Some primary school pupils left with no hot dinners

Some primary school pupils in County Down will be without hot dinners for a period due to a shortage of school kitchen staff.

A spokesperson for the Education Authority (EA) said there was an "industry-wide shortage" of hospitality staff.

But Unite the Union's regional officer Kieran Ellison told BBC News NI that the rate of pay was hindering recruitment.

School catering staff are paid about £12 per hour and are employed by the EA.

Downshire Primary School in Hillsborough is one of the schools affected.

In a letter to parents, the school said the EA was facing "serious staffing issues" and that meant the school kitchen could not provide hot meals until further notice.

However, pupils can buy packed lunches instead and pupils entitled to free school meals will receive a free packed lunch.

The school's letter said it hoped the situation would be "a short-lived thing".

In a statement, an EA spokesperson said "a small number of schools" in County Down - as well as Downshire Primary - were facing "a disruption to the meals service" but did not specify how many.

"These shortages are due to a number of issues, including sickness, and the EA, like many other hospitality providers, is also experiencing the effects of an industry wide shortage of staff which has a significant impact on recruitment," the statement continued.

"We are working to resolve this disruption as quickly as possible and the EA's catering service will continue to liaise with all schools to ensure parents and carers are kept informed throughout.

"In the interim, to ensure children can avail of a school meal in those schools impacted, a range of contingency arrangements are put in place as far as possible, including meals provided by another kitchen where possible, the provision of a packed lunch, or limited menu choices."

Unite represents a range of school support workers employed by the EA, including catering staff.

The union's Kieran Ellison said that, despite a recent pay agreement, rates of pay for catering staff were still low.

"If you look at a sum all on paper, pay and grading fixes one thing which is the hourly rate," he said.

"But if you're going to get working families tax credit or universal credit my understanding is you need to be working a minimum of 16 hours a week.

"And if people aren't getting 16 hour contracts then it's hardly worth their while.

"If people need to draw a reasonable wage to meet their mortgage and their bills and you're only getting a 20-something hour contract instead of well into the 30 hours then it's not very attractive regardless."

He said that though the rate of pay each hour was "an improving picture, it's one part of the jigsaw".

"They aren't getting new recruits," he said.

He also said maintenance of school kitchens was a factor.