Pupil 'humiliated' and 'starved' as he's told to 'put his school dinner back'

19 September 2023 , 09:31

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Kelly Bowman has blasted her son's school following a dinner money row (Image: Supplied)

A mother has slammed her son's school after he was denied a meal due to insufficient funds in his dinner money account.

Kelly Bowman says her 14-year-old boy was "starved" at Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, and left "humiliated". A lunchtime supervisor instructed him to "put his meal back" and he went without food.

Kelly, who is a senior dementia carer, expressed her outrage at the school for not attempting to contact her about the situation. She wished that the school had allowed her son to eat his meal and deducted the cost from the next top-up. The school has since issued an apology to the student.

Kelly, a 41-year-old mum from Blurton, said: "I had given him a £10 top-up a few days earlier but he must have used more than he thought. He didn't have enough on his account."

She added: "He said that the person that was dealing with the lunches said he hadn't got enough money and made him put the meal back. The dinner hall was full of people, he felt stupid."

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Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, rated as Good by Ofsted this year, caters for nearly 1,200 children (Supplied)

Speaking to Stoke-on-Trent Live, Kelly continued: "If they had contacted us to say he hadn't got enough money, we would have credited it straight away, but we were unaware. How many children are not having a meal if this happens? I think it's disgusting," said the concerned parent.

The child, who was reportedly famished when he returned home, was oblivious to the financial constraints. "Children don't think about whether they have got enough money. He was starving when he got home."

The school in question is operated by the Ormiston Academies Trust. Responding to the incident, a trust spokesman stated: "We are in ongoing liaison with a student and his family following this matter. We have since apologised to the student and are providing continued support."

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Rachel Alexander