on Wednesday we raised concerns with the local authority and Chartwells on the themed ‘fun, food and fitness day’ when they provided Mexican style wraps which were inappropriate for our pupils.

“We are yet to receive a response from the company but the local authority is following up the matter.”

 

A SPOKESPERSON for Chartwells said they would be replacing the fajita option ‘following some feedback’.
The company said the meal was part of a themed day they run each term.
“Themed days are communicated in advance to both parents and schools before the start of term and are a great way of providing variety to keep children interested in healthy eating,” the spokesperson added.
“If a school does not want the themed day lunches provided, they can contact our team to receive a regular lunch replacement.
“Since opening our new kitchen facility in Poole, we have served over half a million meals and received some really positive feedback.
“Our priority remains to ensure we deliver the
highest quality service to schools in Dorset.”
Cllr Toni Coombs, Dorset County Council cabinet member for education, said: “We have seen a significant improvement across the school meals contract since the initial problems early last term. We continue to work closely with schools and Chartwells, monitoring the quality of the service to ensure that the improvements are sustained.”