Cold Mcdonalds and left over takeaways among items in Portsmouth pupils' packed lunches

The revelations follow a national report which revealed many children are still being sent to school with a staple diet of a sugary drink, packet of crisps and chocolate bar. The survey carried out by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) over a 10 year period has shown a slight decrease in sugar content but experts have warned that levels of fat and sugar are ‘still far too high’.

The situation is no surprise to Isambard Brunel Junior School deputy head teacher, Sharon Peckham, and Portsmouth teacher and National Education Union president, Amanda Martin.

‘The worst I’ve seen is a child arriving with a cold Mcdonald’s. Some children are still being sent to school with far too much sugar, no fruit or vegetables and very little variety in their food,’ said Mrs Peckham.

Ms Martin added: ‘It’s not just the quality but also the quantity of food. One child arrived to my school with just a Greggs sausage roll while I’ve also had pupils sent in with cold takeaway from the night before.’

The issue of packed lunches has always been a concern for Park Community School chef and current School Chef of the Year, Steven Cross.

‘There is no real guidance for parents to know what to put in. In France they have policy of no packed lunches in school and the children are only allowed to drink water,’ he said.

For Ms Martin, one of the main reasons for the poor quality of packed lunches is due to levels of poverty.

‘We have 31 per cent of children in the north of the city living in poverty and 40 per cent in the south and some parents simply can’t afford the more nutritious expensive foods. To buy six apples is around £2 where as a multi-pack of crisps is less than a £1. White bread also tends to be cheaper than brown. Many parents may want to prepare a healthy packed lunch but they simply can’t afford to. The situation is often compounded by parents who are very busy in some cases trying to hold down more than one job,’ she said.

Mrs Peckham added: ‘Sometimes you notice towards the end of the month a deterioration in the quality of packed lunches. We speak to parents who will sometimes say it’s ‘all they have left in the cupboard’.’

The research revealed processed ham remained the most popular choice of sandwich filling with less than 50 per cent of packed lunches containing vegetables or salad. It also revealed the inclusion of cheese strips had doubled.

The contents of packed lunches has left educationalists and caterers concerned over the potential health and learning implications.

Steven said: ‘A combination of heavily sugared and salted crisps, snacks and drinks gives an initial energy hit which can make it difficult for some students to settle which can then be followed by dehydration and lethargy which is not conducive to learning.’

Mrs Peckham, who is also deputy head teacher at Meredith Infant School, added: ‘A couple of years ago the University Dental Academy came to Meredith and reported back major concerns over the children’s teeth. They said it was a result of diet and too much sugar.’

To tackle children’s diet, both schools have provided parents with a packed lunch guide which restricts children to either a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps and promotes the inclusion of fruit, vegetables and water. The school also provides children with a piece of fruit at break-times and guidance as to how families can access a sugar app to monitor packed lunch content.

Sharon commented: ‘It’s about working alongside parents to change habits and the majority have bought into the packed lunch initiative.’

To tackle the issue Amanda feels the government should provide all primary school children with a free school lunch.