School dinners cost to rise..

[Orangesandlemons77]

Had this in the recent newsletter, prices to rise anyone else?

Considering sending sandwiches in on some days. We use Parentpay and feel like I'm already often topping it up with £50... two teens,

So really, your worry isn't the fact school dinners have gone up, is it? Tell them to buy their own snacks with their own money and you'll save a fortune.

At the risk of sounding ancient, most of my school were quite capable of getting through a school day (which was longer then), with just a school dinner and perhaps the odd pack of sweets bought along the way.

Well they all seem to buy muffins, it's sixth form (17 yrs old) and they have their own cafe..it's a bit of a treat them having it and it's only for the sixth form so I feel a bit mean telling them to stop.

They are also older and growing a lot so eating more (13 and 17) it's all from the school canteen not out of school (we used to go to the chip shop when I was a teen!)

Well it's both really, had an email about price rises which prompted me to look at the menus on Parentpay where you can see what they eat over a week.

Give them an amount per day/week. Make it clear that is it and they will need to learn how to plan it sensibly. They can take snacks in with them if needed.

if you know they can get a decent meal for £3 a day then out £15 a week on and leave them to figure the rest

My son takes snacks and drinks from home as the mark up on those is a lot but he can buy the main or a toasted pannini which arent cheap but are ok size wise.
Costs are going to rise as food, fuel and minimum wage has gone up

How do you do this please? I may try this...

Ok, yes sounds a good plan..

It's what kids. Don't be so uptight. It's a high school memory going to the shops for a bag of crisps or whatever. I would of hated to be left out if you was my mum.

Our 6th form has a tuck shop that sells muffins and fizzy drinks. Every time dd comes home with a bottle of fizzy dh (he's a governor) starts muttering about healthy eating and how it shouldn't be on offer. I tell him that if he wants to be the least governor known for getting rid of fun things go ahead, and he quietens down.

However the current fad for the 6th form seems to be those with cars going and getting McDs drive throughs, and they can always walk to the village shop so there is no danger of their diet getting better even if he did get them banned.

I think you're being a bit soft tbh A 17-year old can definitely understand they can't afford to buy a muffin everyday and your setting them up to having expectations to just having things on tap. I let my 17-year old have one school dinner a week, the rest is packed lunch that he makes himself. He can also have one snack a week. If he wants any more he can top up PayPal out of his is own money that he earns from his job.

@Countdownis35 I agree to a certain extent. It's the social thing, hanging out in the queue with friends etc. It takes a very mature 14-year-old to say, "I'll wait over on the bench with the thrifty snack my mum purchased whilst you and Emily see who can get closest to Joey with the gorgeous hair and see what he's buying. Come and tell me later, if break's not over by then."
I don't think they should be selling snacks, actually.

It's what kids. Don't be so uptight. It's a high school memory going to the shops for a bag of crisps or whatever. I would of hated to be left out if you was my mum

It's not just a bag of crisps from the supermarket though is it?

Spend any time in a supermarket near a high school and you see them all spending their £2/3 lunch/snack money on share bags of crisps and multi packs of Mars bars or similar.

Many of them are eating 1-2000 calories a day in rubbish snacks.

But at 16 I had a job and I bought whatever I wanted. At 17 I would expect my child to fund their lunch tbh. Do they not have a job.

Interesting to hear the range of replies. Yes they do have a job but just in summer hols. I don't expect them to get their lunches with that money though.

Maybe I am too soft...!

OK Maccies sounds more expensive a fad! Ours get something there the end of terms where they finish at lunchtime. Otherwise they aren't allowed into town at lunchtimes which is kind of helpful.

Yes I know. We'll see how it goes.

@BarbaraofSeville I replied to the other poster because she was asking why anyone allows there kid to buy snacks. I think there's not much you can do unless your going to follow your child around the school. There's nothing wrong with snacks.

But your issue seems different to OPS which was the cost. If your wanting to be the food police... I won't even get into that debate with you.

Personally I think you do sound a bit too soft.. a job only in the summer hols? Ahhh gosh can you be my mum OP. At 17 I would expect my child to work more than that tbh.

At 17 you need to take some responsibility and that means buying your lunch in my book don't get me wrong of DS was short I would happily help though. Although I'm a long way off yet!

I used the limit feature on Parentpay accompanied with a chat about healthy eating and left them to it.

After Year 8, most school children are not eating the scheduled meals and prefer the cafe/snack option. I just made sure my DC had healthy dinners and had the opportunity to take part in a weekly active sport activity.

Please can you tell me how this works? Thanks

Says on the school website need to write to the school to change limits? Would prefer to avoid that really.

Think I'll just have a chat with them and see how that goes. Reduce muffins to now and again perhaps.

Bought a pack of kitkats for a pound in the co-op, they can take them next week for a start..

Mine are year 7 and year 11. Dd in year 7 used to buy snacks (muffins, chocolate milk etc) but I gave her a limit iirc it was £10 -12/week (which was all I could budget for) that she could spend in the canteen. When it was gone I would not top up until next week. She soon learnt to spread it out and take pack lunches some days. Since year 9 though, when they had new covid rules she's ditched the canteen altogether and always takes her own food, and mostly makes it herself. DS mostly has school lunches but he doesn't eat snacks, or even drinks, just gets some pasta or curry, so not too unhealthy, or expensive.
I believe at our school you can cap how much they spend and restrict the items they buy (ie no cakes etc) via parentpay. I haven't the foggiest idea how to do it though, sorry. * *

@Orangesandlemons77 It was simple, just messaged the school with the limits I wanted and they set it up. Lots of parents did it with no hassle.

I send a packed lunch. Not a chance I’m paying £2.35 a day for things like mashed potato topped with melted cheese, or pizza served with a side of spaghetti. My children were coming home starving.
I bought them a food flask and send them with things like meatballs, noodles, curries etc.

We pay 5.30 euros and they have to pay - no packed lunches allowed so even with a price rise this sounds good!

Bloody hell, I hope they’re better quality than ours for that price. Ours are genuinely dire.