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Original poster

Packed lunch-Red bull and monster munch.

57 replies

masma · 17/09/2018 15:49

Bear with me guys I know what I'm trying to say but I can't quite word it (newish poster).

I just read an article(don't know how to link sorry) where teachers were listing the worst things they have found in a pupils lunchbox one being red bull and monster munch,a cold happy meal,a can of shandy and a pork pie (because the pupil had to make lunch thereself) a packet of biscuits(because mum was sleeping) and one pupil said they had cereal with water for breakfast because mum had the milk for her coffee..

Is this real??i can't believe this there must be something that can be done?my little girl just started primary one (Scotland) and she had a packed lunch and is very fussy but I always give her a sandwich,strawberries,cheese string and water but I feel so sad for these other kids!

Sorry just wanted to talk about what I read.

OP posts:
Bobbiepin · 17/09/2018 18:05

When I trained as a teacher the EMA was cut and many of my FE students couldn't afford to come to college. Those who managed it instead of trying to find a job regularly raided the box of cereal bars and fruit I kept under my desk so they would have breakfast. Cost me about £15-20 A week but seriously helped some of them stay in education.

Temerity123 · 17/09/2018 18:08

Part time primary school teacher here. I’ve seen some pretty bad packed lunches. A cold, congealed pot noodles was one. A little packet of Haribo and a slice of bread was another. Loads of kids come to school on empty stomachs (medium to slightly affluent area, v small amount of social housing in catchment area). I always have apples, bananas and digestive biscuits in my classroom cupboard for hungry children. Not the best food for a hungry kid really but it does the job, is cheap enough for me to keep stocked up and not massively desirable, which stops the kids whose parents feed them well from pretending they haven’t eaten to get some.

jadeywadeyyox · 17/09/2018 18:13

Unfortunately stuff like this is very real, and it's heartbreaking.

My ex's aunt works for social services and she had a case where the mother was obese and only gave her children whatever she didn't want from her takeaways.
So these poor children literally had to scrounge for scraps.

A relative of my evil stepmum also had social services involved, apparently her sons would eat loafs of bread on a morning because she wouldn't get out of bed to feed them, and she put a lock on her bedroom door so they couldn't come into her room to wake her, and she put door alarms on the boys rooms so if they opened the door the alarm would go off. APPARENTLY, because it's word of mouth from her sister, the boys were so scared to leave their room on a morning that they would pee in their toy box 💔😭
Devistating doesn't even begin...

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General education
IncyWincyGrownUp · 17/09/2018 18:15

The worst lunch box I’ve seen was a child who had a plain piece of bread. Nothing else, just a clingwrapped piece of bread. The child was given a free school lunch. It’s not uncommon. It’s rage inducing that we have children in this situation.

YeTalkShiteHen · 17/09/2018 18:16

I also think there’s an enormous difference (and it’s easy to tell) between a child whose lunch is shite because of lazy parenting, and one where money or lack of is an issue.

Most of the things listed as being included in crap lunches are expensive.

jadeywadeyyox · 17/09/2018 18:17

Oh and my lil guy (5) is on free school dinners at the minute, but he used to be on packed lunch and either shared it with his friends or come home with loads left because I packed so much for him 😂
I don't know how people can do that to children, but people also do worse 😕😕😕 it's awful.

SoyDora · 17/09/2018 18:25

And spare a thought for the children, for whom the summer holidays mean no free school meals

A charity in my village runs a ‘holiday lunch club’ to feed hungry kids over the holidays.

iloveredwine · 17/09/2018 18:51

Where I used to live in very rural Scotland they have started doing a collection of cereal boxes before the summer holidays so all the children who need it can have breakfast during the holidays. They have also started providing free school lunch in the holidays for the ones who need it. Awful in this day in age.

Bimgy85 · 17/09/2018 18:56

L

Saggital · 17/09/2018 19:33

It’s nothing new. It’s widespread and a small but significant minority’s in the sense it matters. Not always to do with money but shit parenting. I saw it in the 70’s, many kids would steal others lunches as they had nothing provided. I think it’s worse now though. Unlikely to get better.

