Boarding school - is it normal?

We had ok food (catered by external catering company I think). Decent quality - I mean probably similar to what I had at uni but with more choice. We could have seconds as well - but not at uni.

5 times a day is a lot of times to eat in a day. But I guess teenage boys who do lots of exercise and are growing might have a big requirement. Check his height and weight are normal and if he seems healthy (ie normal energy levels) - if not may need to see a doctor.

Cereal bars might be a good idea - can get these at supermarkets and are dried food. If you haven’t always stayed in UK, sometimes I know relatives who find this country cold - maybe the school temperature is lower than at home. I guess you could wear a jumper to sleep?

Yours sound s like one of mine OP wrt the major works going on.
However, before 'works' there was always a cooked breakfast option, with lots of other offerings too, hot lunch, pasta and salad bars, jkt pots and hot and cold puds. Same evening. House Kitchen for making toast or cooking extras and making hot and cold drinks.
Sunday brunch was treat of the week with Hogwarts style lashings of everything! Pancakes and pain au chocolate, cooked options. Also things like eggs and bread and fruit always available in house.
It's wrong to stop you having whatever bed linen you need,so very different there. DC have whatever blanket/s, hot water bottle, duvet, needed to be warm enough, but was always warm enough.

Not normal.

Dd was a day student in a relatively underfunded school but she boarded at certain times of the year.

Breakfast was a help yourself affair in the boarding house. Cereals,toast, croissants plus a different hot option each day. Tea coffee hot chocolate.

Then mid morning fruit snack (variable quality). Lunch was standard school
Dinners but there was always a salad bar with bread rolls and a selection fiinnif cheese, tuna, ham etc and home made soups.

Mid afternoon juice & biscuit

Evening meal was the worst, not a huge amount of choice, however back at the boarding house kids were free to make themselves snacks such as toast, noodles, etc.

My DDs never had much tuck from me. They had great food when boarding and always said if was like s restaurant.

Regarding bedding - of course bedding from home is not a fire risk! That is total rubbish. I provided all the bedding for DDs. The school didn’t provide any. Give him a fleece blanket or a quilt and pop it under the duvet. Definitely get fleece pyjamas and wear a dressing gown if he really is cold! No housemaster is going to check the bedding on every bed. Don’t expect them to wash extra bedding. Take it home for washing.

malmontar I couldn't agree more about the nuts.
Just send him back with really nutritious tuck every week. Homemade cakes made with ground almonds, Just no.

It isn't a problem I've encountered, OP. DS (the only one of my DC who is currently boarding - and he's a full boarder, not a weekly boarder) moans about the food being 'rubbish' (esp. turkey carbonara, apparently). I also get phone calls most Saturdays asking for a bank transfer so he can order in a pizza . But he also says that they are fed five times a day (inc. snacks), and says there is sometimes more food than even he can manage. Brunch on Sundays apparently consists of about a million pains au chocolat, washed down by hot chocolate, as they haven't had enough sugar by then. I largely let this all (including the requests for pizza money: there's a perfectly good dining room) wash over me, and suggest you do the same. Nobody will starve as a result.

Just send him back with really nutritious tuck every week. Homemade cakes made with ground almonds, soya flour, loads of eggs and butter; oat flapjacks with chunks of nut and dark chocolate in; beef jerky or salami sticks if he'll eat either of them, packets of Bombay mix, pretzels, peanuts and a basket of fruit.

If you can't send extra bedding, can you buy him some thick fleece PJs and bed socks? They'll help keep him warm.

I have no idea about any of this and feel very bad for him and you.. I wouldn’t want to be spending so much money on a school and still spending more on extra food for him. But anyway point of my comment was the nuts sugfestion, surely that’s the one thing they’re not allowed to bring? That’s more dangerous than a duvet I mean no school I’ve ever been or worked in has allowed nuts in.

Re warmth, can you send him in with a onesie rather than pyjamas? He may have to choose it, but my 6'2" 15 year old regularly goes to bed in a giant bunnie onesie at home! Other onesies are available . . . .!

DS and DD both went to large boarding school and food was always nutrias and plentiful as well as extra in house if they needed it after training and activities.
I would definitely speak to the houseparents and the school.

