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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Lunchtimes and junk food

40 replies

Home77 · 01/05/2019 09:33

I grew up in a seaside town, we went allowed 'down the street' every lunchtime at secondary. Deep fried pizzas, double chip butties, or pasties re-heated at the bakery, followed by afters in the newsagent next door. Every day. The only rule was not allowed in the arcades.

Not saying this is just a problem where I came from but my friend is also having this problem - the kids are allowed into the fast food outlets next to the school at lunchtime, and she is feeling resigned to it and mentioned our lunchtimes as kids also.

I feel lucky in a way - also in a city and it ours, they are only allowed to eat in the school canteen and junk food is limited. It;s much easier, typical lunch is a baked potato, set hot meal, maybe a flapjack, fruit, veggies etc. (we see what they chose via the online booking site)
I think they are allowed into town in the sixth form but not before

I'm wondering if this is a usual thing that children are allowed access to fast food during school? It makes such a difference.

OP posts:
x2boys · 01/05/2019 09:41

Not at my sons school, they are not allowed off site ,mind you they only get half an hour for lunch,I usually give him a packed lunch because it's impossible for him to get served in time and have enough time to eat his lunch, back in the 80,see could do what we wanted at lunch to into the local town etc, and we had an ice cream can that parked in the playground at lunchShock

ChatNicknameAlreadyInUse · 01/05/2019 09:43

Our chippies, bakeries and pizza shops do a roaring trade at lunch time with the local high school. It was the same when I was at school there. The problem is the schools canteen is not equipped to deal with 990 pupils having lunch there so the problem will continue.

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 09:45

Yes mine would have bin in late 1980s and early 1990s. imagine it is still the same though. I think back and am quite Shock but it was so normal then! The chippie also did oysters I remember, like ice cream in a shell. Lovely as a treat but we just had this stuff every day. Not sure how we weren't all huge. Some were though.

OP posts:
Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 09:47

We have 1200 at the local secondary and it seems to cope OK. they have a chef and daily menu, etc. State school, totally different and just the norm to eat in the canteen. Rare to take packed lunches. Such a change from the other one. Other end of the country, unsure if that explains anything. Not sure.

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Mrsjayy · 01/05/2019 09:49

When my kids were in primary school they were allowed to the local bakers on a friday and only in P7 and with a letter we now have kids going to the chipshop everyday apparently parents just say they are a home lunch i don't think it's right by the time they get to high school this habit is set and they will want to eat out everyday.

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 09:51

You say P7 so take it in Scotland? My school was in Scotland too and where my friend is also having problems too. I didn't realise they let them in primary also.

OP posts:
Gatehouse77 · 01/05/2019 09:51

My children's school are allowed out at lunchtimes from Y7 with permission from parents. I'm not sure how heavily (well?) it's policed. I didn't give mine permission until 6th form. Mainly because they had packed lunches and I don't agree with the lower years being allowed out.
A lot of them go to a local convenience store or a small Co-op because it's cheaper than the canteen!

Mrsjayy · 01/05/2019 09:53

Yes Scotland ,

x2boys · 01/05/2019 09:54

Yes my sons is a state secondary it's not a huge school,about 850 pupils but half an hour for lunch is not enough for all pupils to get served and have time to eat.

VioletCharlotte · 01/05/2019 09:55

When I was at school we used to regularly go to the chippie as lunchtime and the newsagents to buy sweets, etc.

When my DC were at secondary school they weren't allowed out at lunchtime, but all the kids would be in the shops before school, stocking up on energy drinks, coke, family sized bars of chocolate, sweets, crisps and god knows what else.

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 09:58

Yes, ours has also had problems with timings and now have a 45 minute lunch break, starting the school day early at 8.20 to accommodate this. It seems to work well, different age groups at different times.

OP posts:
Morgan12 · 01/05/2019 10:00

We were allowed out every day. I either had chips and curry sauce or a battered sausage in a roll. Then everyday I had a galaxy caramel, a diet drink and salt and vinegar square. Every single day. And I was so skinny! God knows how.

My children's high school are allowed out. Their choices are a burger van, a chicken place which is basically a nando's rip off (but better actually) and a Dominos. So not healthy at all really unless they choose the chicken salad, which I doubt they do.

