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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed with what happened to DC at school today!

257 replies

SpagBolgs · 10/02/2014 21:40

DC have packed lunch and usually their lunch consist of Water a cathedral city snack, sandwiches and some sort of fruit usually apple slices. I packed DD lunch which was water, cheese snack bites, apple slices and sandwiches. When DD went to lunch the dinner ladies look in her box and told her she couldn't have her sandwich as it was unhealthy it was a BLT with cheese as they deemed it to be unhealthy it was confiscated!!! DD came home in tears and was pretty upset. AIBU to complain? Angry DD has allergies so the school meals do not suit her that why she has packed lunch.

OP posts:
HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:31

I would speak to the Head.
Nutrition is complicated. I would like the Head to explain what was wrong with bacon.
We need fat. We need carbohydrates. We need protein.
A little bit of sugar is not going to kill us.

There's complex carbs, simple carbs, animal fats, vegetable fats, different types of protein.

Slow release energy.

And without being rude, most dinner ladies / lunchtime supervisors are not qualified nutrionists.

Schools are obsessed with healthy eating. But they are not qualified to police it.

maddy68 · 10/02/2014 22:33

This annoys me. I'm a teacher secondary. You are the parents. Surely it's up to parents to decide what their children eat?
If you want to send them with 18 nap bags of crisps and a donut then that should be your choice!

waterlego6064 · 10/02/2014 22:33

grumpyoldbat That is just insane. That's a great lunch- far healthier than many, many children's packed lunches. The fact that they would confiscate a full fat yoghurt simply confirms that they know fuck-all about good nutrition for children. Sounds like you did the right thing in moving your dd :)

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:34

If our school did that, I would be straight in.
I have the advantage of a clinical biochemistry background so I can explain to the school why they have fucked up.

I hate this obsession with healthy / unhealthy food. It's not that clear cut.

LaurieFairyCake · 10/02/2014 22:34

grumpyoldbat - they took your kids grapes away for being too sugary?!?

Are you serious. That is literally insane.

bodygoingsouth · 10/02/2014 22:38

I am a TA and our school doesn't nose in the lunch boxes.what a load of old bollocks. I would be furious. see the HT.

breatheslowly · 10/02/2014 22:39

Grumpyoldbat - is that true?

WorraLiberty · 10/02/2014 22:40

She was shouted at and told she was greedy, because she wanted her lunch??

How old is she OP?

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:40

I wonder if the dinner ladies understand about digestion.

Sugar in the form of drinks is absorbed a lot quicker than fruit sugars. So the body has the time to absorb and metabolise it compared to the rush from sugary drinks.

But why let actual biochemistry get in the way?

marmitecat · 10/02/2014 22:40

Wow. The account you gave makes your dd's treatment sound very unkind. We don't have lunchbox police and if a child forgets lunch then the staff will ensure they get something. But more importantly whatever time I've been at the school I have felt that adults treat children kindly.

If your child's school is as you describe I would be looking elsewhere.

Paintyfingers · 10/02/2014 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:42

From the NHS

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/sugars.aspx

Sugars occur naturally in foods such as fruit and milk, but we don't need to cut down on these types of sugars.

RufusTheReindeer · 10/02/2014 22:46

The dinner ladies will be paid minimum wage for one hour a day, they are not trained in nutrition, they are not bio chemists and they have not been trained in the digestive system

They are enforcing a crap schools, crap policy.

It is not the dinner staff that are the problem, it's the school rules that are the issue. Which is why you need to discuss it with the Head

Although no staff should be embarrassing or belittling children obviously!!

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:48

I've seen lunchtime supervisors being really awful to children when I've been on supply. Shouting at them in their face, always assuming they've done something wrong before listening to what a child has to say.

But I've also met some really nice ones. I think training has a lot to do with it.

sebsmummy1 · 10/02/2014 22:50

I think you need to arrange a meeting with the head and calmly discuss what happened that day and get an account from the side of the school as your daughters account verges on abusive.

Then I would want some detailed guidelines as to what is allowed and disallowed in school lunch boxes so it doesn't get screwed up again.

I wonder if the issue with bacon is more it's salt content than it's fat content.

grumpyoldbat · 10/02/2014 22:51

Yes that's right laurie I was furious. I tried to complain and explain about fat content in children's diet, why brown bread isn't always the best option in terms of interference of absorption of minerals etc. I also tried to explain that the banned list was so long that it resulted in a nutritionally unbalanced and dangerously unhealthy diet.The head just said she wouldn't expect someone like me to understand. Unfortunately I was too weak and emotionally vulnerable at the time (I'd had a really shit year in terms of stress) to fight back.

On the plus side I'd already been considering a school move and this made me more confident that I had made the right decision.

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:51

If it's salt - well that rules out bread and ham as well.

I think there's also some evidence that a high fibre diet is not appropriate for children.

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:54

This is the NHS Change for life advice on packed lunches.
It's interesting.

www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/healthy-lunchbox-picnic.aspx

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 22:55

I'm surprised they emphasise low fat stuff.

ladyquinoa · 10/02/2014 22:57

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese are all great! Wheat is a bit ropey as we all eat shit loads of the crap here. Seriously I would email the school and ask them to explain why the sandwich was confiscated? I'd argue it was a healthy option

Original poster
SpagBolgs · 10/02/2014 22:58

I did try to contact the school but was dealt with rather harshly. They said rules are rules and if I can not follow DD will be banned from having packed lunch and will be expected to eat school lunch. DD in primary school KS1.

OP posts:
grumpyoldbat · 10/02/2014 22:59

Me too holly especially as it's the 5-8 year old group. I'd be less surprised for the over 9s. Still a lot of that stuff was on the banned list at dds old school.

GoingGoingGoth · 10/02/2014 22:59

Just Shock at this! I would request a meeting with the head/write a letter of complaint and copy it to the LEA.

Looking at Holly's link to the Change for life site is interesting especially as they suggest a BLT in week 2 of 9yo and adults.

HollyMiamiFLA · 10/02/2014 23:00

Have they got a list of their rules?

Sounds like another Mini cheddar story for the Daily Mail.

TheScience · 10/02/2014 23:00

What rule did the sandwich break then?

I'm surprised the NHS recommend low fat stuff - isn't all the fat just replaced with sugar and sweeteners?

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