Child didn’t have lunch at school

[Purpletigers]

Child doesn’t have a lunch with them at school and doesn’t inform the teacher before lunchtime or the supervisor at lunchtime. Parent phones the school after pick up to complain that their child didn’t have anything to eat . The phone call is the first time the class teacher is aware of the situation . Who is at fault ?

How old is the child?

Depends if they’re 5 or 15 really!

Parents should have ensured a lunch was sent in if thats the arrangement. Lunchtime supervisors should have noticed he wasnt eating and provided something before calling home.

Had the parent paid for the school lunch?

The age of the child is completely relevant here op.

The parent, they should know if the child is a packed lunch or not and it should be ready for the child to take with them.

The child should have said and the parent should have provided a lunch

Primary or secondary?

Is the teacher a mindreader?

Depends how old they are really. It’s quite hard for teachers or lunchtime assistants to help with dlmehhinv they didn’t know anything about. My DDs primary school records whether the kids are having packed lunch or school dinner as part of the register so assuming he didn’t say he had one when he didn’t it should have been picked up there,

Parent is obviously at fault.

Whether the school is at fault too depends on the age of the child - if they are primary school age, the supervisors should have noticed they had nothing to eat.

If they are at secondary, then obviously it’s different.

How old is the child. Are they Capable of asking for lunch?

Parent didn't send lunch and child didn't tell anyone? How can that be the teacher's fault?

Presumably packed lunches and school dinners sit in different parts of school so each place would assume child ate in the other?

Let me guess, you are the teacher and you are in trouble with said parent?

Child is 8

Parent is at fault. Parent didn’t provide lunch presumably and teacher isn’t a mind reader.

Assuming Primary age, did no one notice the child not eating? Mistakes happen, parents drop kid off without realising lunchbox forgotten in back of car etc.

At our school: children go out to play from class. Individual classes are then called to line up for lunch and go into the hall to either eat packed lunch or collect a meal. The hall has other classes in.

The hall is staffed by kitchen staff to deal with meals and lunchtime supervisors to deal with supervision of pupils.

There are not class teachers / TAs in the hall as they are on their lunch. The lunch supervisors don't have a register, they call a class and it is the responsibility of pupils to line up and file into the hall with their class.

If a pupil has avoided entering the hall by ignoring their class call it's not a staff error. Saying that,our DC school lunch staff seem really clued up and spit when they haven't seen someone and question are they off.

What did your DC do when had no lunch?did they tell anyone,? Did they join others eating? Did they stay out for the full break to play? How old are they?

Parent's fault. Chid should have said something. Definitely not school's fault.

It depends on the set up really.

If a small school and child avoided dinner hall and went straight to empty playground, you'd expect someone to notice.

If a larger school with several dinner sittings, a child could easily go outside with a different class/year group and go unnoticed.

Did the parent send a packed lunch or order a school dinner.

An 8 year old is capable of saying they don't have any food surely?

If a teacher can’t spot that a child isn’t where she should be during lunch, there’s probably a lot of other stuff that teacher is also missing. I’d complain.

Normal lunch supervisor was sick and someone else was covering for her . 30 children in the classroom.

Parent is at fault. I cannot imagine an 8 year old incapable of speaking up if hungry and without lunch, or alternatively, as my eldest would have, sucking up the hunger until home time, with no long term ill effects

Why the child didn't tell someone they didn't have lunch needs to be addressed (shyness/fear of getting into trouble) as well as why no one noticed.

Completely parents fault for not packing a lunch or teaching their child to ask for one.