School Dinner Charges - How are you coping with lunch charges?

arbroath_lass

NewCustomerOnly wrote: »

they keep little Johnny at home cos a t least then he can have beans on toast - or cereal for lunch!

Don't schoolchildren go home for lunch any more?

We were definitely not the poorest family in school but my parents couldn't afford school meals every day for us and that was in the Seventies. We went home or took sandwiches. Generally only families who got paid for school meals actually went every day.

Although they were pretty awful in the Seventies and no-one really wanted to go anyway.

Valli

Kimberley wrote: »

Thats quite hard to believe. If you have given them a proper breakfast and they have had a school meal eating everything including the veg then it is impossible for a child to be starving.

Unless they have a dinner lady who offers them half portions or allows them 'not' to take the whole lunch they have paid for!

19lottie82

Don't schoolchildren go home for lunch any more?

We were definitely not the poorest family in school but my parents couldn't afford school meals every day for us and that was in the Seventies. We went home or took sandwiches. Generally only families who got paid for school meals actually went every day.

Although they were pretty awful in the Seventies and no-one really wanted to go anyway.

Practical for children who have a SAH parent and also live very close to the school, but not many others. Also surely it's a good idea to encourage kids to socialise with their peers at lunchtime?

arbroath_lass

19lottie82 wrote: »

Practical for children who have a SAH parent and also live very close to the school, but not many others. Also surely it's a good idea to encourage kids to socialise with their peers at lunchtime?

NewCustomerOnly was suggesting parents were keeping children at home so they could have beans on toast or cereal. If they can keep them at home all day then they can collect them for lunch?

How far do children stay from school? We have the same number/location of schools in town as we did when I attended. Very few children stayed at school.

My parents worked too but there was always someone at home at lunchtime.

Not sure why kids would need to socialise at lunchtime - I thought it was mealtime not playtime. Surely they socialise the rest of the day?

19lottie82

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Not sure why kids would need to socialise at lunchtime - I thought it was mealtime not playtime. Surely they socialise the rest of the day?

Unless things have changed, the rest of the day was for learning. Lunchtime was spent eating your meal, chatting and playing.

jellyhead

They can't chat and play in the classroom - the lunchtime break is the longest one so it's when most of the socialising and playing will happen.

Our school doesn't let children go home for lunch. They do however let a child have a lunch if they haven't brought the money, then they send an invoice to the parent asking them to pay it the next day. So, in an emergency if a parent really has run out of money they could get the child a school dinner and repay the money the following week. But, a packed lunch is probably cheaper and they could take squash or water in a reusable bottle. Even a jam sandwich is better than a day off school to have beans on toast, surely?

wantnomoneyworries

NewCustomerOnly wrote: »

that is truly shocking - school dinners are relied upon by many young children who suffer from neglect at home - the LEA s are failing them!

Surely there should be an enquiry - maybe we need Jamie Oliver on this, to lots of us 10 to 29 pouinds a week is a lot of money to put by when there is nothing left to cut in our budgets

I fear Jamie Oliver has lost interest in school meals now!
!:eek::eek:

If not he's gone very quiet about them!

Janepig

I used to go home for dinner when I was in juniors in the <cough> early 80's <cough>. I was one of the closest to the school so it was a five minute walk, if that, and my dad used to get a half hour lunchbreak and he only worked down the road, so my mum used to do a hot dinner for us both. I hated it, I was the only one in my class (and possibly school, judging by the fact that I was walking out of school alone on a dinnertime ) and I never got to play at lunchtime as by the time I'd got home, waited for my dad, and then had food, I was back at school in time for afternoon lessons. I'm sure my brother didn't go home for dinner when he went there, I hadn't thought of that until now. Infant school was a bit further away so I had dinners there.

I doubt anyone from DD/DS's primary school goes home for dinner - it's a Welsh school with a huge catchment area so they aren't "local" children going there, the vast majority of parents drive because they have to, not because they're lazy (although some of the parking screams lazyness!). But afaik they wouldn't have an issue with a child going home, apart from in the nursery class where they dine in the classroom and I know that they insist that they all stay for a hot dinner (no packed lunch allowed in the nursery class either).

Jx

arbroath_lass

jellyhead wrote: »

They can't chat and play in the classroom - the lunchtime break is the longest one so it's when most of the socialising and playing will happen.

What do they do after school then. Do they not play with friends?

jellyhead wrote: »

Our school doesn't let children go home for lunch.

:eek: can they actually do that?

I bet the local schools are glad I don't have children I'd've caused an uproar if they tried that with me

Janepig

arbroath_lass wrote: »

What do they do after school then. Do they not play with friends?



:eek: can they actually do that?

I bet the local schools are glad I don't have children I'd've caused an uproar if they tried that with me

Mine don't. There aren't any other children living in our street (other than next door's great grandchildren who occasionally come over and they go out to play with them). The school they go to isn't local so it's not as though they can go out with all their friends after school. That's not to say they don't see friends of theirs out of school, but not all the time.

Jx