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 10:01

I wonder if it is mainly a Scottish thing or not.

OP posts:
Orchidflower1 · 01/05/2019 10:01

Around here it seems to be it’s only the older children ( they look15+) that are allowed out.

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 10:02

Is it not really expensive as well now? it used to be 80p for a cone of chips. but the other places are more expensive surely. Nando's etc.

OP posts:
Mrsjayy · 01/05/2019 10:02

Do these kids just have endless amounts of dinner money for sweets and take away ?

Jammiebammie · 01/05/2019 10:10

Our high school are allowed out during lunch (Scotland too) from first year.
Most go to the corner shops and the roll shop/chippie or Chinese. They’ve recently opened up subway, Pizza Hut and a couple others though so lots of kids are going there now too.
I’m lucky my dd rarely goes, and prefers to take her own lunch or eat in the canteen. She does have money for the shop if she wants and I’d allowed her to have one takeaway lunch a week if she so wanted.
It can be hard with some friendship groups choosing to go certain places though, especially for the kids who get free school dinners and have no choice but to eat in the canteen everyday, it is getting a bit out of hand, my friends son takes a tenner a day for food! Shock

Jammiebammie · 01/05/2019 10:11

The local food shops do deals for lunchtime for the kids, roll and drink for £2, small poke of chips £1.50, can’t remember the deal at the Chinese off the top of my head.
But the chain restaurants have ridiculous prices.

outvoid · 01/05/2019 10:17

Rather typically my school stopped students leaving the year before we would have been allowed to. They allowed year 10+ to leave the grounds but lunchtime was only 45 minutes long so it was hard to walk to the shops and back and get served in that time.

We had to go to the canteen but it was filled with junk food and vending machines full of chocolate and pop. Pretty bad looking back but honestly, hardly any of us were obese. We all walked to school and back, I think that was a big difference from today’s teenagers. It was embarrassing to have your parents drop you off.

Eliza9919 · 01/05/2019 10:18

I'm wondering if this is a usual thing that children are allowed access to fast food during school? It makes such a difference.

I don't think it does. When I was at secondary, we were allowed to leave the grounds at lunchtime and we went to the chip/kebab shop, chicken shop, there was pizza, a Chinese. The ice cream van. We regularly ate such shit and there were very few fat or obese kids. Our first break tuck shop used to sell chip rolls, for 25p each!!

Nowadays, look how many fat kids there are and the 'healthy' diets they are fed.

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 10:18

"It can be hard with some friendship groups choosing to go certain places though, especially for the kids who get free school dinners and have no choice but to eat in the canteen everyday, it is getting a bit out of hand,"

Yes we had this also, my friend had a token so had to eat at the canteen, then I'd wait for her and she'd come with me 'down the street' after! Things haven't changed, then. A tenner a day, that is mad. It's £2.40 here for the school dinner. It's all done online. Free dinners done online also so no-one knows

OP posts:
DeepfriedPizza · 01/05/2019 10:28

we were allowed to leave at lunch (Scotland) There were bakers' a shop that sold microwave pizzas and pot noodles, a chippy etc. The high school that DD will go to has a Subway,greggs, an italian, a noodle shop, a deli type shop and an italian near it. She's already planning what she is going to have for lunch each day (she's P4!)

Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 10:28

Hmm, it made a difference to our food tastes, definitely, gave you a taste for it! We even kept ordering chips and curry sauce and lived out the sweet machines at university too! Carrying on the tradition I suppose.

I can't remember how much fatter or thinner people were but one of the double chippers has recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and refused to change their diet as they like it so much! - and they definitely started that habit 'down the street'

OP posts:
Original poster
Home77 · 01/05/2019 10:30

"Nowadays, look how many fat kids there are and the 'healthy' diets they are fed." Confused Um, where?

OP posts:
TwoBlueFish · 01/05/2019 10:45

I have DS in Y10, they’re not allowed off site at all until 6th form. School canteen isn’t exactly health though, my DS says there’s never any veggies. Typical options for him are panini, chicken burger, fish burger, baguette etc. They do have things like curry or pasta pots but my DS doesn’t eat them.

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