Angry over salad bar for free school meals

[Jotim02]

My son gets free school meals in KS1, the school lets them choose salad bar or hot school dinner. We thought he had been eating a hot dinner, until his friend came home for a play and told us he had salad bar.

Today he had a wrap - probably with added salt and sugar, cheese, raisins and carrots. For this the government was charged £2:30. Am I unreasonable to think the government are giving kids free school meals so they can have a hot dinner, not a sandwich?

The school say it's the kids choice what they have. My very unfussy son, has now become fussy because his friends have salad bar, so he wants it too and - doesn't like hot dinners.

I am really furious and thinking of writing to the catering company and David Cameron. It's mostly about the principle that the government is paying for this crap...

Why do people keep referring to primary school dinners as 'hot'?

They're luke warm at the most.

More importantly what are you going to do to avoid passing your irritating food habits onto your son?

You are one of those odd adults who thinks something cold cant be a proper meal and that salt and sugar is hidden in salad.

Shit like that leads to obesity and very few people wanting to provide meals for you

"I'm bemused that you think the hot meal is intrinsically healthy- hot school meals can be carb and cheese fests."
When I was at school they used to do cheese and potato pie. Is that still on the menus? :o
Everyone who is saying the op should be grateful it is free is missing the point. It's part of the provision and the op should be able to assume it is decent. I personally think it is. Dd is on FSM and I'd be annoyed if they were crap. I don't see why I should put up with it because it's FREE

I really think people need to can it on the "be grateful coz it's free" crap. It's free for a reason, to make sure kids get a healthy and nutritious meal that supports their health and helps them be reDy to learn. So if the boy was being fed a load of shite op would be quite correct to complain, whether she personally pays or not, as it's an investment our country is making in its future.

However, op, I don't think it's actually that bad a choice - I'd be happy if my child ate that at lunch as long as they weren't coming in saying they were hungry. So for that alone, no other reason, I think you are over reacting a bit?

KS1 all get free school meals. Another one struggling to work out your problem, sounds like a good lunch to me

at stealth

All children have free school meals in KS1, don't they?

I don't think they have just a salad option at DD's school - there's a choice of 3 hot meals and you can have some salad on the side. I think.

All DD has is jacket potatoes or macaroni cheese. She's veggie, fussy and not much of an eater. Hey ho.

Im curious..... what are your plans when you have to pay?

So you want to complain to David Cameron that your child is choosing a healthy salad option for lunch?
Good luck with that.

There are fairly stringent school food guidelines these day. Are they not following them?

She'll either pay or be entitled to FSM surely?

When my boys have dinners instead of a packed lunch, they always choose salad bar. They have a jacket potato usually, with salad and cheese. I see no problem with the salad bar option either.

They always have a cooked meal at home in the evening. I wouldn't want two cooked meals a day of it was me.

Or send in a packed lunch. I always forget there's a third option as ds spent the first six years of his life refusing anything sandwiched. He'd have turned his nose up at haribo if it came between two slices of bread.

So you are referring to the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) not FSM for children eligible for pupil premium?
In which case it makes no difference what your DS chooses/friends choose - it is your school's policy what to serve. Nothing to do with David Cameron!!! Speak to the Headteacher.

I do hope This is covered at prime ministers questions. It's a matter of strategic national importance. Cameron won't sleep tonight for his mind dwelling on this key issue.

'More importantly what are you going to do to avoid passing your irritating food habits onto your son?

You are one of those odd adults who thinks something cold cant be a proper meal and that salt and sugar is hidden in salad.

Shit like that leads to obesity and very few people wanting to provide meals for you'

This. MIL is a freak like this, but hey, she's about a hundred years old, it's to be expected.

LOL @ 'hot meals' not having added salt and sugar. Probably loaded with trans fat, too.

And cold pizza is the best mutha fucking meal on the planet. Gavel.

In fact, forget Cameron, what does Jamie Oliver school dinner crusader have to say on the matter? A child chose a salad wrap over a turkey twizzler?!?!? Er......

This is some kind of reverse yes? DS1's school have been through 3 providers in the past year (all sandwich based - the school has no kitchen), the latest is some kind of pick your own buffet thing and DS1 (5) loves it.

When I speak to the people who are in during lunch, pretty much all the kids prefer it, and are eating a wide variety of things - according to their likes/dislikes, unlike the fixed lunches where some days some kids would eat virtually nothing (or whatever the lunch supervisors could crib together/swap from other kids likes/dislikes).

YABU.

I understand exactly what you are saying. The children should a). be having a hot meal as that is what parents are expecting from a school dinner. The clue is in the name - dinner! b). this could be only proper meal that a child may get that day. c). The Government money is being wasted by paying this amount for a cold wrap or sandwich. It is another example of services being contracted out and then the service standards are eroded and money is wasted by dishonest contracters with contracts that are being badly supervised by local education authorities or not at all when a school has become an academy.

You are also free to buy a flask and send your child in with this 'hot, proper' meal.

Please come back and show us your letter op, I could do with a giggle this evening

' c). The Government money is being wasted by paying this amount for a cold wrap or sandwich. '

Which can be just as nutritious if not more than a shite food heated up till it's hot.

The free meal is not about parents and their expectations. It's about offering a nutritious meal to children, and cold meals can be extremely healthy, even more so than fatty food heated up so it's hot.

I became a cover dinner lady this year, because I'm precious about what my dc eat and wanted to see for myself.

I have been so impressed!

Proper meals, home made ish, with decent fresh steamed veg. They get good sized portions of either a hot meal (spaghetti Bol, roast, chicken curry etc), hot veg meal, or sandwich. Then regardless of their choice above, they choose their veg and then go to the salad bar (about a dozen options - cucumber, carrot etc) on top of that. I was really impressed.

Then, the children eat their meal, and have to put their hand up to ask if they're allowed their dessert. I'm quite strict - they have to have eaten most of their meal before I say yes.

Chilly is dinner by definition hot?

I don't understand all the posters on here that are assuming that hot dinner means burger and chips, turkey twizzlers or other unhealthy options. Why do you think this? I am genuinely confused. Hot meals can be curry, casseroles, pasta bakes, stews, roast dinners. All perfectly healthy and filling.