Cost of school meals

Summary

The requester asked for the average cost per child per day for primary school meals in the Isle of Man for the 2024/25 school year and the period from September 2025 to the most recent records. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture confirmed that all information was sent, providing provisional cost data for the specified periods while noting caveats regarding incomplete financial records and variable school days.

Key Facts

• The 2025/26 financial records are provisional due to outstanding invoices and the period not being concluded.
• The 2025/26 data covers only 58 school days compared to the typical 188 days in a full academic year.
• Schools closed on 24 January 2025 due to Storm Eowyn, affecting the 2024/25 school year data.
• Meal cost figures include all operational costs such as staff, food, equipment purchase, and repairs.
• Total meal numbers exclude contingency meals prepared for dropped plates or spills and unlogged meals.

Data Disclosed

• September 2024 – July 2025
• September 2025 – November 2025
• 58 school days
• 188 days
• 24 January 2025
• £4.37
• 2022/23
• 6%
• £2.55
• £4.54
• 2023

Original Request

Please can you tell me what the average cost to the department per child (who ate school meals on the day) per day of the school meals in primary schools for the period from start of school term in September to most recent records available and what the equivalent average cost per child per day was for the whole of the 2024/25 school year?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Policy, Strategy and Governance Division Department of Education, Sport and Culture Thie Slieau Whallian Foxdale Road St Johns IM4 3AS

Telephone: (01624) 685808
Website: www.gov.im/dec Email: dec@foi.gov.im

Our ref: 5137461 22 December 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 1 December 2025, which states:

"Please can you tell me what the average cost to the department per child (who ate school meals on the day) per day of the school meals in primary schools for the period from start of school term in September to most recent records available and what the equivalent average cost per child per day was for the whole of the 2024/25 school year?"

Our response to your request is as follows:

Cost per meal per day in primary school – September 2024 – July 2025;

Cost per meal per day in primary school – September 2025 – November 2025;

Caveats to the above information: firstly, given that 2025/26 is not yet concluded there will be incomplete financial records. This is due to invoices for goods and services which may be outstanding therefore, the reported costs are provisional.
Secondly, the averages are less comparable and somewhat devalued due to differences in the number of school days. The 2025/26 period covers only 58 school days, while a full academic year typically includes 188 days. It is important to note that although schools were scheduled to be open for 188 days in 2024/25, they closed on 24 January 2025 as a result of Storm Eowyn.

Further information: 1. Meal Numbers Total meals ordered figures are on the electronic ordering system. These figures do not include meals prepared by kitchens as contingency meals, provided to children who drop plates or spill drinks on food and require a replacement. These figures do not include meals prepared and served by the kitchen that have not been logged via the system.

1. Operational Costs Meal costs include all costs of service provision including but not limited to; staff, food, equipment purchase and equipment repair. These costs may vary significantly between terms and years, distorting average cost per meal figures.
   The Annual meal provision costs are likely to increase due to inflation

2. Ordering Patterns Most primary schools operate a flexible meal ordering system that allows pupils to change from packed lunch to school lunch without notice. School lunch numbers are therefore more likely to vary in line with menu preference, school activities and weather conditions. Demand for meals may fluctuate across terms due to weather, seasonal events, or pupil attendance patterns which are not predictable or evenly distributed. Previous meal costs, already public for reference: 2023 2023-school-meals-review_compressed.pdf (page 4) - DESC subsidises school meals and in 2022/23 in Primary schools, the cost per meal was £4.37.

2024 Price rise for primary school meals - Manx Radio, Cost of Manx primary school meals to increase by 6% to £2.55 - BBC News – ‘…average cost of the providing each lunch was £4.54…’.

Please quote the reference number 5137461 in any future communications.

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I will now close your request as of this date.