A school has apologised for the Christmas lunch that was served to students after a parent shared his “disbelief” over the meagre meal.

Steyning Grammar School and Sixth Form College, in West Sussex, said it was offering a refund after parent Ciaran Walsh posted a picture on Twitter of the meal his daughter received yesterday.

The image showed a dry white bread bun with one slice of turkey, as well as a single pig in blanket, a small serving of stuffing and a mince pie.

Mr Walsh, who works as a sound designer, said in his tweet to Bohunt Education Trust, which runs the school: “Thanks for the Christmas lunch served to our kids at Steyning Grammar yesterday, really filled them with festive cheer!”

He added his daughter only ate the mince pie after being hit with a “sense of disbelief” over the meal that was served.

Mr Walsh said: “The impression I got was that most of this stuff went in the bin. For most of the kids, there was this sense of disbelief that that’s what they got.

“You want your kids to have the best and Christmas is a time when a special meal is part of that, and this wasn’t special in the right way.”

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Some parents shared images of the lunch and their reactions on a local public Facebook page.

One parent wrote: “I am really upset by this. Is this really the food I’m paying for? Here I was thinking a pack lunch would be a poor substitute for a cooked meal at school. How can the kids be expected to concentrate and learn if this is the sort of food they receive. Is there anyone from the school who can reassure us that the standard isn’t always so poor?”

Another said: “Disgraceful, £3.50 for a roll, one bit of turkey, small bit of sausage and a bit of stuffing! And there was nothing else available for those who didn’t chose Xmas lunch. Diabolical.”

“They should be ashamed of themselves, what a pathetic excuse for a dinner let alone a Christmas dinner,” was the reaction from another.

The school sent an email to parents that initially said the students “really enjoyed it and this was evidenced by the empty plates and happy faces”.

However, when the photos of the meal went viral on Twitter, the school then sent out another email that apologised and offered parents a refund, the West Sussex County Times reported.

In a letter to parents the school said the Christmas lunch was not up to standard due to unforeseen supply chain issues and staffing shortages due to COVID.

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