How long is your child's lunch break?

gayleygoo

I'm just wondering how long children get to eat lunch in school, as I'm concerned that my kids' school doesn't give them long enough. There is always a lot of food brought back in their packed lunch bags, which mostly goes in the bin so is a terrible waste. They say they don't get time to eat it, so only eat one or two of the sandwiches, a bite of the fruit, and then have their pudding as they tidy the rubbish away. Then they come home hungry because they didn't ea enough at school!

DD says they go outside at 12.50pm, then the bell rings at 1.10pm for them to line up and go back inside. Another bell at 1.25pm means it's time to go back to class. To me, 15 minutes to go inside, line up for dinners or go to the packed lunch room, eat a decent lunch and then clear up just doesn't seem enough time.

heartbreak_star

I think we used to get 20 minutes in the hall and 15 minutes outside, but that was 20-odd years ago ha ha!

HBS x

onlyroz

When I was at school we had 50 minutes to get all 2000 students through lunch. There were 3 "sittings" and the group who went last didn't have a lot left to choose from.

LilElvis

My daughter is in year 1 and goes to lunch from 11.45 to 12.15 along with foundation, then outside to play for a further half hour. All the "sittings" have half an hour to actually eat their lunch, though hot meals have to be collected in that time too.

Buttonmoons

DDs school has 2 sittings, however, they only get 45minutes at lunch as the school lets out 15minutes earlier now - basically to stop the trouble makers having more time in the playground to be disruptive. She's lucky if she has 15minutes, but that is enough time for her as all she has is a sandwich and a yoghurt & drink.

Not fair for the slow eaters or bigger appetites however.

kingfisherblue

Year 11 son, 35 minutes and they have to queue as the time is the same for the whole school. My son usually eats at morning break instead, as lunch break doesn't start until 1.05 and school starts at 8.30. He eats his breakfast by 8am, then has a baguette at break, which is 10.45-11.05. He has a snack after school at 3pm.

My other son is in a special school. He can choose when to go into the dining hall any time between 12-12.40. After this, the staff go and get any remaining children, to ensure that they have enough time to eat. Classes begin again at 1.10. My son is a slow eater, due in part gto physical abnormalities. He needs time to eat, so thirty minutes minimum.

MallyGirl

kingfisherblue wrote: »

Year 11 son, 35 minutes and they have to queue as the time is the same for the whole school. My son usually eats at morning break instead, as lunch break doesn't start until 1.05 and school starts at 8.30. He eats his breakfast by 8am, then has a baguette at break, which is 10.45-11.05. He has a snack after school at 3pm.

same as for my yr 9 DD, except she eats breakfast earlier as she has a 25 min walk to school and she doesn't come home till somewhat later

scooby088

I think they have around half an hour for lunch no sure really

pigpen

An hour.. and my daughter eats so slowly she is taken in first and usually still eating when everyone else is gone..

they alternate which classes go in first but it is usually KS1 in first and then KS2 the staff are staggered between so there is always a teach about as well as supervisors.

Gloomendoom

onlyroz wrote: »

When I was at school we had 50 minutes to get all 2000 students through lunch. There were 3 "sittings" and the group who went last didn't have a lot left to choose from.

They had a choice?

The only choice we had was to take it or leave it. Erstwhile fussy eaters rapidly became human dustbins.

suejb2

How old is your child?

In primary:
Nursery children go in at 11:50 last one leaves about half an hour later then play till 1:25
Years 1 and 2 come in 12:00 then out to play 12:20ish until 1:25
Years 3,4,5,6 are on a weekly rota starting at 12:30 . Whichever year is last is usually in the dinner hall for 12:50 - 12:55 last stragglers are out of the hall about 1:10-1:15 then all juniors back in class at 1:30.

Can you tell I'm a dinner lady? At my son's school though to answer your post

Secondary school. Again they go in a Rota but a permanent one , year 11,10,9,8, and poor year 7 always last. Dinner is 1:00 -2:00.