school lunch rip off

sandiep

My wee five year old has school dinners, she's not a big fan of eating, loves food, but just doesn't have the time to eat.

She has the choice of "hot team" or "cold team", and her staple is Tuna Sandwich, homemade cake, and a chocolate milkshake. And i'm OK with all of that because at least the cake is homemade, its a wisemans fresh milkshake as opposed to a long life gunk one, and at least she's going to get enough energy from that to get through the rest of the day.

I make sure that she gets her varied diet, fruit & veg 5 portions etc, through breakfast, tea, snacks and supper.

seven-day-weekend

It's because the parents want 'healthy' and the children don't! Especially at Secondary School age.

Aspiring

Money_maker wrote: »

- - - - - -
Having said that, the meal sizes were a little on the small side but then I cant understand why parents think the school should be responsible for giving their child the main meal of the day - surely they cook a main meal in the evenings?
- - - -- - -

Or, feed them a hearty breakfast beforehand, maybe? Cereals have their place, but they don't really hit the "satiated" level. Smooties are hugely popular at the moment and can be very filling.

What's that old saying: Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper(?)

One thing that did occur to me, even when my children had school dinners, we put some fruit into their school bag to snack on. Is this not permitted anymore?

bride_on_a_budget

Aspiring wrote: »

Wow, they really must have been desperate for help; less than 24hrs after applying, you are there helping already; it would be such a great shame if you offered your help one day, helped the next day and then - - - - - didn't go back. By the speed they took you up on your offer, it does sound like you would be letting the school down badly leaving after one day if they are that strapped for helpers.

How did your son get on with his first day of packed lunches? Do you think it helped his decision on what to eat, or hindered, you being there are a helper?

yes it was quick, they were desperate and had a notice up for a while about and as i already help out at the school, my checks were up to date.
i will be going back after half term, i think i was just a bit shocked at how they handled luch time, i would not let them down.

my son enjoyed his chicken pitta breads with salad, carrot sticks, frube yoghurt, pot of grapes and fruit juice, and he wasnt staving when he got home

i do think it helped with the decision on packed lunches or cooked dinners, he is going to be school dinners twice a week (pizza on mon and roast on thurs) and the other 3 healthy packed lunches, and he will be bringing his rubbish home with him so i can check what he has eaten.

bride

peaceandfreedom

leiela wrote: »

sorry to sort of hijack the thread but i was wondering how you guys combat the idea of your kids throwing away half thier lunch.

I've decided im not at all happy with the quality or the cost of the lunch's at my kid's school and have decided after half term to move them to packed lunch's but i have this terrible fear they will bin any sandwiches and salad and eat whats left.

Now as much as i have no intention of filling thier box's full of rubbish i figure if i put something like, sandwich, fruit and a slice of HM cake they might just eat the cake .. ekk ... which is not exactly what i had planned... i want to move them to packed lunchs SO they get a proper dinner, not so they throw it in the bin.

All my children take a packed lunch to school. I can provide a far better and healthier lunch for less money than a school dinner. Also my son (13) gets so ravenously hungry that he wouldn't last till lunchtime, so I include enough food for a snack at breaktime (he's as thin as rake though!).

Anything they don't eat is brought home again, including any wrappings, apple cores etc. I've also always asked them to do that, so I can see what they've eaten. And it's such a waste to throw things like a whole apple away when it can just go back in the fruit bowl. I don't get stressed if they haven't eaten everything.

Each child has 2 or 3 portions of fruit or veg in their lunch box. Sometimes I put in a treat such a biscuit or cake, sometimes not. Have to admit, I don't really enjoy the whole packed-lunch making routine every morning, but the children would protest loudly if asked to take school dinners. What I need to do is get them to make their own lunchs :rolleyes:

notlongnow_2

leiela wrote: »

sorry to sort of hijack the thread but i was wondering how you guys combat the idea of your kids throwing away half thier lunch.

I've decided im not at all happy with the quality or the cost of the lunch's at my kid's school and have decided after half term to move them to packed lunch's but i have this terrible fear they will bin any sandwiches and salad and eat whats left.

Now as much as i have no intention of filling thier box's full of rubbish i figure if i put something like, sandwich, fruit and a slice of HM cake they might just eat the cake .. ekk ... which is not exactly what i had planned... i want to move them to packed lunchs SO they get a proper dinner, not so they throw it in the bin.

Ive always told mine they must eat their sandwich first before anything else and if I find out they have not eaten their sandwich but eaten other things(fruit/yogurt/crisps/cake/dried fruit...it varies. )then there will be no more extras and they will have 2 sandwiches instead.

Up to now, it has worked. If they eat their sandwich then the next day they can have a treat(penguin or crisps for example)in with it as well.

madison's_mum

My 5yo DD has a packed lunch and her school puts all the rubbish back in her her lunch box so i can see what she has eaten. I'm looking for a flask for her at the moment so she can take hot pasta or soup but think i will check with her school first they are allowed!

PolishBigSpender

I've read this whole thread, and some things really stand out for me.

- The UK is incredibly hypocritical when it comes to healthy eating.
- Schools actually dictate to parents what their child can or can't eat.

Incredible...

jayII

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

I've read this whole thread, and some things really stand out for me.

- The UK is incredibly hypocritical when it comes to healthy eating.
- Schools actually dictate to parents what their child can or can't eat.

Incredible...

And the solutions?

PolishBigSpender

jayII wrote: »

And the solutions?

The first one, I'm not sure. I don't think that having celebrities jump on the cause is the right answer - but I think a nationwide ban on bad school meals would be a start. Perhaps they could even move to a system where primary school children have set menus in school, created by someone - and with every school obliged to follow the menu, even down to portion sizes.

The second - the parents should tell the school to take a hike, so to speak. I trust the parents on this thread far more when it comes to healthy eating than some school 'chef' (who probably knows how to use a microwave and little else!) - and anyway, if a parent wants to give a child a homemade biscuit, what's the problem?

I particularly loved the parent who got a healthy eating flyer in her child's lunchbox despite providing the child with a healthy lunch every day. Just shows that it's all about big measures and ignoring the reality.