anyone else having problems with school dinners?

Scone_2

for the past few weeks my kids have been coming home starving. they have been complaining that by the time they get to the serving counter there is no choice left of what to eat.

My little girl who is 8 doesnt have a huge appetite to begin with but she's starving most days after school and she seems to be foregoing her pudding quite a lot as she says theres none left by the time she gets there.

Today she has come home in tears as there was no main meal choice and she was told she had to eat cheesy pasta (she hates cheese and has done so since she was a baby) or she would not get any pudding. I don't know what my/the childrens rights are about being able to choose food they like but this just seems to be happening a bit to often and I'm incomfortable with it

Last week the school served the children breaded scampi. I think thats absolutely nuts as I don't know many kids that would eat that and mine certainly didnt. Again there was no choice so my son had "peas" for his dinner and an orange afterwards, and my daughter had a potato and peas and nothing afterwards as there was nothing left.

Someone tell me I'm not over reacting. I'm putting them on packed lunches as of tomorrow but I really didnt want to do that as they are entitled to free school meals and we are pretty skint as it is.

brians_daughter

raise your concerns with the school, if what your children say is true then thats outragous! (i am not doubting you, but i had simular thing with ds1 at school with dinners and when it was investigated i found out that he spent the 1st 15 mins of his dinner playing football instead of queueing for food and was turning up 10 mins after every other child had been served and was left with 'leftovers' - not saying yours are doing this, but just sharing experiences!)

I would have a word with the ofice, or teacher tomorrow and see what is said, surely there are other kids in same situ? do you speak to any of the other mums? maybe ask if their kids are complaining as well?

Oh BTW, no you arent over reacting lol

julie03

my DS school give you a menu in advance and you have to say what you want so they order the correct amount of meals and there is not as much waste, when he did have them we used to just remind him what he had picked.

the good thing with this is you know in advance if there is a day that there is something they will not eat so you can deal with it and send in a packed lunch, when my son had free school meals as long as you told them what days they were fine with it

and i dont think you are over reacting,

Oldernotwiser

Personally, I think that the sooner we return to the days of no choice for school meals the better!

(Why on earth wouldn't children eat scampi?)

emsywoo123

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Personally, I think that the sooner we return to the days of no choice for school meals the better!

(Why on earth wouldn't children eat scampi?)

My DD does not have a choice, she is 6, and she does eat scampi

mrcow

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Personally, I think that the sooner we return to the days of no choice for school meals the better!

(Why on earth wouldn't children eat scampi?)

Mine wouldn't because:

a. It stinks (can't stand it when my OH eats it)
b. They are vegetarian

OP - go in tomorrow and make a formal complaint. That's no way to feed pupils. Someone has to step and and take the blame over this.

kutsu119

I agree, children should only be fed chips and beans. Cheesy pasta? SCAMPI?! I'd complain AND ask them for the money a good counsellor commands.

Chinkle

I can remember the days of no choice in school meals and I was a fussy beast. I was quite prepared to go hungry rather than eat something I didn't like and remember crying a few times when the teachers forced you to eat something.

There should certainly be enough food to go round though. What is the school policy on who goes in first? Do free meals kids not get to go front of the queue - they did in my day.

Don't get the scampi comment, plenty of children love scampi - I don't think the school should take it off the menu just because one child doesn't like it.

Bubby

We get a menu sent out for the next x amount of weeks, they have a choice of 2/3 main meals and they get to choose this on the day. This means that if you are at the back of the queue then you have what is left....
This is why I have to send my children in with packed lunch as whilst my children eat lots of different foods there is always bound to be something on the menu they don't like and I can't guarrantee they won't be left with this. Frustrating because it would be nicer if they could enjoy a cooked meal (yes I have spoken to the school about it but its all about the "childrens choice" as to why they have more than 1 main meal:mad:)

mrcow

kutsu119 wrote: »

I agree, children should only be fed chips and beans. Cheesy pasta? SCAMPI?! I'd complain AND ask them for the money a good counsellor commands.

There is nothing wrong with either pasta or fish.

A plate of peas however is not a suitable dinner for any child. Especially when the catering company will be paid for a full meal!

2/10 for the sarcasm btw. Pretty lame and not that funny. You can do better than that?

kutsu119

Free school meals and upset because precious Paris or Cindy or McKenzie or whatever else doesn't like cheese?

Boooohoooooo