Horsham district school 'unreservedly apologises' after children and parents complain about rubbish Christmas lunch baps

A tiny piece of turkey and stuffing along with a single mini sausage in a bap was the Christmas lunch given to children at Steyning Grammar School this week.
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The poor offering resulted in furious parents taking to social media and complaining to the school that the meal was not worth the £3.50 they had been charged when ordering the special lunch.

Today the school has apologised and offered a refund, blaming supply chain issues and Covid-related staff shortages.

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Mum Melanie Leogue said: "The children had nothing last year and it's a shame the school did not make more of an effort for them as they have had it so tough."

Melanie Leogue shared this picture of the £3.50 festive lunch given to her childMelanie Leogue shared this picture of the £3.50 festive lunch given to her child
Melanie Leogue shared this picture of the £3.50 festive lunch given to her child

Many parents shared their anger about the offering, saying their children had been disappointed, and one saying her child had stayed late in class and missed the festive meal completely even though they had paid for it.

One pupil described the offering as 'rubbish' and another 'gross, cold and soggy'.

Today, associate headteacher Natasha Nicol said in a letter to parents: "As you might be aware, the Christmas lunch menu yesterday was not of the standard that we would want or expect at SGS. Due to a combination of unforeseen supply chain issues and COVID related staffing shortages, our planned offer was affected at very short notice.

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"I would like to unreservedly apologise for this situation. If you purchased a Christmas lunch yesterday, please contact [email protected] with your child's name and tutor group and your ParentPay account will be credited with a full refund as soon as possible.

"While we have been keen to still provide our students with as many of the traditional SGS festive experiences as possible at this time of the year, unfortunately current circumstances have been a limiting factor. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support for the school and wish you a very Merry Christmas."