By Liz Lane, Sky Reporter
As many as 8,000 primary school canteens in England could be at risk of closure because they are losing money.
Head teachers took control of dinner budgets from local councils in April and many have discovered they are draining the finances.
The Government's school meals advisers are asking those in trouble to seek help, rather than close down their kitchens.
Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, who founded the restaurant chain Leon, will make public the details of their recommendations in the next few weeks.
Mr Dimbleby said in the meantime worried head teachers, governors or parents should get in touch.
He said: "We don't think there's a massive risk of mass closures because in the survey we did for our work, 95% of head teachers strongly believe food is important for the behaviour and the attainment of their pupils, but we would like to hear if any schools are thinking of closing their kitchens. We think there are people who can help to keep it open."
Schools are having to be more creative to make school dinners feasible.
In Brill in Buckinghamshire, village butcher and parent John Wilkins has teamed up with a pub to provide meals at cost to the local primary.
He said: "We're not reinventing the wheel with what we do really, and it should be done in schools. Really they should have the facilities and the finance to do it, but if it isn't there then you have to look at another alternative."
Brill primary head teacher Andy Leach said it would be very difficult to persuade outsiders to do it at an affordable price.
He said: "Increasingly there are cutbacks and services are being reduced at a local and central level and schools have to be a bit more creative now about how they provide services and certainly if we were to be using a commercial provider for our school dinners they would struggle to make it pay."
Canteen closures are already beginning. All Saints Church of England Primary School, in Datchworth, Hertfordshire will stop providing school dinners at the end of this term, saying not enough pupils were having them to make it viable.
Mr Dimbleby and Mr Vincent said increasing uptake of hot meals is key to making the service profitable.
They want the number of children choosing school dinners to grow from 40% to 80% over the next five years.
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