For DS's luch today I packed;

Tuna Sandwhich

Carrot sticks & homous,

Yougurt

A very small jam sandwhich with the crusts cut off.

I've never put in a jam sandwhich before, but have put in the odd digestive biscuit or mince pie.

DS tells me he wasn't allowed to eat the jam sandwhich, as they are banned, but they are allowed kitkats, he tells me. (no chance mate! )

So is this normal - are jam sanwhiches the work of the devil, even if they are organic bread with jam made by Granny?

Oh I never undertsand the logic of these rules. At ds1s school they're not allowed cerealbars/flapjack yet the school dinners children get a pudding!

Heh? Who checks what the children have got in their lunch boxes? Could he have misunderstood?
You should see what some of the kids at my school have in their lunch boxes, they would kill for a jam sandwich (defrosted ice pop, anyone?)

That is really odd.

Our only 'ban' is on anything normally found in the confectionery aisle (so choc biscuits okay, king size mars bar not okay).

The dses now have hot school lunches, but if jam sandwiches had been banned they'd have had ham or cheese sandwiches over and over again with no variation (sigh).

We ban nothing at our school. I don't see how you can.

I don't get it? What's wrong with a jam sandwich? It's ok to eat white plastic bread and processed salty ham but not jam? Why are schools allowed to dictate what is in a kids packed lunch (unless it's because someone has a serious allergy or something and then I do understand) bonkers

Def not the norm in our school.
Dd has jam sandwiches quite often (generally when there is nothign else )and noone has a problem with it. It is half sugar jam but school arent to know that.
you dont think he was just chancing his arm wiht the jam ban hoping for a kit kat next time instead? I wouldnt put that one past dd.

I'm tempted to send him with only Nutella Sandwhiches tommorow to see what they say.

I would speak to the class teacher about the school's policy on packed lunches. Get it from the horses mouth so to speak!

They inspect lunch boxes before the children are allowed to leave the dinner hall. I told DS to hide what he doesn't want to eat in the front pocket of his lunch box because some days you're hungrier than others and I don't believe in over stuffing yourself and feeling sick. Jam sandwiches are frowned upon by our "healthy schools" school but they still serve pudding and custard for hot dinners!

And he does know he can't hide the sandwich and fruit and eat the cake, he knows "my rules"!!!!

No it's most definitely not the norm. We have jam or honey once per week to give variation (chicken, ham, tuna and cheese on the other 4 days)

TBH the imposition of idiotic rules on "healthy eating" by ill-informed school staff, is becoming increasingly normal, yes.

HTH.

no rules here, but niticed recently that the reception children have to decant their lunchboxes to a plate before they can eat - maybe they are checking.

KBear - they inspect lunch boxes to make sure children have eaten everything - is that right? Goodness me. That's bizarre.

And Lynette - it was clearly pudding in your case, so not even debateable, surely? Dear Lord.

I am all for healthy eating, I am all for leading by example, but how is this teaching balance?

I can (sort of) understand them not being allowed jam sandwiches for dinner every day of the week.

But once, as an obvious pudding! Tis a tad ott imo

I really am going to send dd1 with penguins and crisps for lunch

they will not tell me what I decide to ive my childrten for lunch

there is a ban on nuts ans I will keep that up but apart from that, it is my choice

OMG if that's the case my DS won't be able to eat his lunch today, he has jam in his sandwiches!!!!

I also got told off for putting a Blue Riband wafer in his lunchbox the other day!

Second week at school and I've already got it spectacularly wrong!

Has the world gone mad???? Shouldn't we as parents have the right to be allowed to have a say in our children's upbringing?

I understand the whole Mars Bar and Nut issue. Actually in fact I put a Fruit and Fibre bar in his lunch today. Holy crap I think I've failed again

I understand that the school will not want children having certain things at lunchtime, e.g. fizzy drinks and sweets. I can imagine it would be quite hard to teach children if they are hyperactive from their lunch. Jam sandwiches sound okay to me though

There is a balance between putting a bunch of nutritionally valueless e-numbers in your kids' lunch boxes and putting a balanced meal in. A piece of cake or chocolate along with carbs, protein, fruit etc., is balanced. A piece of cake with smarties and fizzy drink isn't. The problem with the Healthy Schools stuff, is that it appears to be run by people who can only understand simple and incorrect messages like "fat =bad" and "sugar = bad" "fruit = good" etc. You would have thought that people in charge of educating children would have been able to absorb more complex messages, but it seems to be rather beyond them.

The thing that really annoys me about these rules is how they are inforced...Okay, jam sandwiches aren't allowed but did you know that? Why is your child 'not allowed' to eat what you have packed for them? How are they told they're not allowed
'Mummy has packed something for you that is very evil but don't worry, we are here to save you...' What messages are they sending out to children about the competence of their parents in their ability to feed them? Does this have a knock on effect at home?
Why aren't the school sending home notes like a bumped head notes that tells the parent that this food wasn't acceptable by the school and please not to have it again and the dialogue is then between the parent and the school and not the child and school.

Am I the only person who thinks it entirely reasonable for schools to have a healthy lunch box policy? School is about more than academic learning, and if there are guidelines about what should be in lunch boxes a few children might have healthy lunches who might otherwise exist on a diet of mars bars and panda-pops. I am prepared to give up my child's inalienable right to a jam sandwich if it means that another child actually gets a sandwich at all rather than crisps and coke.

I'm not convinced that anyone who is likely to come in with a horrendously unhealthy lunch is suddenly going to arrive with a healthy one just because there is a blanket ban on the humble jam sandwiche.

School can encourage healthy eating and discuss it, but I'm sorry (allergy issues like nuts aside) that is where is should end. They have no business banning foods from lunch boxes. Especially when they school lunches they offer include sweet puddings etc. Imo. This makes me extremely angry.

My dd's school are fixated on fruit and vegetables and by banning other snacks are sending out the message that a diet of exclusively fruit and vegetables is the only one that can be healthy. This is barmy. A good diet is inclusive of a range of foods. Banning things makes an issue of them and encourages a poor attitude to food.

God, am not looking forward to DS starting school if this is how they go on. I'll be rucking non stop! Nobody is going to tell me my child can't have bread and jam or a cereal bar! FGS.

I do observe the 'no cereal bar' thing but only because I'm never too sure if they have nuts in them or not.

I know people with nut allergies can feel a bit edgy about them so I don't put them in the lunch boxes. But yes, I certainly do include a small chocolate biscuit or cake.