stopping work because childcare not working

Lillibet_2

Sarahsaver wrote:

An update...
I am FUMING.
My son's school has said he cannot have packed lunch until after CHRISTMAS!!!
Can you believe it? How the hell do they expect him to settle in? He would be allowed to stay if he had school dinners. Bloody lunacy. How the hell am going to get any work done? I have an interview to conduct followed by a 1500 word article today. This situation is a pile of crap. I have to talk to someone else at the school but I was too upset to go and do it there and then. Complicated by the fact that I am a school governor :rolleyes:

Erm...Sorry Sarah, but I don't understand what you're trying to say! Please take a deep breath, and explain clearly;)

Sarahsaver

the school has healthy schools status and this has something to do with him not being allowed to have packed lunch til after xmas, but he could have a school dinner. Pile of you know what! What if he has specific dietary needs? I dont want to be forced into giving him a school meal. Or have to pay out £1.50 a day for that junk.
Lillibet what a beautiful baby, I am due to send you something if u still want it, congrats again.:)

Prudent

This seems a bit unfair. Surely a packed lunch can be just as healthy?

Sarahsaver

more so i would have thought! They had curly fries at school one day last week, and chicken nuggets. YummEEE :rolleyes:

Lillibet_2

Oh I understand now, sorry for being a bit dim:rolleyes:

Doesn't sound at all fair, def take it up with them. What if you don't send any dinner money but do send a packed lunch, are they going to make him go hungary? In fact, immoral & unethical it might be, but I'd consider inventing a special dietary need just to prove my case if need be if it were me! Not that I'm advocating this route you understand;) (Spuds dietry need number 1 :it NEEDS to be organic for his future health.....you get hte idea?) Apart from anything else, what happend to freedom of choice? Or does that not apply in state schools any more?


Good luck.

Sarahsaver

i went in on the off chance that the head was available, and said that I will not be forced into giving my son school meals, and that If he has to come home for lunch I will be out of work. He would not 'officially' be allowed to start packed lunch until after Christmas! I have managed to get him into packed lunch, now I have the prob. at the other end of the day with the after school club, then it will all be sorted LOL

Glad

what reason did the Head give for the packed lunch not being allowed?
I thought maybe it could be a staffing issue watching whilst a lot of very young children cope with a packed lunch,
whilst you were there did you talk with him about the after school club?

Sarahsaver

The after school club, whilst being in the same building, is administratively/staff wise/financially separate so I am off there to see the group leader soon. At least I have nearly 400 words done of a 1500 word article I have to do, so I'm not beat yet!
The meal issue is to do with the school's newly awarded healthy schools status. :rolleyes:
I will explain that little gem later!;)

Sarahsaver

the reason for the dinner thing was the school's healthy school status, that MOST children will be better off eating what the school gives them. (it's a deprived area - 40% free school meals or thereabouts)
This could be another reason why my son has problems, after all he has gone from the private sector where his pals had bouncy castles delivered to the school for their birthdays, mummies and daddies with VERY big houses and very well paid jobs, and the older kids' in the school their trip was to morocco! Culture shock indeed.
Afterschool, I am trying to pick him up a couple of times a week a bit early but that does mean my business will have to take a bit of a back seat. They seemed to have relented somewhat anyway. Doing my head in, they keep changing their tack.
I do feel like I am being picked on but all I could do is complain to the governors, and I am the vice-chair :rolleyes:

Pooky

Counting_Pennies wrote:

Are you sure there aren't any mums who pick up their children who wouldn't mind having the one who can't stay in the after school club.

I am sure there will be one, if you ask in the playground who would do it for a nominal donation of a joint of meat, supermarket voucher, or a monthly pampering session in the local health centre. (I gather from my sister that unless you are a registered childminder there are a mass of legal implications if you accept cash, hence suggesting a gift of some sort to come to the cost of what childcare would be).

You can look after a child for less than 2 hours without having to be registered as a childminder, but it's an offence to accept any kind of payment or gift for the service.

I personally wouldn't put upon anyone to pick up my kids unless I was paying them and doing it properly. I know from experience that however good the intentions are to start with you soon start to feel "put upon" and if for any reason you can't pick up because of your own family problems/illness then you're stuck.