Eating standing up at school???

[JCWildWest]

Just wondering if this was the case for anyone else’s kids since returning school.

Secondary school, medium sized. Phased lunchtimes as expected, eating in the school hall but no seating of tables provided, so they stand and eat their lunch.

This just seems bizarre to me. I get that it’s because they don’t want to have to disinfect the tables and chairs but these are kids not cattle. And it’s their break, I think it’s mean not to allow them to sit and eat their dinner? I just can’t get my head round it.

Anyone else experiencing this?

@AppleKatie

You have understood a subtlety that has passed by many SLT colleagues of my acquaintance 🤦‍♀️😆

The subtlety is no accident. This way the Government can lay the blame on school leaders if there is a rise in cases nationally, regionally or even just within the school community itself. They can say that the school leaders didn't follow the guidance and so teachers and pupils were all doing something that was directly against the recommended actions.

This Government has many flaws but its ability to redirect blame onto others is truly exceptional.

@hippohector

We had an email from school saying that even if it’s raining they will not be allowed inside at lunchtime under any circumstances, so kids need to wear a coat and bring an umbrella. There are no tables or benches outside so they will have to eat standing up, in the rain, while trying to hold an umbrella. It’s bloody ridiculous.

They need one of these, I have one for getting the shopping out the car when it's raining and it's great. 😄

Choosing to eat your lunch standing around outside because you want to maximise your time doing things like football is fine.

Forcing all to stand around eating outside is not OK. There will be a significant number of pupils with conditions such as dyspraxia who find it incredibly difficult to manage. Thankfully DS1 is y5 not secondary. Before McDonalds opened up to eat in, he found it logistically very difficult to eat while sitting outside on a bench and not drop/ spill or place food on the unsanitised paving. (Mind you even with a table last night, we, the floor and the wall behind all got a thourough drenching of hot chocolate spraying everywhere...)

The reality is there aren't civilised and dignified ways to do social distancing or bubbles in the majority of secondary schools, and many pupils will be harmed by the attempt to do so.

Children sit down in lessons all day, they hardly need to rest their weary legs, IME lots eat standing up anyway in courtyards/on the school field etc

It hadn't really occurred to me until I read this post but my secondary school age son probably eats lunch standing up most days!

He has a choice of buying proper knife & fork type meals in the canteen where he can obviously sit down or a more snacky option from several other venues around the school which are 'takeaway'. Him & his friends prefer these as the queues are always much shorter & then they hang out in one of several areas to eat & chat - most of these places have no seating at all. The only time he sits down is probably in the Summer when they might hang out on the field & lounge about on the grass!

He's never even mentioned it so I guess they all just accept it.

It's a bit of a shame in this weather

Not sure what my daughter's school is doing as they're not back until Monday. All I've heard so far is staggered break times.
I can see why they're doing it but doesn't sound exactly enjoyable. However it's really hard for schools to know what to do.

Actually I think I'm more use to seeing teens eating standing up than sitting!

They seem to get Mc Ds etc as takeaway.

Fish and chips and even a meal deal from co op (or a pile of crap!)

I'm most impressed with the ones who can scooter at speed, chat and eat lunch all at the same time.

@Sootikinstew

Wouldn't the answer be to have children bring in packed lunches/issue a free school meals packed lunch in the morning and have children eat at their desks before leaving the school buildings for breaktime?

You can expect secondary school children to make sure they leave the desk clean and tidy surely?

Sadly I have taught in secondary schools for 12 years in 'nice' areas and I have been told numerous times that 'its not my job to clear up my mess' so I would be very sceptical of students clearing up after themselves - its someone elses job. As a teacher I have cleared up some disgusting things, ends of sandwiches shoved into computer stations as they can't be bothered to walk to the bin.

So it would be down to teachers to clear up/monitor the classrooms before they taught again, at the same time as supervising students outside to make sure they are not mixing with other year groups. Sadly I am not superwoman! We don't have lunchtime supervisors at secondary just the kitchen staff.

Never ever sat down for lunch during my sec school time. However in a different EU country long time ago. There was only a small place to sit down and where you could by drinks, no food for sale. I must admit hot dinners are one of the few things a like about English schools

At my private school in the 90s, the sixth form were on a rota to help with canteen duty. Queue management and clearing duties. Seemed to work well.

Packed lunches only, no seating provision. Not allowed to bring in hot drinks. Only allowed to drink their cold drinks at lunchtime. Toilet trips allowed at two designated times in the day only.

This made me remember that we always all stood and ate when I was in high school. Never enough seats to go around, we’d always stand in a corridor and eat snd chat.

