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

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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

My son had his fruit squash taken off him and tipped away in front of him as well as small bags of crisps or treats so I’d go with loads of healthy stuff and water

Today I have given my DCs

Ham sandwich on brown bread

Cucumber slices (they won't eat them in the sandwich 🙄)

Box of raisins

Couple of plain crackers which they love for some reason

Mini yoghurt pot

Sometimes they have a cereal bar, a chunk of cheese, mini pot of hummus with breadsticks, small bag of plain popcorn etc.

Wolef you live up to your name with that genius suggestion! I love it and may actually do it. DD would laugh her head off!

But OP...why don't you just ring the school and ask? And also...if you're on free meals, they MUST provide a lunch. There'd be kids with nothing at all otherwise!

Our school is pretty hysterical about nuts. Regular stern warnings - at one point that extended to no home baking, but I think they've got over that now.

Every so often they like to patronise us about healthy eating, while feeding the kids a balanced lunch of sausage rolls and chips followed by 'lunch pudding'.

Sandwich, crisps, fruit, oaty-type biscuit, yogurt in a packed lunch would prob be about right.

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

That made me laugh. DS1 used to take an Orange in his packed lunch, he put it in on Monday and took it out on Friday. I don't think he ever ate it.

Ask the secretary if they have a lunchbox policy or any banned foods. They should be able to give you a list. As you're only just going onto lunches they can't expect you to know.

Plastic fruit :o :o :o

like others said it varies a lot from school to school our last one were no nuts, no chocolate ( including yogurts, chocolate frubes, chocolate covered biscuits, chocolate raisins which many parents tried to say were fruit..) and no sweets ( no problem with yoyos) and crisps.

Due to a lot of parents not knowing ( ignoring , ie i was told pecans and almonds dont count ) the nuts rule , they then banned home made flapjacks or cereal bars as many had nuts in them, so packaged ones only , (school did provide a list of brands that had say coconut in them ), the teachers never took stuff off kids but asked them to wait till they were on their way home to eat it. Popcorn used to be allowed but was banned as kids were spilling it at playtime, so they changed rule to ban, then parents complained so changed back to small pot of popcorn was allowed. They recomended a healthy sandwich or roll but didnt object to items like sausage rolls, scones, 2 pieces of fruit and a treat like a plain biscuit or small pot popcorn.

My ds current school only has 2 rules no nuts and no meat or fish- due to parents complaining lack of facilities to store packed lunches most have school meals, as cubbies above radiators and their child may get food poisoning , so not sure i follow their logic but thats what it is..

Our school is pretty hysterical about nuts. Regular stern warnings - at one point that extended to no home baking, but I think they've got over that now.

Maybe they were ‘hysterical’ because they had a severely allergic child or children at the school, and have loosened the policy because they don’t currently have anyone with such a severe nut allergy?

Our school is totally nut free, including home baking, bake sales, stuff brought in for the school fair, etc. It is an incredibly minor inconvenience to massively reduce the serious risk to children who already have restrictions on what they are able to do - eg eat in manny cafes - because of their allergy.

Indeed, my first ever mention in the MN Roundup was for suggesting that it would be more sensible to use plastic fruit - it would pass a cursory glance from the dinner lady, and could be re-used indefinitely!!

I reckon we could eliminate a significant amount of food waste with that approach!

My DS (autistic and a bit picky) has cooked school lunch normally, but when he goes on a trip or to an activity club etc where they need a packed lunch he has a ham or cheese sandwich, bag of plain popcorn or lentil crisps, and couple of Ella's fruit and oat bars or Bear fruit leathers. He only drinks water so that is easy! He won't eat fresh fruit unfortunately...

Ours say no sweets, chocolate, nuts but then give kids with hot meals full on sickly sweet puddings

Sandwich, fruit and yogurt is pretty standard. No nuts!

I usually send
Ham sandwich
Babybel cheese
Cherry tomatoes, pepper, cucumber
Mix of fruit eg grapes blueberries strawberries mango etc
Yogurt ( usually sweezy ones)
Box of raisins
Bottle of juice

This is for both preschool and primary child. Obviously the older one has slightly more... doesn't always eat it all.
However preschooler scoffs the lot!!

That should say squeezy yoghurt!!!

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

@JassyRadlett this made me howl. I do this and I'm 35.

@Venger Things they're not allowed:- chocolate or chocolate covered items

Why do you send your son with Nutella then ?

The no chocolate rule is ridiculous particularly as the staff room is usually full of biscuits and chocolates at this time of year. A lot of the teachers in our primary were pretty overweight as well. It used to really annoy me when they wouldn't let my children take a slice of homemade (not that homemade matters but its probably a tiny bit healthier than bought and less packaged) cake in for lunch, and yet you'd spy them in the staff room hoovering up Roses.

We give DD cut up fruit in a pot with a picnic fork. She scoffs the lot!

Plus various combinations of... ham and Philadelphia roll, breadsticks and cheese, cereal bars, rice cakes, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, yoghurt drink.

My daughter goes with

Ham sandwhich, tomato, cucumber, an apple, some cheese and some rice cakes or breadsticks.

I’m in Ireland , no hot lunches in primary school. Everyone brings a packed lunch .

No crisps, chocolate, biscuits, popcorn, breakfast bars, peanut butter , Nutella , juice

My 6 year old went in with a bread roll with ham, pot of raspberries, pot of strawberries, grated cheese, yogurt and a pack of raisins

@Trewser the staff are adults at work and surely have the right to eat whatever they want? The packed lunch rules are an attempt to make sure that children with meals prepared at home have a nutritional standard meeting those of school dinners. School dinners are prepared to quite strict nutritional guidelines about sugar, salt and the inclusion of fruit and vegetables. Yes, they do include puddings, but (as anyone who has tasted them will know) they are much lower sugar versions than those bought in shops or baked at home. Portions are small. Meals are low salt, and contain two portions of fruit and veg daily. If there are no rules about packed lunches, many parents will do a great job, but some will send in nothing but junk e.g. nothing but a shop bought sausage roll and a chocolate bar for lunch. It’s quite easy not to fall foul of any guidelines - just stick to a sandwich, two bits of fruit or veg, and a yoghurt or cheese if you are worried.

Can anyone explain why schools allow cereals bars built not chocolate biscuits ?

A typical cereal bar has 27g carbs and 12g sugar.

A 2 finger Kit Kat has 13g carbs and 10g sugar.

How is one healthy and the other isn't?