Back to school and lunches.

[BeeB29]

Hoping to send Ds back to school soon. He has an EHCP so he can go back. He is diagnosed with autism. He fully understands social distancing and what will be different etc but my main concern is the lunches 😬

Previously I have paid for him to go school dinners every day as he likes the cooked foods they have.

They have a great choice there usually and always something he will eat.

If he goes back a packed style lunch will be provided - sandwiches etc.

Thing he will not eat packed lunches. He doesn’t really like sandwiches. The only sandwich he would eat occasionally is marmite. He hates fruit (please don’t judge, he has autism, sensory issues and has a limited diet). Everything has to be dry and beige.

School won’t allow children to bring in a packed lunch. If they did I could send him in with things he would eat from a lunch box - lunchables, cold nuggets, cold pizza, sausage rolls etc.

I’m hoping they will be able to accommodate him at school by perhaps making something he likes (I pay for his lunches, not free school meals).

Aibu to expect them to accommodate him? If he’s given for instance tuna, egg or ham sandwich he will refuse it (not sure what the menu is exactly) so it means he will go hungry.

He will not eat it if he’s hungry.

I can’t not send him because of the lunch but aibu to expect a little more flexibility for him?

I clean out lunch boxes out every time they are used (would do this prior to covid not just now).

What am I meant to do?

Sounds trivial with everything going on but I’m sure any other asd parent will understand the issues with food.

My other child will eat anything that’s given to her so not an issue 🤣

Speak to your school's SENCo. They'll be best placed to advise as they will be able to look at the school risk assessment for the kitchens. From there it will depend on what food deliveries the school has as the way school meals are priced is based on economy of scale.
Definitely speak to school directly.

I’m a primary school senco, we have a Y5 boy with an autism diagnosis and and ehcp returned to school last week. The children are not allowed to bring their own food in, and the school kitchen is closed, the children are having packed lunches made in a hub kitchen off site. However, for this boy, in agreement with his parents, our deputy head has gone out and bought the particular brand of bread, particular sandwich filling (not one that is being provided from the hub kitchen) and the particular brand and flavour of crisps he likes, and she’s keeping these at school and making it up for him each day.
Definitely worth speaking to the school/senco to see what they can do to support you/him.

Why on earth are the children not allowed to bring their own food in? What a ridiculous rule! What about allergies and other dietary requirements? I doubt that the school would be able to cater for all of those things. Personally, I would explain your situation and say that he is bringing his own lunch, end of story.

@LittleRa Your deputy head sounds amazing!

Thanks all. I’m hoping there will be some flexibility. The school is fantastic with most things. It’s a question I forgot to ask when I spoke the senco.

He will eat marmite sandwiches so I’m hoping they can sort that out for him. I can’t imagine it’s a very popular choice for children but maybe they could buy a jar? I’m assuming they are making the lunches on site here.. I have no idea how it works.

Failing that I don’t know what to do. If he doesn’t eat all day, I can’t send him! 😢

@clipclop05 Not allowed to bring anything in (pencil cases, packed lunches, PE kits etc) due to increased infection/cross contamination risk. We have an 80 page risk assessment in place. The packed lunches from the hub kitchen cater for allergies and dietary requirements in the same way school dinners usually would (however, they don’t cater for Nutella sandwiches and specific brand of salt and vinegar crisps that this boy needed ha ha).

Our children are either having a cold school meal or bringing in a packed lunch from home-I wouldn’t see a problem. Speak to the senco.

Are his sensory issues around food mentioned in his EHCP?

Our primary have said not to bring in school lunches, I’m considering sending my son back next week. He has a severe milk allergy, if he goes back he will be having pack up as the hub being used to make school dinners has cows milk/milk products.

One of my DC has an EHCP and is back at school (SEN school). He takes in a packed lunch I make - always has, as very picky eater. Other DC is returning to (different) school Monday- school has requested that I send in a packed lunch. I really would hope your DS’s school would be flexible, especially as he has EHCP. Pressure them.

I'm confused why bringing own lunches in is not allowed? I would also argue that there is a monetary impact if they are forcing you to pay for school lunches. You can make your own up much cheaper than £2.30 a day!

