A Bath primary school is deciding whether to start serving hot dinners at lunchtime.

At the moment, pupils at Widcombe Junior School are only able to eat packed lunches they have brought in themselves.

But some parents are arguing that their children should be offered the option of cooked meals, and governors at the Pulteney Road school have now set up a working group to look into the issue.

Governor Frances Laughton said there were many factors to consider.

She said the school had just been awarded Healthy Schools status.

"We have a real commitment to healthy attitudes and lifestyles for our children and always aim for the best possible provision within the resources available.

"The hot lunches working group is looking at the impact of providing hot school meals on areas such as staffing, financial commitment from the school, data on take-up of hot meals, quality, space, logistical arrangements, and any further resources required.

"It has also been lovely to fully involve the school council in this research and the children have visited other schools, tasted their hot lunches and contributed their views to the process."

The working group will be putting together its findings and presenting a full report for discussion by the governors at a meeting on March 18, before the results are made available.

Parents say they have been told by Bath and North East Somerset Council that Widcombe was one of only two schools in the local authority area not to provide hot dinners.

Parent Martin Loughridge is co-ordinating the campaign and has put forward ways for the school to get around the logistical problems of providing hot meals.

The group are arguing that it is the school's responsibility to provide a warm, nutritious, healthy meal for their children.

A spokeswoman for the council said it was up to individual schools whether they provided hot lunches.

She said: "Whilst Government guidelines clearly state the nutritional standards that schools need to comply with for school lunches, there is no statutory requirement for schools to provide hot schools meals.

"Whether or not a school decides to provide hot school meals is a matter for the school and its governors."

If anyone would like to contact Mr Loughridge about the parents' campaign then they should email martinloughridge@hotmail.co.uk.