Can school force my child to stay in during lunchtime

peachyprice

I'm astounded by the number of people advocating OP lies so her son can get his own way, absolutely unbelievable. What a great life lesson that is, can't get what you want? lie your way around it. Fantastic.

It's wrong that the children aren't allowed to bring packed lunch, but TBH I cannot see the school being able to enforce it. This has to be the way forward, to make the school realise this isn't reasonable.

However, there's nothing wrong in keeping children on premises for the whole school day, while they are in the care of the school, it was like that when I was at secondary school and the same rule applies now my boys go there. I for one would not be happy if the whole school was allowed to roam the streets at luchtime, I've seen schools who do allow this, and I've seen the kind of things the children get up to. You cannot have a rule, but make exceptions for some just because their mummy's write a note. At my boys school going home at lunchtime is a sanction taken against children who cannot be trusted to behave out of the classroom.

achtunglady

Minxtress-get in touch with the school and say you cannot afford this, some schools have bursary grants for children whose parents are finding it hard to afford items necessary for school

achtunglady

minxtress- ask the school whether they would object to your sons nan coming in at lunch time and sitting with him as he eats her homemade lunch or would she be frogmarched up to the till to pay for food???

I'm not saying to lie to the school about allergies etc and that because people don't get their own way its ok to lie, but on the same token, its ok for parents to lie to get their kids into a school of their choice despite not living in the catchment area, seems convenient to lie at some times and not others.

bylromarha

I don't have a clue what the answer is, but I do know that I would have been miffed as a teen going home for lunch every day, then suddenly not being allowed to.

But then I would have got over it, starved to make a point for a few weeks, then started buying food at the canteen...or got my mum to pass a packed lunch through the school bars every day.

It's not a great situation with no packed lunch allowed from home, but only the LEA can advise if this is illegal or not. With all the complaints you say the head is getting, I would imagine the Head has already been to the LEA for advice, and they would have told them the legality of the situation.

ben500

I think the funniest thing about all this is that the op is more concerned about her son not being allowed to leave school during lunch but seems apparently unconcerned about the school fingerprinting her children. Confused priorities there I think.,

silvercar

ariarnia wrote: »

the "fundamental right to be free from hunger" - when the op can't afford to pay for the food, the right to be free from hunger would be including the right to eat his own food from home - surely?

You cannot seriously equate having a limited choice for lunch and therefore not eating a full meal and so possibly being a bit hungry later in the day with a "basic right to food".

I'm sure the mothers of starving kids in Africa would support your right to lunch with granny.

silvercar

Interesting article here:

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2006/11/30/310320/what-does-the-future-hold-for-school-meals.html

In particular:,

"Do we need to revert to a nanny state for children? Is it time for the Government to make schools lock the gates at lunchtime, for example?

........

DfES "This is rightly a decision for heads to take."

iamana1ias

achtunglady wrote: »

Maybe you feed your kids chips with every meal, a case of judging everyone by your standards or is it a case of "let those without kids cast the first stone" :rolleyes:

The OP is not asking for her son to have chips for his meals is he?

Is there something wrong with you? My first post on here was in response to someone saying that their child regularly went to the chippy for lunch :rolleyes:

vaio

iamana1ias wrote: »

Mine keeps my coffee hot for at least 8, if not 12 hours

Maybe you need to buy a more expensive one …………

I can see the marketing meeting now “and this design of flask doesn’t really work but instead of scrapping it we’re going to sell them as soup flasks for babies”

Zoetoes

vaio wrote: »

I can see the marketing meeting now “and this design of flask doesn’t really work but instead of scrapping it we’re going to sell them as soup flasks for babies”

Not a bad idea!