LARLARLAND · 17/09/2018 19:42

It’s so upsetting reading about these poor kids and their shit lunches. If this is a regular thing for them they’ll be suffering from malnourishment.

liverbird79 · 17/09/2018 20:17

My dad works as a "labourer" in social housing.

I've said social housing as these are the jobs he gets due to the contract he's on. I'm not suggesting that it's because it's social housing residents only that are guilty of this. I live in social housing myself.

But anyway, he comes home and tells me he sees kids have wotsits for breakfast and last nights chips.

I guess it's a mix of a few can't be arsed and a lot of cant afford.

It's horrible.

PoptartPoptart · 17/09/2018 20:26

There was a child a few years ago (age 7) who had a single value 19p jam donut for lunch every day.
So so sad.

ThisIsNotARealAvo · 17/09/2018 20:33

Why are there always people on these threads surprised that there are families in abject poverty who can't provide a decent packed lunch? Then there are all the ghouls who come on to describe all the awful packed lunches they've seen, and the fake-worried parents who are all like "I only give a wholemeal sandwich, homemade flapjack and some fruit, hope I'm not going to get judged."

There are many schools all over the uk in which families are in desperate need.

KatieMarieJ · 17/09/2018 20:38

@JadeyWadeyox - if I recall correctly the case with the children using the toybox as a toilet was part of a serious case review. Something is in the back of my head that I know the case.

I just don't understand it. I'll never understand it. Not in 2018. Not in the UK.

What's the solution?

Original poster
masma · 17/09/2018 22:31

Sorry I only just realised how many replies this thread had got!

I was just so upset after reading the article i am mum to DD(5) and I would give her my last anything it just makes me so so sad to think of other kids hungry!i feel like school dinners should be free to all kids not just p1-p3(Scotland) but I'm not sure if this would be allowed?

I am under no illusions that some of the examples mentioned in my OP are just poor lazy parenting and some can be part of a lunch I was just using what I read.

OP posts:
YeTalkShiteHen · 18/09/2018 06:27

I queried the free P1-3 meals when DD started, I was worried it meant P4-7 would miss out but apparently not, it also includes breakfast club in our LA if they go.

I think it’s batshit that someone with a household income of 50k (where I live, I know that’s not huge elsewhere) in P1-3 would automatically get a free school dinner, but someone with a household income of 7k in P4 wouldn’t and would have to apply.

StealthPolarBear · 18/09/2018 07:21

I was just thinking the same hen. Some of this is poverty and some are pure neglect.

YeTalkShiteHen · 18/09/2018 07:29

StealthPolarBear I think it’s really important to distinguish between the two. One is a parent with not enough money trying their bloody hardest in a shit situation, the other is a parent who can’t be arsed to parent.

I’d hate for them to be mixed up, or worse, lumped together! Granted it hasn’t happened that I’ve seen on this thread, but it often happens and that’s awful.

Original poster
masma · 18/09/2018 08:23

I was genuinely just using examples from the article, I know some are lazy and some are generally struggling.

I just feel like there must be something else we can do in this day and age where kids get a decent meal.This is my daughters first year at school started p1 in August so I have been oblivious to it until now.

OP posts:
YeTalkShiteHen · 18/09/2018 08:24

masma I didn’t mean you had, sorry. I’ve just seen how these threads go before and wanted to differentiate to kind of head it off before it started if that makes sense?

YeTalkShiteHen · 18/09/2018 08:25

I just feel like there must be something else we can do in this day and age where kids get a decent meal

Vote the Tories out and hope the next government is better. It’s about the only thing I can think of.
I mean, it’s ace that LAs and charities are filling the gap, but there shouldn’t be a gap in the first place.

BMW6 · 18/09/2018 09:32

Voting the Tories out will achieve fuck all when it is shitty parenting to blame.
There has always been people who should not be allowed to have a goldfish, let alone a child.

YeTalkShiteHen · 18/09/2018 09:36

Voting the Tories out will achieve fuck all when it is shitty parenting to blame

You missed the point completely there didn’t you? That comment was in relation to parents in poverty doing their best, not bone idle arseholes who shouldn’t be parents.

There’s a difference.

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