Every school I know is allowing packed lunches from home, to be kept on spare seat next to them. Many (but not all) are not providing hot dinners and saying packed lunches MUST be in - only providing school packed lunches for children on free school if they order it.

I suppose it just depends on what amount of risk the school wants to be responsible for. We’ve had our risk assessment (which includes no food from home) passed by the governors and local authority. We’ve been told that if we had an outbreak of Covid-19, public health England would come into the school to conduct an investigation. They would scrutinise the risk assessment and the practices going on and whether the risk assessment was being followed to the letter. If it was found that the element of risk was not properly evaluated or adhered to, the school or even individual members of staff could be help liable and prosecuted or fined.

Also, my school is in an area of high deprivation with over 65% entitled to free school meals so they won’t be paying £2.30 for the packed lunch. As I’ve said, in a special and particular circumstance we’ve done what we can to support a child who the food situation would be difficult for.

Our children are bringing a packed lunch. They store it under their table. They wash their hands and eat it inside if the weather is poor or outside and then re-store it under the desk, wipe the desk and then wash their hands. No problems. It’s all part of our risk assessment. Normally all children eat hot cooked food at school but opening the kitchen and using the dining room was not practical.

PS my own daughter’s school, they’re allowed to take their own packed lunch.
It’s up to individual schools to decide what they are comfortable providing and doing. There is not specific guidance from government or local authorities on many many circumstances and its up to Heads and SLTs to make these decisions, many of which can be really difficult and scary, and wanting to get it right but keep people happy but keep people safe and keep the risk of liability for an outbreak in mind too.
Schools are doing the best they can and no one is sitting there saying “ah let’s make them all eat school packed lunches for a laugh”. Every decision is taken carefully with discussion and many even end up going to a vote amongst SLT and governors.

My DC can take a lunch in to school, they are just as likely to introduce the virus on their shoes etc as they are a lunch bag. They take them in, hang them on spaced out pegs, wash their hands before handling it and immediately afterwards and then it goes back on their peg.

Alternatively they can order a school packed lunch which are delivered. School have said no plastic lunch boxes, on day 1 we were all given a pile of the brown paper bags that are used for school packed lunches and have to use those.

I have in the past worked out the option to send a packed lunch for my ASD child, even when packed lunches were not allowed.

I would just tell the school you have to send his food and offer to make it entirely disposable so there are no hygiene issues with a reusable lunch box/bag.

At our school the school kitchen can and will cater to specific dietary requirements, like allergy ect it's in the budget to do so, I'm not sure about sensory issues, but I'm sure they would be accommodating as it's in the schools interest to be inclusive of the pupils needs. Can you talk to your schools head ? They wont be able to deviate from the government guidelines regarding what they can serve children from the school kitchen as it had to be healthy and balanced but you could ask

Thank you all. I will get hold of the senco and I’m hoping they can accommodate it. Thinking maybe I’ll buy some brown paper bags thinking I could send something if if they haven’t got anything suitable. Not sure if they will accept that or not but it’s worth asking.

They do know he has issues with food so I’m hoping they will be understanding!

I can’t see why sending in a lunch box is so bad. You could have the virus on clothing and shoes!!

I clean lunches boxes down every time they are used as well. Even before covid was around I always keep lunch boxes hygienic.

Yes, you could equally have the virus on shoes, clothes or lunchboxes. However, you can not physically come to school with no clothes on or no shoes on. But you can come to school with no packed lunch box. So that is 1 out of 3 things less being brought in, or 33% less.

@BeeB29

Thank you all. I will get hold of the senco and I’m hoping they can accommodate it. Thinking maybe I’ll buy some brown paper bags thinking I could send something if if they haven’t got anything suitable. Not sure if they will accept that or not but it’s worth asking.

They do know he has issues with food so I’m hoping they will be understanding!

I can’t see why sending in a lunch box is so bad. You could have the virus on clothing and shoes!!

I clean lunches boxes down every time they are used as well. Even before covid was around I always keep lunch boxes hygienic.

Not everybody cleans lunchboxes between uses.