Lunchbox suspension..

[JunoMacGuff]

here

It's from a DM article apparently though I refuse to investigate that.

A school have really suspended a child based on his parents actions? And those actions were to give him mini cheddars?

"I think all schools should have school lunches that are nutritional, healthy and hot (after all we live in a cold climate) AND free of charge to all parents."

Well if your child is young, you're in luck, ArgumentsatChristmas because Nick Clegg wants to spend slightly more than the bedroom tax is saving on giving free school lunches to infant school children who don't already qualify.

Because giving food they don't need to the children on middle and high income parents is, apparently, a better use of public money than preventing the children of poor parents from being homeless.

I emailed to ask why he thought that. I'm still waiting for a reply.

my, my, aren't we all wonderful perfect parents, my grown up kids ate crap, they are now grown up and eat very well, still alive and never overweight, however they do drink copious amounts of alcohol,and we are actually tee-totallers in our house, so go figure.
My little dd has just been told she cant have chocolate mousse in her pack up , but they serve pudding and custard for school lunch, wtf? she also eats crap for tea and breakfast, I am so sick of this heathly eating crap, people scaring you or shaming you into thinking you are shit parents, its all well and good if you have children who will eat anything, my dd will happily go without anything at all, and I know exactly how she feels, as a picky eater as a child I could go for days without eating dm took me to the doctors , said she will only eat cheese and chocolate, doc said feed her that then, whoo hoo and here I am 40yrs later guess what still alive and not overweight and eating a wide range of foods, its only a very small amount of time in a lifetime of eating , give yourselves a break , jeez enough already! however if you have children who are overweight its quantity not particularly quality thats the issue, unless there is a medical issue I cant understand why you cant just say no and limit the intake, and the metabolism excuse, its a crock , its the bloody chocolate cake he ate in one sitting!

God I can't bear the snobbery about processed food in lunchboxes. And laughable that some people think school dinners are somehow healthier.

Totally agree.

School dinners are processed, mass produced shit.

Give me mini cheddars and a Frube any day.

Weight isn't always the issue. Just because a child looks the correct weight and is therefore not too skinny or too fat, they may still be unhealthy inside. My goddaughter has a very limited diet (mom's given up trying), and she is now being tested for vit d deficiency after breaking her leg (and the subsequent healing process). She is doing well at school and meeting milestones, but she's an unhealthy child, in the same way an overweight child is unhealthy.

My children are old and therefore I cannot benefit from the Clegg's bright idea (unless he proposes to extend it to undergraduates).

But I would say that means tested benefits are hugely expensive to administer. It sounds bizarre but if you give everyone child benefit it might cost X. If you meanstest child benefit it costs x-y. But the y is never the saving that you think. In fact it is probably less than a quarter of the saving that you think.

So it is really not ridiculous to give free school meals to all. I really believe in this policy. As I believe in free breakfasts for secondary school children. It makes a massive difference to all of us.

Even well meaning parents are feeding their children rubbish. So just take that issue away from them. It really does not cost that much and it should be universal.

arguaments this policy would be fantastic if the provision were there for each school to cook their own meals, not ship it in and feed kids chips/pizza/reformed meat in various shapes/cake etc.

I'm guessing providing breakfasts too would compound the problem, if the same people were responsible for breakfast too (sugary cereals etc)

And laughable that some people think school dinners are somehow healthier

I agree.

My younger DD had a school lunch on Friday I'd run out of bread and couldn't be arsed to run to the shop and had

jacket potato with baked beans
iced shortbread cookie

compared to the lunch I sent her with today
tuna & cucumber sandwich
2 Jammie Dodgers out of a big packet
banana
bottle of water

Looking at the menu from school, it's shit. Plus there's never enough to go round and the classes who go in last always get the dregs. For £2.50 a day, I don't think so

Don't get the lunchbox police at Ds' primary and for that I am glad as I don't want to be dictated to on what is a small snapshot of what he eats over a whole week.

They also post up menus of the schools lunch menu for that term in the waiting area. They just seem a very common-sense school in their approach to most things tbh.

It seems odd to me that we are such liberal/tolerant country of peoples choices and views on most subjects except a parents right to choose what their DC eat.

Unfortunately, Can't see that it serves much of a purpose either as they could still be fed utter crap at home, don't think a monitored lunch will make much of a difference.

ArgumentsatChristmas

Savings made by bedroom tax - between £320 million and £480 million per year
www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/14/bedroom-tax-ministers-likely-savings

Cost of free school meals for children who currently don't qualify because they don't need them - £1.9 billion between 2014 and 2016 - average of £630 per year.
www.gov.uk/government/news/nick-clegg-announces-funding-details-for-free-school-meals

As I said, Nick Clegg and the government apparently believe free food for children who don't need it is more important than a roof over the head of the children of the poor.

Honestly, it's like they have friends that run catering companies or something!

What on earth is wrong with a bagel for lunch? I am always astonished at the things people will find to disapprove of when it comes to children's lunch boxes...

A stale bagel used as a frisbee can really hurt if it hits you in the face DoJo

Ahh, queen but a sandwich might be cut into triangles, with corners, imagine the damage one of those could do if it was a bit stale?

For QueenQuinine:

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” ? Miles Kington

I think he is being suspended because of "continuing lack of support for school policy" from parents not specifically the mini cheddars.

The point being that he is being suspended for lack of support for school policy from the parents.

This is why I disagree. Poor kid hasn't done anything wrong.

Yes, I wasn't aware that a school could suspend a child because the parents were complete pains in the posterior - seems a bit odd.

I can see why they would want to though.

I think that is spot on, Juno. He probably has little or no choice about what goes in his lunch box, yet he is the one who will be punished. That can't be right, can it?

People are really suggesting that parents must not home-cook a healthy meal in the evenings because they put a Babybel or a kiddie's yoghurt in their children's lunchbox? Really? Really?

MarianneM So you think my child should eat what it's given at school despite the fact what he may be given could make him very ill, that's crazy!

Also for balance, a flavoured yoghurt's ingredients.

Skim milk, cream, fructose, cherries, sugar, milk and whey protein concentrate, modified corn starch, active probiotic culture (bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010), active bacterial cultures, gelatin, natural flavour, natural colours, carrageenan, vitamin D3, gellan gum.

Children should not be suspended for their parent's actions no matter how unjustified they were (or were't). Ever.

If any action is taken, and I'm not clear action should be taken, it should be taken against the parent. They are making the decisions here, not the child.

Until children select, pay forand pack their own packed lunch, there is no justification whatsoever in penalizing them for the contents.

I thought opinion had generally moved away from visiting the sins of the parents on the children.

DDs school dinner the other day was macaroni cheese with pasta and spaghetti hoops.

I'm thinking the dairylea dunker, mini cheddar, and banana sound better to be honest!

Not at all prosecco. A babybel in an otherwise healthy lunch box would not indicate a parent who is feeding their child crap.

What I was suggesting is that I can't believe a parent cares so little for what their child eats at lunch that they would send them Dunkers/froobs/crisps etc for their lunch, but then at evening meal turns into someone who cares about their child's nutrition enough to cook a healthy balanced meal. For me, throwing a load of processed packets into a lunchbox v's chopping veg and cooking from scratch in the evening are at odds. Why would you be one type for one meal but not the other?

And I'm not talking about one offs or the occasional treat. We all put little extras in every now and again. but equally we all know people who fill their kids lunchboxes with convenience crap. These are the ones I'm referring too (who then claim it's such a small 'snapshot' of what they eat. Five days a week, 40 something weeks of the year is not exactly a snapshot).