We are parents and carers of children attending Oakdale Junior School who are concerned about the current standard of school meals.

There are regular conversations at home and at the school gates about the quality and presentation of the food being served. Concerns raised by families include dirty or inadequately cleaned cutlery, food trays that appear poorly cleaned, unappetising presentation, and poor-quality meals.

These issues matter because they can directly affect whether children are willing to eat their lunch.

One recent example involved a nine-year-old pupil who did not understand what he was expected to choose and was subsequently served a plain, unseasoned baked potato. He declined to eat it.

We do not believe that a plain baked potato, served without an appropriate filling or clearly offered alternative, represents the kind of wholesome, tasty and age-appropriate lunch that parents should reasonably expect their child to receive at school.

Children spend a significant part of their day at school, and lunchtime should provide them with food that is cleanly presented, nutritious, appetising and enjoyable to eat.

We recognise the challenges involved in catering for many pupils and different dietary requirements, and the purpose of this petition is not simply to criticise staff. We are asking the school and its catering provider to listen to parents and pupils and take practical steps to improve the lunchtime experience.

We are asking Oakdale Junior School, its Governing Body and catering provider to:

• Urgently review the cleanliness of cutlery, trays and the food-service area.
• Review the quality, freshness, presentation, seasoning and variety of meals.
• Make meal choices clearer and easier for children to understand.
• Ensure children are offered an appropriate alternative if they cannot or do not wish to eat the initial meal offered.
• Carry out regular quality-control checks and meal tastings.
• Gather feedback directly from pupils and parents.
• Provide parents with an update explaining what action will be taken.
• Parents should be able to send their children to school confident that they will receive a clean, nutritious and appealing meal that they are actually willing to eat.

Please sign this petition if you support a review and improvement of school meals at Oakdale Junior School.