A Darlington school has altered dinner times after multiple parents raised concerns about their children going hungry due to long queues for food.

Students at Haughton Academy were reportedly told to "go back to lessons" by the time they got to the front of the dinner queue last week when term started, parents say.

The lunch slot, which was said to have previously lasted from 12:25pm to 1pm, meant that some children were unable to get any food at all before afternoon lessons began.

One parent who raised concerns was the mum of three Becka Allen. The 32-year-old told The Northern Echo that her 12-year-old daughter went without lunch for the whole of her first week back at school due to queues.

She said: "Just last week every time I picked her up I asked her what she had for dinner. For the first few days she told me nothing, saying she just didn't have time.

"I didn't think too much of it but then on Friday (September 6), she said that she got to the front of the queue and was told to go back to lessons as dinner time was over.

"I then got in touch with another parent whose daughter said the same thing - that they were sent back to lessons."

She added: "I told my daughter that if she didn't get lunch today I would come and pick her up. They have subjects like PE, I don't know how they are expected to concentrate on an empty stomach."

A social media post from Becka prompted over one hundred comments from parents airing the same concerns.

However, the school has now swiftly stepped into action, introducing staggered times to ensure all students get the chance to eat.

A statement on the school's Facebook page reads: "We have important updates regarding our lunchtime arrangements for this school year. We are aware that due to the increased number of pupils in school, there has been some frustration regarding queuing times.

"This has been addressed by extending the already in place staggered start times for each year group. These will continue to be reviewed as the term progresses. All lunches will finish by 1:00 PM, ready for Lesson 4."

A spokesman for Haughton Academy added: “The first week of the new school year tends to be more challenging because of the high number of new pupils on site experiencing the lunchtime systems for the first time.

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“The school operates two eating areas and staggered lunchtimes for various year groups to help minimise waiting times and these have now been tweaked so pupils have ample time to enjoy their food. We have never knowingly turned a pupil away from having any food.

“We do our utmost to ensure there is plenty of choice of food available for pupils and if a particular dish does run out there are always alternatives.

“The lunchtime timings/menus/prices have been shared again with parents and pupils on our Facebook page to clarify the process and we have extended the lunchtime period for younger pupils.”