Are “home lunches” still a thing at your children’s school?

Home dinner was a thing at my English primary, 90s/00s.

They're not a thing at my children's school though- and we live across the road so it'd be very convenient if it was! But I think they have a shorter lunchtime than the hour we used to get.

My mum occasionally took us out for picnic lunch at the park behind the school field during summer.

And in year 5&6 a friend and I would sometimes say we were home dinner, and we'd go back to hers while her parents were out. The school gates were always open so we'd just walk out at lunchtime and return for afternoon registration 😬

Kids who go home for lunch miss out on a key point of socialisation with their peers during the school day. They eat lunch together and chat over their food, they play running about on the playground after eating.

I don't think it's that great for kids to regularly miss that

What a lovely idea, it wasn't an option an for me in the late 80's early 90's although to was very easy to sneak out of middle school 😳 in secondary school the 6th formers could leave. DH who started school in the late 70's always went home for lunch as he lives a few minutes walk away, he has fond memories of watching Neighbors with his mum 😊

I think it is sad in a way, we are 300 yards from the school so it would be nice for DD to come home some days especially in the summer but like people have said would be a nightmare to manage with the way things are now

I used to go home for lunch most days (90s). I think I was about P5 before I had a school lunch/packed lunch and was nervous about where to go and what to do (massive primary, we went in for lunch in year groups with P7 monitors standing with hands up to indicate how many seats were available at their table and other monitors directing you to a seat so often split up from friends)

DC can come home I think but I’ve only seen people do it on the day of parties/discos.

Not an option at my kids school.

Do you think it also links to school size? My own primary school was a single form entry, whereas my children's has two classes per year, and some local schools have three. So potentially 60-90 children per year group which I imagine could be a logistical nightmare of getting in and out of school and them fitting in lunch.

Also people tend to travel further for school, so it's not just a case of popping 5 mins up the road. For me it's a 10 mins drive on a good day, so 20 mins at least of an hour lunch would be taken up with that. Then the issue of dropping back, finding a parking space. It would be a nightmare.

Ah this has unlocked some great memories. I did it in the 80s at primary till I convinced my mum to let me have school dinners.

In senior school in the 90s we definitely left school at lunchtime. I don’t know what the actual policy was but we never got stopped or in trouble for it. We literally walked out the front gate. I think it was frowned upon but they didn’t enforce it. It mainly involved walking to the local chippie for the ‘school special’ which was chips and gravy. Good times. (Now I want chips and gravy)

It’s an option at my DC’s school but I don’t know anyone who has taken it up. I think most parents drop their DC at school and are happy not to get them back until 3 pm!

Never were, even when I was school. The VIth formers were allowed out. My kids only get 35 minutes for lunch, it wouldn’t work on that basis along with all the signing in and out.

I didn't find that as there quite a few of us went home for lunch and we'd all hang together and gradually peel off as we passed people's houses then pick each other up again on the way back.

It absolutely would! Those poor children with no mother to take them home for lunch!

Its still a thing at my daughters school. We dont do it much as I work, but wfh so maybe once or twice a year

You’ve reminded me that my mother used to take me out of primary school occasionally for a fish and chip lunch in town. It was such a treat! This was in the 60s though..

I remember it being an option when I was at primary school in the 80s. Only a minority of kids actually did it though. I do think it would be a useful option for some families now.

I think it became an option again it would become another stick to beat mothers (but not fathers) with. Already its the use of nurseries and wrap around care (but simultaneously they must work for their "career" and "pension") but then adding somehow being available daily in the middle of the day.

@Gladla i don’t think it’s “offered “ however. Do it with my child . Infact just yesterday .
Fussy eater and being rushed with their lunch are my two reasons .
Never going to get the best from them if they don’t eat .
However I do think it takes time away from their “play time “ with friends so it’s not something I would do every day .

I remember it being an option when I was small so late 70s - though it was too far for me and mum to walk there and back . It would have been invaluable with my own DS2 though - he would have been better off starting school much later than they have to . He told me me not long ago he used to consider climbing over the fence and coming home . He did once hide in the playground at lunch and they didn’t find him till end of school

It's a thing in other countries like France, I don't know why it's not an option here. Their lunch breaks are long enough, and with strict catchment areas, most kids should be living very close from most schools anyway.

It's one of these things that only seems to be an issue because we make it one, other countries don't have more staff available, they're just organised slightly differently and better.

No, but then we have 350 kids so we'd have to have a dedicated team to manage it.

Awww I'd forgotten about this. I had regular home lunches with my mam in the 90s and would love to do the same with my kids now but it's not an option.

I used to go home for lunch at High school but no it’s not a thing anymore. I think it would be good to introduce it again, might help with the bullying problems.

I think it was an option at my primary school (88-95), but not something that many children did. Most had school dinners or a packed lunch.

It's not an option, or at least not a publicised one, at my DCs' primary.

I was going to say this.

Different country but my mum used to collect me for lunch at nursery (ages 4 to 6) and I was bullied by the other kids with comments like "oooh mummy's baby, gets taken home, spoiled brat" and so on, which I still remember 50 years on

Oh and pupils can go wherever they like at lunchtime at my DD’s secondary. They probably keep a few of the local businesses afloat. Notably the chippy! Members of the senior management float around some of the local haunts to keep a check on them.

I remember going home for lunch sometimes in junior school in the late 80's/early 90's. It was a nice change of pace, especially when I was having some friendship issues. Better lunch that way too!

It's not an option at DD's primary school.

We always went home for lunch. Never had to be collected, just walked home, watched Rainbow while eating beans on toast, and then walked back to school for the afternoon. Happy memories!