One of the country’s leading girls' schools has been criticised for holding an “Austerity Day” lunch where their usual Confit Duck was swapped for baked beans and potatoes.

St Paul’s Girls School (SPGS) in Hammersmith, west London, was ridiculed for serving “what basically amounts to a standard school dinner” as part of the event.

The £25,000-a-year school, which counts the actress Rachel Weisz and the author Dodie Smith among its alumnae, announced on social media that “today was the final Austerity Day of the year”.

The Twitter post, which has since been deleted, said: “Students and staff had baked potatoes, with beans and coleslaw, for lunch, with fruit for dessert.” The money saved will be donated to the school’s charities, the school added.