To be pissed off with school ?!

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Ds5 went back to school today (Y1)

Everybody in the school has packed lunches as their are no cooking facilities .
When we got to school the Teacher informed us from tomorrow that we can no longer take our own pa led lunches in as school will supply them due to the new law that has come in .

They will be providing packed lunches for all under 7s which will be a choice of a Cheese or Ham sandwich , a piece of fruit and a drink of water

AIBU to think they could of sent a blooming letter out before everybody wasted their money on new packed lunch boxes etc , Oh and not forgetting the fridge full of packed lunch stuff that I bought yesterday for the next fortnight

The choices are ridiculous my Dn attends the same school & she is Muslim so can't eat the Ham & she won't eat cheese so what is she suppose to do ?
Also my Ds&Dn take pasta salad etc in as well yet now because it is law they have to have a sandwich

I'm actually fuming at this

[Hoppinggreen]

There is no new law - it's the provision of free school meals for all key stage 1 children. There IS no law to say theta you can't take your own packed lunch. It may be school policy though, which you can challenge

[PenisesAreNotPink]

Didn't you realise your school was one of the ones doing this? It's been all over the news.

Your nieces mum could have prepared her to eat cheese over the summer - it's not a niche food

I think the only basis you have for talking to the school is that it doesn't sound enough food

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

I'll speak to the Head teacher tomorrow

[ClaimedByMe]

I thought they were all entitled to a free school meal but it's not compulsory, I am in Scotland and ours don't start free lunches until January but I'm sure they don't have to have one.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

It is annoying that you've wasted money but seems a bit of an overreaction to be fuming.

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Dn won't eat cheese whatever way it is disguised .

I honestly didn't think my Ds school would be doing this what with having no cooking facilities , they really should have sent a letter out its not like they don't have students addresses

[Balaboosta]

I'd be fuming.

[HighwayDragon]

I'd ve sending food anyway in those circs a sandwich and a piece of fruit would not be enough food for my 4yo!

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Id be more annoyed at the portion - a ham sandwich and a piece of fruit seems a pretty measley lunch.

[Purplehonesty]

That is not great - loads of fussy children wouldn't want that for lunch everyday. And it's not a lot for lunch really is it?
You should be able to take your own tho, your child your rules I would have said! There is no law to say they have to eat it.

[CarmineRose1978]

I'd be annoyed at the lack of choice... Ham or cheese every day, with no variety? Plus I doubt it'll be naice ham.

[GhoulWithADragonTattoo]

The school should have told you in good time. There are a lot of changes at our school as a result of this and they sent out a letter back in July saying what would change. They are asking everyone to have lunches but you can still take a packed lunch if you insist. Also the packed lunch they are offering needs to be a lot more varied.

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

So it's an over reaction to be fuming that I spent £20 on a packed lunch box and sandwich tub etc that won't be used because they couldn't be bothered to send a letter out ?!

Oh & that my Ds is stuck with the same thing for his dinner for the next 2 years , not even a carrot to munch on or a wider variety of sandwiches .

[ohdearitshappeningtome]

Prepare somebody to eat something they don't like? Really???

Speak to school is the best advice !

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

It won't fill my Ds either , he likes to take Cucumber and other Veg to munch on along with crackers and a yoghurt .
It's just not feesable for that to fill a growing child .

Can't forget the Cold scotch pancakes and raisins they get at break time though

[SavoyCabbage]

I can't imagine knowing that I was going to have a ham sandwich or a cheese sandwich five days a week for the next two years!

It's a bit uninspiring.

[mimishimmi]

That is not a healthy lunch. Where are the veges? Today my son took in wholemeal couscous with vegetables, an apple and some dried apricots. Tomorrow he's be taking in brown rice mixed with chicken and blackbean stew...haven't decided on snacks yet. I'd be really unhappy if they forced everyone to eat a bloody cheese sandwich (probably on white bread) every single day.

[ICanSeeTheSun]

My son would starve.

He doesn't do sandwiches. He don't do food that touches. He has seen a dietician and peadtrician (spelling) then he doesn't like the texture or taste of fruit. He will now drink water.

I hope they have a back up plan for children like my son who I could get a medical note exempting him

[MrsCurrent]

What a load of rubbish, I would be fuming. My kids have a much better packed lunch than that and have some variety too. Where is the salad, veg, yoghurt etc? That would just send them home hungry. Plus I've just forked out for lunch kit too.

[Hurr1cane]

I would not be happy with that either. They have fruit for snack already and adding an additional fruit at lunch time would send my DS into chronic shitting mode, he gets his 5 a day through vegetables not acidy fruit that messes up his stomach.


Plus the cheese and the ham is probably all processed garbage and it's probably also white bread.

[SapphireMoon]

I am sure the school cannot stop parents sending children ion with their own pack lunch.
Accepting free school meals in KS1 is not compulsory.

[Idontseeanysontarans]

That's an awful lunch - you can bet the sandwiches will be tiny and there will be a small portion of fruit. Not filling enough for young children at all.
Speak to other parents, get their opinions, get the PTFA on side if possible and speak to the head.

[FryOneFatManic]

It's not a new law. And parents do still have the choice to not take up the free lunches.

I would be speaking to the school on the grounds that the choice is very limited, and the portion size as described is measly. A sandwich and a piece of fruit is not a reasonable lunch.

If the lack of notice is as you describe then the school haven't handled this well.

I also don't agree with a PP who suggested that the DN should have been prepared to eat cheese. I don't force food on my DCs I know they don't like.

[Mumto3dc]

Last term at my dc school we all had county council letters asking if we wanted to opt in or opt out of FSMs.

If you opted in you still get to choose on a day by day basis if your dc has school lunch or home pack up.

So I would say your dcs school has got the new policy wrong. Talk it out with the HT.

[RiverTam]

that's an appalling lunch. I'd be firing on all cyclinders at that. Unnutritious, unvarying, insubstantial.