A parents' group which has overseen the transformation of school dinners in Merton will use their expertise to help resolve a high-profile junk food conflict.

Jackie Schneider, vice-chairwoman of Merton Parents, is heading to Rotherham, where two mothers have hit the headlines by passing unhealthy meals through school railings in defiance of the school's decision to ban pupils from leaving the grounds at lunch break.

Alongside Jeanette Orrey - the schools meal policy adviser for the Soil Association and the dinner lady who first introduced Jamie Oliver to the horrors of turkey twizzlers - Mrs Schneider will meet with parents of Rawmarsh School on Monday to discuss how all parties can work together to achieve healthy school meals that pupils can enjoy.

Mrs Scheider said: "The media have demonised these Rotherham mums and now they feel the school won't listen to them anymore because they've burned their bridges.

"It may have been a little daft for them to do what they did, but it comes down to working with children and families. These are the real parents that we have to work with."

For two weeks, the Rotherham mums, Julie Critchlow and Sam Walker, have taken orders for up to 60 meals from pupils, and have passed them chips, crisps, burgers and fizzy drinks through the railings.

Their backlash came after the School Food Trust brought in new guidelines banning confectionary from being sold in school canteens and limiting the amount of time that fatty or fried food can be served.

A further bone of contention was that Rawmarsh School cut its lunch hour to 30 minutes and prevented children from leaving the premises during that time.

Rotherham mum, Julie Critchley, said, "I want my children to eat healthy food. The issues here are about the lunch hour and the food. I am delighted the Soil Association and Merton Parents want to meet. I want to find out from them how other schools have done it."

In Merton, school dinners have undergone dramatic improvements in the past year, thanks in part to tireless campaigning by Merton Parents. The changes to the culinary offerings in the borough have not gone unnoticed nationally, and several schools will welcome camera crews this week as part of a programme on school dinners for Teachers TV.

Mrs Schneider, who teaches at Poplar Primary School, said: "My son is very happy with the new, improved dinners. The general feeling amongst the primary schools is that the food is better than it was, the portion sizes have improved, and the food is hot. Where they have real meat, it's been a massive hit and roast dinners on Wednesdays are very popular."

"Children who previously claimed to hate all that healthy stuff' are now wolfing it down, regardless of their backgrounds.

"The Rotherham mums should stop their lunch time deliveries. Lets focus on the real issues in the school canteen: How long do kids have to queue? Are the meals made from good quality ingredients, well cooked and tasty?

"We need to listen to the students' concerns if we are going to have any success in increasing healthy food uptake."