A PRIMARY school head has warned that she will be unable to comply with government policy by giving pupils free school meals from September.

St Thomas a Becket School in Tilshead has no kitchen facilities and cannot afford to have food delivered.

Headteacher Alison Trickey said the school would have to spend up to £10,000 on the service.

"Our budget this year has been reduced by about £20,000 because of the new funding formula, so actually I'm spending about £2,000 more than I've got coming in already,” said Mrs Trickey.

"I have made cuts in every single area apart from teaching staff, and we're not prepared to reduce staffing hours to provide free school lunches."

The Children's Food Trust has been commissioned by the Department for Education to help implement the free school meals policy across the country.

A spokesman said an adviser would be visiting the school "in the next week" to help resolve the issue.

Wiltshire Council says six schools across the county do not currently have an "affordable solution" to provide free school meals by next term.