Talking point: The lunch break

If you mention the delegation of school meal budgets to anyone involved in providing school meals, sit back and be prepared for a lengthy debate.

Opinions have been stirred further by the Department for Education and Skills' recently published research into the initiative, which was introduced with the second phase of Fair Funding in 2000.

Among the disturbing findings is the fact that, with delegation, schools set their own prices, so pupils who qualify for a free school meal cannot buy a proper meal with their free meal allowance.

Similarly, the increased emphasis on the commercial viability of meals has meant that some schools have sacrificed nutritious but less-popular dishes for those that sell better.

One particular issue that worries LACA chairman Vivianne Buller is that the breakdown of group contracts has left smaller schools vulnerable. Schools with profitable cafeterias have found good catering contractors, but those who had previously been subsidised through the central contract have suffered.

"Schools that now have no caterer will not find funding and we believe they will close down the catering - or perhaps go to sandwiches," says Buller.

She believes that schools that close down their catering inevitably regret it, because working parents in particular will choose a school that provides a hot meal for their children.

• The Brent and Essex local authorities have opted out of providing a borough-wide school meals service. Is this a good thing, or will it result in some schools having no hot meal provision at all?

We want to know what you think. Contact James Garner at james.garner@rbi.co.uk