School Dinner = No Hot Meal at Tea?

[Skittlesss]

I’ve seen the debates re hot school meal vs packed lunch, and part of the discussion has people saying that having a hot school dinner means the parents don’t have to put as much effort into providing a hot cooked meal at teatime.

Is this really a thing? Do people think kids don’t need a decent tea after school if they’ve had a school dinner?

Hot dinner at school means I can do sandwhich or toastie for tea with veg sticks. Quick and easy plus DC have snacks in afterschools

There's something nice about mum, dad and kids all sitting round the table early evening, eating a meal together and chatting. Obviously can't be done if one parent works late but is workable for most people the majority of the time. I had mine at the table in high chair, eating mashed up dinner with us.

Agree with whoever talked about putting kids to bed at 7am being far too early for many. It's best not to have rigid bedtime rules.

Yes, I was on the thread yesterday saying that ds has a cooked school lunch meaning I don't have to worry about cooking in the evening as we both work ft. One person took it upon themselves to call this out as tantamount to neglect.

I'm afraid I don't understand why having a second hot meal is preferable to other options in the evening. I'm not saying I don't provide a meal and let my child starve, I'm saying I don't cook.

Ds's school sends a copy of the menu home each term. Parents were invited I recently to experience the food alongside their children on lunchtime. Portion size was fine, the menu is good and varied and the provider is well respected.

We provide ds with a snack for after school at his cm (healthy, usually includes some fruit, some cheese/ yoghurt, and some salad like sliced pepper/cherry toms/ cucumber/ olives/ humus and pitta bread/ boiled egg) and he has soup or a sandwich or salad with some more fruit for pudding when he gets home. He's neither overweight nor underweight and has the energy level of a Duracel bunny so I'm pretty certain he's not in need of a 'decent' meal. It's weird that so many people think it's necessary for children to have two cooked meals a day, or question the choices other parents make, along with their reasons for making those choices. What business is it of yours op, providing the child is thriving?

Mine take packed lunches but if they did have a school dinner I would not give them another dinner later. One dinner a day is plenty.

DD gets hot meal at school, dinner at after school club and then something else st home. I don’t specifically make her dinner but she usually has something.

DS is at nursery. He has main meal at lunch , ‘tea’ which is often sandwiches although can also be hot. He then comes in and has a hot meal.
He’s fussy so not always eaten well at nursery but he also has a big appetite!