The School Food Trust has highlighted the value for money offered by tasty, nutritious school meals - following a new survey on the expense for families of getting children ready for the new term.
The poll, by Liverpool Victoria, suggests that the average parent expects to spend £122 on items including uniforms, stationary and winter coats.
It also found that 16% of parents are considering school dinners for their children if they work out cheaper than a packed lunch.
A School Food Trust spokesman said: “At an average of £1.83 in primary schools and £1.94 in secondary schools, school meals do offer good value for money when you consider that your child is guaranteed to be choosing from a well-balanced menu that sets them up for the afternoon. There aren’t many places on the high street where you can get a healthy two-course meal for that price.
“There’s often a perception that it’s cheaper to make a packed lunch – but it’s easy to forget the time you need to put in to shop for ingredients and actually make the lunches, which can really add up over the course of the school year.”
