Is this a thing? school dinners

[Pyjamaramadrama]

I pay for ds to have school dinners.

They're supposed to be healthy and the menu looks lovely, lots of different choices.

They do baguettes and paninis and on these days ds opts for these. It's one day every two weeks.

He keeps coming home and telling me that the dinner ladies tells him the paninis are not good for him.

Today he tells me that he wanted chips and carrots with the panini but was told no because he had bread (the panini). However he was then allowed a bread roll

Ok I get that it's a lot of carbs, but, he gets chips with pizza at school, with a burger in a bun.

It's petty but I hate the food police telling him something that they're serving is bad for him.

He's slim healthy and eats fine.

I don't like the good bad message regards food anyway but I really wouldn't like the dinner ladies advising my child on their diet.

It could be that the portions are counted out, and a child is allowed a panini or chips because that's what they've accounted for, one carb per child. Whereas bread rolls are counted an extra/side to any meal, so anyone can have one of those.

All I can think of is a pricing type structure, as to why they would do this, where a Panini is considered as a complete main course & maybe the roll is allowed with each man course. In this scenario he could have questioned it and the staff have come up with an ill thought out excuse.

Main not man! Typo.

Contact the school and suggest that they have a staff training week, specifically to include the dinner ladies. Tell them that your DS has been given some odd and conflicting information, been refused some perfectly adequate food combinations and allowed some rather odd ones - is dietary advice part of their expected remit? If so then you think that more training really is required, as DS is now utterly bemused and that you, as the person paying, would like to know what the school expectations actually are.

X post.

I concur with the main/side option theory.

DC's school is super flexible about their lunch choices when they are little and get stricter as they age. What year is he?

Yes i think the main meal thing so he could havesay fish and chips but paninni is a stand alone dinner. With no chips

We have to select our children meals for the term and they get what their parents choose whether they like it or not.

Thankfully my DD likes fruit and things because that's what I make her eat!

Yes it's probably that panini is classed as a main course, I did think that myself.

All I could think was that I'd have loved a few chips and some salad with a panini. I always feel slightly miffed at paying £2.50 for a panini, drink of water and piece of fruit.

The bread is offered to everyone, along with whatever's on the salad bar. Chips and carrots will be part of another main meal and the meals are carefully portioned.

That's what happens at my school anyway.

The portion thing is fair enough but to tell a child a particular food isn't good for them is more concerning.

It sounds like the dinner ladies are trying to get him to try one of the main meal options - then presumably he could have carrots and chips with it.

Helena he is in ks2.

Yes agree it must be a set menu thing rather than the carb police, me overthinking.

I was thinking the dinner ladies were taking issue with the paninis.

He does choose some odd dinners, jacket potato with pasta and carrots? But I'm just glad that he's eating and does get fruit and veg down him.

You are right a few chips with a pannini is nice seems daft realy

It does seem odd taht panini is a stand alone, but not a burger!

Perhaps if he is asking for "sides" as well then they are just checking that he wants the panini rather than something else plus extras whih would be more filling?

How old is he?

Might he be misunderstanding?

Ah pearpotter, how succinctly you have put what I was trying to say!

Yes quite possible he's misunderstanding although he was quite specific. It was a couple of weeks ago he asked me if paninis are bad for you. I asked why and he said because every time he has one at school the lady says 'they're no good for you', he even did the tone of voice and head tilt.

Then today he told me he really wanted chips but was told he wasn't allowed as he had bread, before he went and picked up a bread roll from the salad bar.

This is why I am so glad I no longer have any primary school age children.

This sort of thing vanished when they went to secondary school.

I'm afraid the food police are a thing now, especially in primary schools.

If this has been understood correctly (needs checking), then what on earth are they doing serving paninis if they then insist to your DS that they are so bad for him? I would try to question it, and also check how the meal system works. Perhaps he is misunderstanding mains v side orders as others have suggested.