A parent at a primary school in High Wycombe says children are being left with ‘head and stomach aches’ after allegedly getting just five minutes to eat their lunch.

The parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, has a child in year six at St Michael’s Catholic School in Wycombe and says a number of parents across the year group have raised concerns over the short lunchtime window since the autumn term began last month.

She was alerted to the problem herself when her daughter began complaining about not having long enough to eat her packed lunch at the beginning of October – with a growing concern stoked by five or six similar testimonies in a year six parents’ group chat.

In messages seen by the Free Press, other parents said their children had complained of stomach and head pain after being rushed by staff to eat their hot meals “in five minutes” while another said their son regularly comes home with “almost all” his packed lunch uneaten.

“All the schoolchildren get let out of lessons at 12pm but, because they eat one year group at a time, so the year sixes don’t end up sitting down until 12:45pm or 12:50pm and they have to spend the last five minutes of their lunchtime clearing up.

“It just seems unfair – these are growing children, and they need to be eating regularly to concentrate in lessons.

“The fact that some parents have said their children are coming home starving and asking for second helpings of dinner is just ridiculous.”

Some parents at the school have reportedly raised the issue with staff members – who they say have resolved it on a single-pupil basis, letting their children join year five children in their earlier eating slot but failing to find or enforce a blanket solution.

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“It feels like we’re being fobbed off. Surely, they could introduce a staggered lunchbreak or extend year six’s learning time and have them in lessons until 12:30pm.

“The response just seems to be, ‘We can’t be bothered’. It’s disappointing.”

A spokesperson for St Michael’s said: “Every child has a full hour for their lunch break. It is important to stress that this time is not solely for eating, it is also an opportunity for children to play, socialise and take part in activities. Lunchtime is part of the vibrancy of school life.

“That being said, with around 420 children to feed in an hour, we also monitor our dining arrangements closely. We have a system where our youngest children are called to lunch first, and then older year groups follow them in age order.

“Our oldest children go to eat no later than 12:40pm – meaning they have a minimum of 15 minutes to eat, with an additional five minutes to tidy their plates away and get ready for the afternoon’s lessons.

“We are not aware of any occasions where a child has had less time than this to eat their lunch. In fact, typically children get more time – particularly if it’s a nice day and we are able to do things like host picnics outside.

“If any parent does have concerns, then we encourage them to come and speak to us. We would be happy to put in place arrangements for their child if there are any issues.”