The appeal comes after reports revealed that about half of the 1,400-pupil school go to the Waitrose for lunch, which has resulted in a loss for the canteen of about £35,000 since the adjacent supermarket opened in October.

The school Parent Council said it is ‘shocked’ at the extent of the loss considering the good feedback the canteen receives, however, its main concern is with the safety of the children using the crossing.

James McBride, chairman of the Hermitage Academy Parent Council, said: “A bigger concern to parents is the safety implications of the volume of pupils crossing a busy road in a short space of time.

“We have already highlighted to the council that the safe exit from the school is too far away from the pedestrian crossing and that pupils will be crossing at the bus stop which is more dangerous.” This week Jackie Baille, Helensburgh’s MSP, said the effect of the out-of-town Waitrose site on the school was never seriously considered.

She said: “Although I welcomed Waitrose’s interest in Helensburgh, I had concerns about the out-of-town site. I don’t think the effect on the school’s canteen was ever seriously considered.

“Clearly, Argyll and Bute Council has to come up with a plan to encourage more pupils to stay at school during lunchtime.” Stuart McMillan, West of Scotland SNP MSP, said the supermarket is close competition for the canteen, however pupils must be encourage to eat nutritious food.

He said: “It’s vital those pupils who are choosing to eat elsewhere are reminded of the need to eat healthy and balanced meals.

“Therefore, I would encourage the school to continue the good work to promote healthy eating and the canteen options available to pupils.” The local authority confirmed the financial loss, however denied the school meal provision is under threat.

Councillor James Robb, who is also a co-opted member of the Hermitage Academy Parent Council, said Waitrose is undermining the good work of the school with half of its pupils eating out.

He added: “The effects on social inclusion, learning and health are complex and any mitigation will require co-operation between the school and the supermarket.

“The potential financial loss to the school of £80,000 per year, which threatens the sustainability of school meal provision, is simple and quantifiable which any ethical, responsible and highly profitable business should accept as its responsibility to make good.” Argyll and Bute Council said staff at the school have been encouraging pupils to visit the canteen by offering promotions to make meals more appealing.

Meals in the secondary school cost £2.10 for a two-course lunch, which run on a four-week rotation.

Lunches offered in the school’s canteen must also meet the standards specified within the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 which sets nutritional guidance for food and drink being served in schools.

Councillor Aileen Morton, policy lead for Education and Lifelong Learning, added: “The provision of school meals is not under threat, and as a parent as well as a councillor I am happy that the pupils have a good choice of food at the school.” Darrel Hendrie, Helensburgh Community Council convenor, added that Waitrose is not the only outlet pupils visit.

He said: “Many of the pupils go to the curry club in Old Luss Road and a lot of others get the train into Helensburgh and go to Greggs and the chip shop before getting the train back.

“The food they buy in Waitrose will be salads and sandwiches so on the bright side it is not junk food.

“It makes me wonder about the standard of the food in the school that so many pupils would rather pay more to eat out with the school – it’s been a long time since I have had a school meal, and I would hope they had improved since then.” Mr McBride added that the Parent Council hopes the Waitrose ‘novelty’ wears off.

He added: “We would be strongly against any attempt to close the canteen. The school will no doubt canvas the pupils to try and win back some business but are obviously restricted in what choices they can provide by law.

“There must be meals and snacks that are more popular and run out whenever they are on the menu so maybe providing more of these would help.

“Parents do have the option of only topping up their child’s smart card if they have concerns about theirchild eating less healthy food from Waitrose.” At February’s Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee meeting Hermitage Academy head teacher Geoff Urie expressed concerns about the increase of littering since the arrival of the supermarket.

He said up to 600 pupils use Waitrose daily, and whilst a ‘sizeable number’ of pupils pick up their litter there is still two per cent who don’t, which must be addressed.