School lunch rant - Would you complain?

brians_daughter

one word...speechless

if that were my childs school I would be at the heads office at 8.00 waiting for them....not much help i know, but thats the only thing i can say about it - and nothing usually leaves me speechless

liney

Zazen999 wrote: »

As hummus is chick peas, olive oil and lemon juice with some sesame oil then it IS veg....

Technically it's a pulse ? ... but i agree that it's rediculous.

Fill us in OP.

Zazen999

liney wrote: »

Technically it's a pulse ? ... but i agree that it's rediculous.

Fill us in OP.

Pulses are the seeds of leguminous veg....

Your comment confirms that so many people don't actually know what veg are!

MrsWoolfe

I would definately be fuming, not just because it sounds like the TA is pretty clueless on nutrition but the attitude stinks too, I know a lot of kids dont have the best diet, but labelling foods as "bad" is counterproductive IMHO and actually taking your lil one's lunch away was going too far, if they thought the meal lacked something then a note explaining this would have been a better way to handle things.

I'm all for improving our diets and making sure we are giving kids a balanced diet but it's about teaching kids about nutrition so they understand for themselves telling kids certain foods are "bad" or they are going to become Fat is an awful way to go about it, sounds like the school need educating themselves!

Do let us know how you get on,

Good Luck!

GobbledyGook

Well it proved to be an interesting meeting this morning!

The Deputy Head was quite dismissive to begin with and said that mistakes happen, so I insisted on speaking to the Head. She was very helpful and went to speak to the TA. The TA came into the office and said that she felt “those dunkables” weren’t suitable and was mortified when I pointed out what they actually were and apologised. She wasn’t happy when I asked for the apology to be made to my daughter, she said it would undermine her authority, but relented when I said that it was better than me having to tell my daughter she was wrong and refusing to apologise for it. I also said that I had massive issues with her making comments about getting fat and she’s absolutely denying using the word fat at all. However the Head is going to look into it as 2 other children corroborated what my daughter said at the gate this morning without any prompting (one of their mothers has complained herself as her DD was asking lots about her lunch and getting fat last night). I've an appointment at the end of the day to see the Head once she's spoken to everyone involved/who heard it so no danger it's getting swept under the carpet.

As for the amounts it seems the Head and I will never agree because they have a clear plate/box policy so I’ve made it clear to them my daughter is never, ever to be told she must clear her plate. That goes right against a healthy eating policy imo because they should never eat more than they feel they need.

As for their policy it turns out that it is a GUIDE not a rule book and they cannot enforce it. On that note I’ve said that I will always give my daughter a decent lunch and I don’t want it touched by their TA’s who have had 1 afternoon’s training. IMO me putting in Strawberry milk is no different to the children who go dinners having a piece of cake or baking. The Head admitted that it would be easier if all children when dinners, but understood my point about it being expensive and, for my daughter, very limiting.

Apparently they have “concerns” about her being vegetarian and they don’t think I should be encouraging it, but I pointed out to her that my daughter made the decision herself and has stuck to it for more than 6 months now. She is as entitled to make decisions as the next person and it’s certainly not down to the school to decide what I support and don’t.

So half a result. If the TA doesn’t apologise to C and if it emerges (as I think it will) that she has lied about saying they'll get fat then I'll be seriously creating merry hell.



Thanks for all the help and suggestions
Gemma x

shellsuit

Thanks for the update Gemma, hope the TA sees sense and apologises to your daughter!

How dare they question your daughters decision to be a vegetarian. If it's fine with you, then that should be the end of it.

Do they have concerns about any other children who are vegi but their whole family are too?

As for a clear box/plate policy ~ if a child has had enough, they have had enough!

reehsetin

GobbledyGook wrote: »

Well it proved to be an interesting meeting this morning!

Well done for sticking with it and getting the right response,

I'm actually annoyed about their veggie policy tho, I'm not veggie (was for 3/4 years) but most of my family are and I don't see why anyone should tell them to eat meat if they don't want to!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

nm123 wrote: »

The world has gone mad... 20-25 years ago when I was at junior school I don’t remember anyone ever commenting on what we ate. I’m pretty sure my lunch consisted of a cheese and pickle sandwich, some hula hoops, a 2 finger kit-kat and a Satsuma. Mini rolls, trackers, Tunnocks, Blue Ribbands, Gold Bars were the norm for all my friends. And none of us were, or are, fat now. I agree it’s good to educate kids about food, but this just seems wrong...

Good luck talking to the Head.

100% agree This was my typical lunch too, and we ran around and played for hours every day. Soooooo much healthier and barely any fat on me

And guess what i eat the same now and (well apart from huge preg belly) i still don't have an ounce of excess fat on me.

It's a more healthy attitude to food in general - i like (in fact love) fruit and veg, love wholemeal bread out of taste choice and cook meals from scratch but i do love chocolate and snacks too. And a glass of coke occasionally. What's wrong with that????????

I think it's when we start instilling this fear of what certain foods will do to us that we are actually mentally damaging our children and then that will go on to physically damage them. Yes children need to know about healthy eating, but doesn't healthy eating mean allowing treats in moderation.

My daughter is turning 4, here is her typical lunch:

Ham or cheese sandwhich with brown bread.
Babybell (she loves em, and no i will not stop her having them)
Fruit, either a kiddie size banana/few strawberrys/or handful of grapes or maybe cucumber slices.
Then either a chocolate digestive biscuit/a youghurt of her choice, so yes if she chooses a banana and choc balls one then so be it/ or a cupcake that she would have helped mummy make from the weekend (i.e a Greens packet one) or something silmilar that she sees as a treat for after her lunch.

This is with a little bottle of diluted squash.

To me it's not fantastic but it certainly isn't unhealthy. She also eats a weetabix and milk in the morn, and a healthy home cooked meal in the eve. With the occasional take-away once, or twice a month (pizza hut, or the likes if we are out for a whole day) Sod anyone who wants to tell me her food is bad - at the end of the day she is bright, active and doesn't have this ridiculous worry about foods that children nowadays are developing. I dread the day it comes.

And guess what...just to throw a spanner in the works, DD is also allowed a glass of lemonade if we are somewhere like pizza hut. It amuses me the amount of times i have been frowned at but TBH i couldn't care less.

edsks

Hi
Can I caution on you going in to the head's office with all guns blazing. Do you have a (good) relationship with the head? If so you might be best to build on this to make sure you get your message across in a way that it will be listened to, respected and valued. It seems to me that you have a very strong case. I think we can assume that both you and the school want the best for your child and have the best interests of your child at heart. I think all you need to do is to explain your reasons for the lunch, share the contents and nutritional value of it, and seek to discuss the importance of a parent/school partnership in your child's education. consider the outcome you want from the meeting and keep this in mind in your discussions. Only see it as an issue if your meeting with the head is unproductive and then you will need to consider what your next step is. Do not forget that the policy of the school is agreed by the governing body, not the school staff, so you can always have a chat with one of the governors (perhaps a parent governor) about it - in initially perhaps not to complain but just to give feedback about your experience of how the policy is working (or not working) in practice. after all that it might just be created by an (over)enthusiastic lunch time supervisor who did not analyse the contents of the lunch box correctly and sometimes when you start off on the wrong foot it escalates inappropriately. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

Mely

Hi Gemma... the school should have been providing adequate school meals for vegetarians in the first place and, at present they are not. No child should be expected to eat macaroni cheese everyday for their school dinner! From what you have said you are providing your daughter with a balanced and healthy lunchbox each day. You are in the right, and the school is wrong. Have a word with the headmaster asap. Good luck!
Mel x