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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to expect more than this for £2.15 a day?

88 replies

stinklebell · 16/10/2012 15:43

Our school dinner contractor was changed at the beginning of this school year.

Mine don't have school dinners that often, but for quickness on a night when we have something else on (Rainbows/swimming lesson) they have a dinner so I can fling beans on toast or sandwiches down them before we dash out the door.

Today they had a school dinner.

DD1 had piece of French bread, some cucumber, some baked beans and a cookie. Hers was the last class in to the dinner queue and that's all that was left.

DD2's was better, a jacket potato, baked beans, cucumber and sponge with custard. Hers was the 5th class in, but a lot had already run out by then

The menus look good but they just never seem to provide enough so once the first few classes have gone through, there are only bits and pieces left.

Today the menu was either homemade chicken goujons or homemade breaded vegetable fingers served with jacket potatoes and baked beans, salad or seasonal vegetables, and either a cookie or sponge pudding or custard. French bread is also included.

There have been lots of complaints about portion sizes and there never being enough to go round - their solution to this seems to have been to rotate the classes so everyone gets to go first, rather than tackling the fact that they're not providing enough in the first place

OP posts:
UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 16/10/2012 22:22

YANBU.

This happened when I was in school a very long time ago . I kept a diary for a month and then presented it to the head. I was a precocious little sod but I was at boarding school and my parents were abroad so they couldn't fight our battles for us.

Oh, and don't pay for any lunch that you don't actually receive. Teething issues my arse, I bet their invoice system still works.

Bogeyface · 16/10/2012 22:23

Choosing a school or not on the basis of lunches is rather daft, Bogeyface

Indeed, which is why my tongue was in my cheek. However, elitism, lack of professional qualifications and suspect results tables are a good reason :)

ILiveInAPineapple · 16/10/2012 23:09

I'm glad to be able to say something nice on AIBU! My ds who is in reception class has school dinners.
The school has an in-school cook, having opted out of the county council service (which is crap according to my friend with DC at other local schools who have the Cc meals),it costs £1.25 a day, they always have 3 choices of main, and 2 or 3 choices of pudding, plus a help yourself salad bar.
The food is fab, my ds loves it and often doesn't each a huge amount in the evening as he has had a big dinner at lunchtime. The yr1-6 meals cost £2 a day and they get bigger portions (they are bloody massive - my DH has been in a couple of times at lunchtime and said he'd have been delighted to have what the kids have!).

I think it just depends on the school, but unless people raise it as an issue, nothing gets done and nothing changes.

BreconBeBuggered · 17/10/2012 00:13

This is the first time I've genuinely cried laughing on MN, and on a school dinners thread I love your phone, stinklebell

Spatsky · 17/10/2012 07:31

Not read whole thread but issue might be that large numbers are just turning up on the day want dinner, perhaps because chicken gougns popular option, so enough hasn't been prepared but other days if they prepared that much it would go to waste.

Or school recent.y changed the system so you have to say in advance (the Friday before) what days you will have dinners and can't just ask for be on the day. Perhaps a system like that might be in order at your school so they call an for numbers better.

Spatsky · 17/10/2012 07:33

P.s. in answer to your actual question , yanbu to expect more for your 2.15 and should complain.

JustFabulous · 17/10/2012 08:13

Bogeyface - I am clearly an idiot as I didn't realise that you were being funny. I felt got at tbh but that is my problem. However your comment after isn't funny is it if you are saying that people chose a private (independent in my case) school based on elitism, etc.

Bogeyface · 17/10/2012 17:51

Actually no, I was saying that I wouldnt choose it because of elitism, etc. which is a big difference.

If you are confident in your choices, why do you care what I think anyway? I wasnt getting at you.

Scholes34 · 17/10/2012 18:20

If you're not happy with school dinners (and I wasn't at primary) re-think what you do at home.

I can do a pretty good packed lunch for £2.15 a day. If time's tight in the evenings, I used the automatic cooking button on the oven to do baked potatoes set in the morning for the exact time I need them.

PinsAndNoodles · 17/10/2012 18:44

We have Sodexho which looks OK on paper but when my DS was in reception he seemed to be able to choose baked beans pretty much every day so I decided not to pay £2.15 a day for that privilege.

HissyByName · 17/10/2012 18:54

There is s menu agreed for the county where I live, and I think this is standard. You can download the menu from the Hants.gov website AFAIK.

For £2.00 a day there is an agreed menu that rotates on a 3 weekly basis.

The only thing I struggle with is the £2 for a Bonfire Themed lunch, a hotdog/burger, beans or sweetcorn and a cookie. That to me is a waste of £2. Normally the food on the menu is WAY more sufficient than the menu you describe OP.

Complain, not just about the pitiful options, but there is no excuse for those that get next to nothing because the school has run out.

There ought to be refunds to the kids that don't get the full lunch in that case.

My DS and I both have packed lunches now and there is no way that I spend much more than £10-£15 for the pair of us.

stinklebell · 17/10/2012 19:16

I had a word in the office this morning, and there's going to be a rep from the caterer at the school in Monday.

We have what they call a Parent Forum every term and the school dinner issue is top of the agenda, and the rep will discuss concerns/solutions with us.

I'll definately be making the suggestions mentioned here.

Tbh, it must be a nightmare trying to cater for an unknown number or children with unknown likes and dislikes. We currently book and pay on the morning we want the dinner, which while handy when you realise the bread's gone all furry, it's got to be better for them to have an idea of quantities in advance.

We used to have Pabulum who were fab, I can't remember who we have now though, I'll have to dig it out the original letter about it, menus so far have come through on school headed paper

Thanks

OP posts:
VodkaKnockers · 17/10/2012 23:35

I can't say a bad word about our school lunches.

£1.15 a day (probably just outed myself) and a really varies menu here. There is alos separate veggie and halal meals.

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