A PRIMARY school head has spoken of the disruption still being caused by the Government’s free school meals policy.

John Bagwell, head of Parley First School, said their school hall was out of use for two hours every day because of the time involved in serving hot lunches to pupils.

He said this was impacting on PE lessons and other activities and said he would most likely have to change the school day around.

“My biggest concern is that learning is being affected in a significant way because of free school meals,” he said.

“We’ve got 150 meals a day, it’s the physical logistics of getting them through the door. I think I’m going to have to change the structure of my school day because I don’t want children getting panicked and stressed out.

“I also don’t want a silent lunch hall, we need to make sure that lunchtime is a social occasion. I want them to be able to have a conversation while they eat.”

He said he had no problems with the policy of providing children in reception, year one and year two with a free hot lunch but maintained it had been “rushed through” without the necessary infrastructure in place.

Yesterday, the Department for Education (DfE) announced which schools would be receiving extra funding to facilitate the provision of free school meals.

But no Dorset, Bournemouth or Poole schools were included in the list.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Making sure that children are eating a nutritious lunch at school will help build a fairer society.

“That is why we are offering a free school meal to all infants in primary school.

“It boosts energy and concentration levels, giving children the fuel to learn throughout the day while saving parents up to £400 a year.”