At my kids primary school they used to have to eat lunch on the playground - so there were a couple of benches, but in general they just stood or sat on the ground if it was warm/dry. My DSes were scandalised because we'd just come from somewhere else where it was full cooked lunches every day.

Since Covid it's gone the other way, and they eat lunch at their desks.

Can they not put a few large plastic sheets on ground for picnics?

It's going to be a matter of space and timing isn't it? Everything has to be cleaned between bubbles. All bubbles need an allotted time.

You either want schools fully open with all the changes that entails during an international pandemic, or you accept that it would be better for the comfort and mental health of the majority if some sort of rota system was in place.

I can't help in the canteen because I'm busy cleaning my classroom and setting up for the next class through the door. I do so while eating my lunch on the hoof.

At primary school my children used to eat outside on the field area in the summer. They could possibly do this at secondary school too but it's going to be cold soon and probably raining so it's not practical long term.
As I said eating standing up isn't great or especially comfortable but it's better than not being able to attend school at all. The only other option would be to have staff cleaning all the time but the teachers can't as they're cleaning the class, the kitchen staff are cooking and school can't afford extra staff.
So eating standing seems the only option.

Yeah, dd's school has limited indoor space for them to sit down so they are expected to sit outside at lunchtime unless it's raining, in which case, they can use the classroom.

The other day, it had been raining all morning but had stopped by lunchtime, so they were supposed to be outside but couldn't sit on the ground as it was too wet. I had sent dd into school with a pasta salad which she decided was too difficult to eat standing up, so she brought it home untouched without having eaten anything all day! I'm sure she would have managed it if she had been really hungry, but she isn't that interested in food at the best of times, and I reckon she just couldn't be bothered.

It's not ideal but not sure what else the school can do, as they're trying to keep the year group bubbles separate. I'm therefore trying to plan lunches that can be easily eaten standing up!

It’s not ideal but y’know...the kids are sat down all day. Standing for (what will be a shortened) lunch break isn’t the end of the world.

Every school seems to be getting it in the neck at the moment...too draconian, too lax, masking in corridors is ridiculous, sanitising is dangerous, PE kit being worn all day is unsanitary.....

Please.

Schools spent all summer interpreting the guidance and trying to the right thing. Every time we thought we were close to a solution to a problem, another reared its’ head. All the time trying to keep things as normal as possible for the kids while following guidance and being frustrated with the compromises that we know will not be popular.
‘Well, that’s your school, ours aren’t as fair as yours’....yes, they are, I’ve never known a school that doesn’t put its kids first.

Perhaps they’ve a high number of previously-shielding staff? Or there have been a high number of cases in families that you may not know about?

We are all trying our best.

@SaltyAndFresh

It's going to be a matter of space and timing isn't it? Everything has to be cleaned between bubbles. All bubbles need an allotted time.

You either want schools fully open with all the changes that entails during an international pandemic, or you accept that it would be better for the comfort and mental health of the majority if some sort of rota system was in place.

I can't help in the canteen because I'm busy cleaning my classroom and setting up for the next class through the door. I do so while eating my lunch on the hoof.

this

We can't do right for anyone atm

You want schools to try to be covid safe then these are the problems it cause; want normality then we will not be able to try to he covid safe.

@13:55AlexaShutUp why would your DD not be able to eat a pasta salad standing up it's not a roast dinner 🤔

Why don't they allow kids to go home for dinner like they used to do? At least that way only kids whose parents both work would have to stay at school.

Kids can sit down in our place. We can't have cups of tea or coffee because a. No water and b.no time. After getting up at silly o.clock, dropping kids at cm and driving to work, that cup of tea gave me the ability to get through p1. Cold water from home isn't quite the same.

No wonder as a nation we have such a disordered approach to eating. Part of being a civilised society is sitting down to eat at set meals times.

Our children can't even do this anymore

@Asuitablecat

Kids can sit down in our place. We can't have cups of tea or coffee because a. No water and b.no time. After getting up at silly o.clock, dropping kids at cm and driving to work, that cup of tea gave me the ability to get through p1. Cold water from home isn't quite the same.

Tesco sell a flask you can drink from that has a pouring spout thing and also locks shut so can't accidentally be flicked open.

It's a god send and keeps drinks warm for 12 hours

@cannotchange

No wonder as a nation we have such a disordered approach to eating. Part of being a civilised society is sitting down to eat at set meals times.

Our children can't even do this anymore

I don’t like the kids standing thing, but come on... kids standing for a few days so far is nothing to do with the fact that we are a nation with eating problems