I don't know what is acceptable in a lunch box today

[Bluepeg]

Due to my disabilities my children get free school meals and I, gratefully, haven't had to make a packed lunch for 8 years!
We have had multiple letters about what is not allowed in packed lunches over the years. Having never thought it would be applicable, I didn't pay attention.
The school can't provide a meal next week for my daughter, so I need ideas and tips please! I don't want him to have his lunch confiscated, so I am asking for help.

I know it is unreasonable for me not to know, I've just not had to know and I have heard horror stories of Miss Trunchbull -esque dinner ladies taking food from children - is that true?

KS2 btw

No chocolate, crisps or fizzy drinks (I think - DC in KS1 so still gets free school lunch)

I think it very much depends on the schools.

Ours is pretty relaxed (just as well as DS1 would not eat otherwise). No nuts, no sweets or chocolate, no fizzy drinks.

I generally send a sandwich, a cereal bar, a piece of fruit and sometimes a fruit bun if he’s looking particularly skinny.

The fruit often enjoys a nice outing to school and then comes home again.

No fizzy drinks, no sweets such as haribo, no nuts of any kind. Chocolate biscuits (not solid bars of chocolate iyswim) such as a small kit kat are allowed at our school.

No nuts, sweets, chocolate or fizzy pop. Anything else is fine.

Today mine have:

raspberries for their fruit snack at am break
ham roll
satsuma
cheese string
apple juice

Yesterday they had breadsticks, hummous, cucumber and a couple of party rings. Tomorrow they have canned spaghetti with sausages in a flask with cucumber and tomatoes and a pack of min jammy dodgers.

Also KS2, they don't eat a huge amount at lunch as they want to get out and play.

They are not allowed: crisps / cake / chocolate biscuits / fizzy drinks.

I'd check with the school on their policy.

Ask school for a list, there's no point asking here because different school have different rules. The rules set by my son's high school are completely different to his old primary.

Judging by the emails we get from school, a lot of parents forget that peanut butter and Nutella contain nuts....

Why can school not provide a lunch? If kids get free school meals then the kitchens/provider usually makes them a packed lunch if they’re going out somewhere.

Sorry I can't offer advice as I don't have school age children, but I think schools have a cheek! I would just send your kids with what you think will be best, the school can hardly confiscate it.

Ds today has taken a sandwich (one slice of bread with Nutella), a little pot of chopped chicken breast, an Actimel drink, and an apple. He has food aversions so his is always odd.

DD has a pot of chopped chicken breast, some cucumber sticks and cherry tomatoes, and a tortilla so she can make a wrap. She's also got a satsuma and a bag of cheese emojis (think Cheesestrings make them).

Both have got a refillable bottle of squash too, they have water bottles in class but are allowed squash, milk, or fruit juice with lunch.

Things they're not allowed:

• chocolate or chocolate covered items
• sweets
• cakes, not even homemade
• fizzy drinks
• glass containers
• hot food (e.g., flask of soup)

Best place to check is the school website, they should have a copy of their policy on there.

Some schools are very militant, others anything goes. Mad world.

Eggles schools often confiscate items of food.

Venger Your children aren't allowed chocolate or chocolate covered items but can bring Nutella?

DS has a meatball and lettuce wrap with mayo, crisps and carrot sticks.

I usually send: fruit (apples, grapes, oranges, etc), veg sticks (cucumber, mini tomato, carrots, peppers, etc.), Grain (rice ball, pasta, couscous, wrap, roll, bagel, burger bun, etc), a cheese (cheddar, parmesan, baby bell, emmental, etc), a meat (salami, pepperoni, ham, bacon, turkey, chicken, tuna, sausage, hot dog).

Snack of treat (homemade cake, granola bar, pretzels, tortilla chips, popcorn etc) and fruit.

Water to drink.

No nuts, no crisps, no chocolate or candy.

When then that's ridiculous. They'd rather a child go hungry than eat a cupcake?! I can understand nuts because of allergies but schools don't have a right to parent children.

the school can hardly confiscate it.

They can and do, sadly. DS went in with a mini blueberry muffin once, homemade, and it was confiscated then sent home with a note. Pudding that day on school dinners was a chocolate muffin. School got a blistering email and DS got a note on his file from his dietician, he can more or less take what he likes now (which is very little).

Our school does not allow nuts as we have a few children with severe allergies but that is all. They are never confiscated as such just returned home with a note asking for that item not to be sent again

Your children aren't allowed chocolate or chocolate covered items but can bring Nutella?

DS is, he has food aversions so it's a choice between Nutella or peanut butter or plain bread.

Thank you so much, some great ideas here! Wouldn't mind a few of those myself. I'll take a look a school website, I didn't even think to do so!

DS is not allowed any nuts, crisps, sweets, drinks other than water, chocolate, biscuits, cake, cereal bars, jam.

I give a sandwich, tomatoes/cucumber, fruit, a yoghurt, oat cakes/cheese straws/crackers, cheese cubes, savory popcorn, rice cakes (but not the ones with chocolate topping as they got confiscated).

I'm getting a bit sick of how overly militant they are.

Mine have sandwich, crisps, yoghurt and cereal bar. A chocolate cereal bar. Water.

Occasionally the little one has cherry tomatoes but the others won't eat them so I don't bother trying anymore.

Cheese and ham sandwich, yoghurt, banana, satsuma and a baby bell x

I have obviously been living under a rock.. I have a 12 week old baby so probably why I am unaware of these rules.

No crisps?! No biscuits? No penguin bar? I would have actually starved as a child. I have always been a healthy weight (if anything probably a bit underweight) my lunch used to consist of : bread and butter sandwich or cream crackers, penguin bar, pack of crisps, grapes, yoghurt.

Lunches get confiscated?! What kind of madness is this.

Oh I’ve also been told off for sending grapes that are not cut in half!