A school has described as “a one-off” a situation where a child was asked to retrieve a sandwich from the bin and eat it under the supervision of a lunch time assistant.

A school has described as “a one-off” a situation where a child was asked to retrieve a sandwich from the bin and eat it under the supervision of a lunch time assistant.

The 11-year old was said by her father to be “mortified and confused” by the request, which St Nicholas Priory Junior School head Mark Adams said had been “misinterpreted.”

Although the sandwich was wrapped and the bin was clean, containing no other rubbish, her father said the girl was old enough to decide for herself what she ate at lunch time and that it was her lookout if she was hungry later.

On this occasion, however, he said he had mistakenly made her sandwiches using a filling she didn't like and that while he understood some children needed encouragement to eat, she only did so because she was worried about getting into trouble.

Mr Adams however said the lunchtime supervisor thought it was in the child's best interests to eat her dinner. He said: “This was a one-off incident. The staff's good intentions and concern for the child have sadly been misinterpreted. It was not the intention of the member of staff to embarrass or upset the child.”

He added the school was very proud of its dining room and the food prepared and cooked on site with more than half the children at the school having a cooked meal every day. Up to 10 parents and carers are invited in every week to sample a school dinner.

The child has received an apology from the member of staff.