That's interesting @BareBum as my kids schools have always been against taking extra blankets in as it's a fire risk.

Why do you have to ask about a second duvet? Just send him back with one. I work in a boarding house and couldn’t care less how many duvets/blankets a kid piles on their bed. Totally their choice.
The food situation doesn’t sound good; letting children go hungry is horrendous. Our boys pile their plates up with several chicken breasts and large amounts of carbs and vegetables - as much as they need.

do they not have access to a small kitchen in the boarding house for toast / cereal etc? Could he take noodles and cous cous or rice that only needs hot water adding to it?
my dc's schools serve plenty of food but ds still orders a pizza in at the weekend!
I would tell the school you're sending an extra duvet in as ds is cold and let them sort it out. Dd has just taken an extra duvet back with her.
And mention to the matron and/or housemaster about the food.
Good luck!

I work in a boarding school and portion sizes are huge. Lunch is always a generous main, option to have soup starter, huge salad bar, range of desserts, bread. Pasta bar everyday for those who don't like the main. Cafe open at various times for burgers and chocolate type food. If anything, boarding houses are too hot, as heating seems to be full on or full off type set up. Brunch is similar to what you describe but huge range of hot and cold options that would keep most going for hours, can go up for seconds,etc.
I'd definitely try to get to the bottom of this as your son shouldn't be cold or hungry when at school.

Not the main refectory but the in school coffee bar did paninins etc throughout the day. They had breakfast - cooked in refectory or toast/cereal/croissants/yoghurt in house.
Mid morning hot or cold drinks and snacks from coffee shop, in house, refectory.
Lunch in refectory with several choices plus salad bar, baked potatoes as well as the coffee shop offerings. They could cook for themselves in house too but few did.
Afternoon tea - sandwiches, cakes, sausage in a bun, fruit etc.
Supper in refectory. Three courses with plenty of choice. Pizza van doing wood fired pizza. Take away delivery permitted.
Late Brew in house - toast, biscuits and cheese, beans on toast.
Then special events and meals regularly. Included cheese and wine club, Indian restaurant trips etc.

I just can’t imagine anyone was ever hungry - except by choice.

It sounds absolutely normal for my DC boarding school (mixed, year 6 to year 13). They seemed surprised when I sent him in with a snack box (based on helpful advice from here); they struggled to have enough milk available for hot drinks in the afternoon/evening so hot chocolate became an issue. When I sent it in in a labelled jar it disappeared.

Portion sizes seem small for both lunch (school catered) and the boarding tea. Choice is very limited. Seem to serve a lot of curries (about the only thing DC doesnt eat) and the veggie choice - another curry. The boarders are only allowed out on a Thursday to the local shop. I am actually laughing at the idea of takeway pizza or other.

3 years in - no amount of complaining from me (very politely) - has made a jot of difference.

Not my experience nor my daughters.
All had experience of breakfast with cooked options every day, break with fruit or cake, lunch, tea with cake or toast, supper.
Then boarding houses had kitchenette where toast and hot drinks were available.
We also had tuck

How much food do you think your child needs? If they were at day school they would not be able to continually go get food all day.
At home do you expect then to eat at any time or do you have meal times?
I'd take it all with pinch of salt.. What actually happens and what teens say happens may not be the same

Tangerines

Chat to the school

What height/weight is your don?

I’d pack nuts, seeds, crackers, dried fruit,

@iwantasofa same here. Mid 90s for me, but Sundays meant long chapel, crappy "brunch", long, long hours of nothing to do and being cold and hungry a lot.

I worked at a very exclusive and well-regarded girls' boarding school for a short period in 1998-9 (I couldn't stick it, all the homesick miserable kids). The situation there was no better. The cheapest, shittest food, not enough of it and long periods of boring nothingness at the weekends.

I wouldn't let my children within 50 yards of a boarding school. The parents have no idea.

Sounds suspiciously like my son's boarding school

I was gobsmacked when I found out what the portions were. Wouldn't feed a small child never mind 6ft tall rugby lads

We send plenty of tuck in for DS and he is allowed out most nights to town where he buys a sandwich or something to top up his evening meal

Never had a complaint about hunger at boarding school before from my lot.Is he going up for seconds? Or even thirds as I know one of my sons does most days!