How does your DC's Junior school collect dinner money?

[create]

Ay mine, it's £1.70 paid in cash on the day and hande over as they collect thier lumch. This means children from 7yo have to look after the money until lunchtime, including taking it out in the playground with them if they're on the second sitting.

DS1 (and many others) often lose their money. The school office will replace it so they can have lunch and them I get a curt note about making sure my child always has sufficient dinner money. or a packed lunch as the office cannot keep lending money and I must reimbirse them asap...

They know the children lose it because the actually joke about hoe rich anyone who could be bother to open the drain in the playground would be.

I have a number of issues with this

-It's bad enough paying for lunch once, without doing it twice
-I am worried about where the money goes, i.e. is it "lost" or stolen, although DS is admanat he's lost it
-I always put it in a sealed envelope with his name on (in line with the schools requests) so if it is lost, it should turn up. Last time apparently he had it in his shirt pocket in the playground and it "must have fallen out when he was running"
-Finding the cash daily is a pin and there must be a better way to do this.

What does your school do?

[AlaskaNebraska]

why not pay for the week?
how odd. how antiquated.
why not write a cheque for hte week

[create]

And I should have spellchecked, sorry

[bumpybecky]

I pay by cheque at the beginning of (half) term, but she only has dinners on Fridays

Others pay in cash to the cashier on Monday mornings, or by cash or cheque via an envelope given to the teacher/ta

Giving coins to children that age is daft. I'm surprised the school allows it, there must be so many losing their money

[create]

I'd love to Alaska, but he has to have cash to hand to the kitchen staff on the day. Seems like madness to me. I've suggested that to the office staff, who got all defensive and I spoke to the head c. 6 months ago and it was on her list of things that need changing, but I've just heard that the same system will be used next year.

[MumInBeds]

they don't allow daily paying for the reasons you describe (and because we can only change from school dinners to packed lunch on a weekly basis) but accept weekly, half-termly and termly payment.

I pay either half-termly or termly through the office as I believe there should be no visible difference to the children to distinguish paid and free dinners.

[PestoEatsPasties]

At our school they take £2.00 in a money pot (old film carton or Gu pot). These are labelled with name & class and put into an icecream tub as soon as they arrive in the classroom. These tubs are taken to the office who then puts the number of dinners required to the kitchen.

At lunchtime, each child lines up and is given back their dinner money pot aswell as their dinner, after having paid for it.

Hopefully they then bring said pot home again for parent/carer to re-fill with another £2.00 for the next day's lunch, if required.

[AlaskaNebraska]

id write to the chair of governors suggesting a review

[Fimbo]

I work in a school as a ta. In the morning after the register is taken the children put their envelopes/purses in a tin and then take it out with them at lunchtime. Haven't come across many who lose them between the small window of play before going for lunch where it is then handed over to the kitchen staff. You can pay monthly/weekly or termly in advance too by cheque.

[AlaskaNebraska]

we have a post box in the playground

[RustyBear]

I work at a junior school and often help in the office - we are not supposed to handle the dinner money as the dinners are supplied by an ouitside firm. Parents can pay by the term/halfterm/week in advance, or if they want a dinner on an irregular basis, children are supposed to bring their money in a named envelope or purse and give it to whoever is doing the register, who puts it in a dinner money pouch which then goes to the kitchen, along with the dinner list, which shows which child wants which menu choice (normally hot meal, vegetarian option or salad)

If a child forgets their money, the office will lend it, make a note and send a note to the parents asking for a refund.

[MrsJohnDeere]

Cheque or cash in advance for each half term. Paid to lady in the office by parent/CM/nanny. Tiny village school so there aren't hundreds of parents traipsing in.

[mrsfred]

We pay in advance per half-term, by cash to the school office or online.

[elphiethropp]

Termly by cash, cheque or direct debit to the office

[roisin]

We pay half termly in advance by cheque to the school office.

No-one told us this option was available, everyone else just pays in cash each Monday morning. But I couldn't be bothered and chose to start paying this way.

[create]

That's what I was minded to do Alaska. Which points do you think would have most effect. I'm thinking the potential for bullying, but don't wasnt to start throwing accusations around.

Also both my DCs have new teachers next term and there's a new head starting, so the first thing any of them will know about us is that I'm a stoppy cow. Does that matter do you think?

[AlaskaNebraska]

maybe the new head doesnt know the problems
id keep it simple and personal
dear heady head head,
describe problem
say how it causes issues
suggest simpler solution

copy to chair of govs

[Galena]

Online, in advance only via parent pay. No cash accepted.

[AlaskaNebraska]

online excludes those not online

[Galena]

You can go online for free at libraries.

[TheNextMrsDepp]

Goodness me, what a nightmare expecting juniors to hang on to dinner money on a daily basis. Mine can't even get a letter to their teacher safely.

We pay half-termly, online to Surrey CC (dead easy), or if you want to pay by cheque you can. Or by week if you want to spread the cost (but we're in quite an affluent area, so most pay half-termly). No money ever changes hands.

[iloveasylumseekers]

half termly in advance online (Surrey CC too)

[mrz]

All our children get free meals but before the initiative was introduced parents paid for the full week on a Monday by sending the money in a sealed envelope with the child's name and class. A few parents paid half termly by cheque

[Takver]

TA sits at desk in the entrance hall every morning ticking off who is having dinners that day as they come in (you can switch between dinners/packed lunch by the day if you want).
Children give the money to her - generally weekly in cash on a Monday, but you appear to be able to pay whenever & however you want (I generally send a cheque). I've heard - via a friend who did it - that you can run up quite a large debt before you get asked to cough up.
It is very convenient for parents - but rather time/resource intensive IMO - personally I'd be quite happy to pay weekly or indeed half termly (though I know that would be hard for those on a tight budget) and commit to lunches for that week and/or half term.

[roadkillbunny]

We can pay daily, weekly, fortnightly or per half term, bacicly any way as long as by the end of each half term you have paid for as many dinners as your child has had, paying in arears is fine, they prefere you to pay on a monday or friday for the sake of the office staff but it's not a problem to pay any other time. It's a small school (120 pupils approx) and dd is just finishing reseption but the rules are the same throughout the school. Seems like madness to put the money in the hands of small children, when dd started in September a group of us parents were conserned that the children were asked on a daily basis if they were packed or hot lunch, we were worried a 4 year old new to school would get confused (never happend though, staff to good!) so could imagine the parental responce if children had to handle the money!

[Seona1973]

my dd has had to pay at dinner time by handing over the money to the dinner lady and getting her change (the amount varies as to what they are having so there is no set price to pay) since she started primary school at the age of 4. She has lost 2 purses in 2 years but she does tend to sit it down in the playground rather than put it in her pocket so she is lucky she hasnt lost more than 2!! We can choose day to day whether she is having a school dinner or a packed lunch.