Head not allowing my DD school packed lunch

[peacockfeather11]

This is the first time I taking this up directly with the HT. DD says the food awful and bland, this was brought up last year with the HT by a group of parents and as usual the response was 'we will try a new menu'. It did work for a few weeks and then the standard dropped once again, by then the parents had given up.
Now again this year and same issue, I sent an email and was told they have a 'no packed lunch policy', I can't find this one their web site and no-one seems to think it exists and that a new menu will be introduced. DD is so hungry after school and being in Yr6 has more work but has lost her appetite since going back. She generally has a good appetite and will try anything but says the school food is making her sick.
I sent another mail before holidays and never got a response. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

Section 28 of course, I was 7 then after all...

@pleasehelpwi3

Hi not sure if you’ve wilfully misunderstood my post or not; the point is that a head can be a brilliant one even if you disagree with their school lunch policy. Packed lunches can lead to children sharing/exchanging bits from their lunches and somewhere to store the lunch boxes. If the boxes haven’t been sanitised by parents and have coronavirus on them that increases the risk for others.

Children might share or exchange bits from their school dinners. Why would a packed lunch being different? Your post suggests a complete lack of understanding of how Covid is spread if you think that there is any point "sanitising" the lunchbox of an infected child.

No, my post suggests a good understanding of how Covid is policed in primary schools and of risk assessments, which can vary dramatically from the science behind coronavirus.

Children are more likely to exchange bits of pack lunches than school dinners.

@pleasehelpwi3 - what would be the point of sanitising the lunchbox of an infected child, if the infected child is still in school?

Read my previous post- RAs and Covid policies in schools don’t necessarily make sense- in my school the government agreed RA was modified by HT and governors without any scientific knowledge. I’ll spell out the point I’m making really simply- many schools have RAs that cover things like not bringing lots of things from home and sanitising books etc that don’t always add up scientifically. As a teacher though with a slightly vulnerable partner I’d be happy to err on the side of caution...

@pleasehelpwi3

Read my previous post- RAs and Covid policies in schools don’t necessarily make sense- in my school the government agreed RA was modified by HT and governors without any scientific knowledge. I’ll spell out the point I’m making really simply- many schools have RAs that cover things like not bringing lots of things from home and sanitising books etc that don’t always add up scientifically. As a teacher though with a slightly vulnerable partner I’d be happy to err on the side of caution...

I don't agree that it is erring on the side of caution to insist everyone has school lunches. Arguably if more children eat a packed lunch it reduces the amount of time queueing for school lunches, contact with adults serving the food and makes everything go more smoothly/quickly. DD's school have asked students to have a packed lunch if possible.

@pleasehelpwi3

Children are more likely to exchange bits of pack lunches than school dinners.

It doesn't really make any difference. If an infected child is sitting next to another child the primary mode of transmission will be through the air. There is no evidence that it is transmitted by food.

How horrible, I hope you sort this out OP. Everyone should have the right to bring their own food and eat what they want.

She's in Y6 now. What did she eat before?

@derxa

She's in Y6 now. What did she eat before?

If it's anything like my kids school it's probably gone downhill.

DD (now 14) loved the school hot lunches. DD2 (age 11) has also loved them, right up until a couple of years ago, coinciding with when DS started. The poor lad has never experienced the tasty school meals they used to get excited about.
DD2 will tell me all the time that they've changed everything and now "it's all gross". And it's also not as hot apparently. The mash has no flavour now (presumably they have removed salt and/or butter) and is lukewarm lumpy slop that makes her gag, all the sandwiches use mayonnaise instead of butter (margarine) and you can no longer get beans and cheese jacket spuds. You get a small plain potato with beans OR cheese and no butter at all.

If it's a state school then they should definitely be allowing packed lunches otherwise the school is offering a different provision from other state schools, which is simply not fair.
Unless it is a Local Education Authority policy and every school in the area is enforcing bland rubbish for lunch, the HT must see that following this policy is not good.
Suggest taking your child to a school that does allow Packed Lunches.
Sometimes just the suggestion that you are taking your child elsewhere can be enough to spur a response.
If it doesn't work, move her anyway!

@littleadder

If it's a state school then they should definitely be allowing packed lunches otherwise the school is offering a different provision from other state schools, which is simply not fair. Unless it is a Local Education Authority policy and every school in the area is enforcing bland rubbish for lunch, the HT must see that following this policy is not good. Suggest taking your child to a school that does allow Packed Lunches. Sometimes just the suggestion that you are taking your child elsewhere can be enough to spur a response. If it doesn't work, move her anyway!

Choosing your child's school on the basis of it's food provision would be pure idiocy.

No I didn’t say that erring on the side of caution meant having a packed lunch. I meant in general when it comes to coronavirus in school, without going overboard. Your post illustrates my point- different schools have approached this in different ways. In my school both are allowed but the children are kept separate during lunch- indeed in the better weather they ate outside which was an excellent idea. But back to the OP: school dinners are never going to be excellent, and as others have agreed you come across as very precious. I find some parts of your post odd and entitled and many of the responses. Schools have so much on their plates right now-no pun intended- that unless the meals really are as bad as you say they are, ie not edible, I wouldn’t complain right now. In my experience children can exaggerate- this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be believed- about school life including school dinners. If you want better school meals, and indeed better funding for schools, please consider carefully who you vote for. Schools receive very little funding for school meals. I haven’t scrolled through the whole of the ten odd pages looking for the menu of this particular school, but unless it has been included and the school dinners are especially disgusting, this is in no way a safeguarding issue. Some of the responses to my posts illustrate that teachers do receive much criticism from the public- eg it is not unknown for teachers to receive emails from parents saying too much homework/too little homework for exactly the same bits of homework! We cannot pleas e all of the people all of the time, but we try our hardest. Just because you may disagree with my posts doesn’t mean as one charming poster put it ‘you’re in the wrong job mate’ but this being the internet it’s too be expected. I’m glad the parents of the children I teach disagree!

to be expected.

Children are more likely to exchange bits of pack lunches than school dinners.

I don't remember any child wanting to eat or exchange their lunch for my corned beef sandwiches. I do remember having some chips off someone else's plate regularly.

If I hadn't taken packed lunches to school, I'd have starved. Or just had chips every day. Neither of which would be acceptable.

Schools do have a lot on their plates right now. Staff are doing great jobs BUT a child not eating is a basic need not being met.

Everything in the whole world doesn’t have to stop because of Covid.

And I’m a staunch remain voter but do think children are entitled to food that is edible and it’s wrong to ignore this because ‘schools are busy at present’. And I also say this as a teacher!

Of course kids have the right to eat a proper lunch! But it seems to me that the OP thinks that their kids not getting gourmet food is a safeguarding issue!

No I didn’t say that erring on the side of caution meant having a packed lunch. I meant in general when it comes to coronavirus in school, without going overboard. Your post illustrates my point- different schools have approached this in different ways.

I know you didn't say bearing on the side of caution meant having a packed lunch. You suggested that not allowing children to bring things into school including a packed lunch was erring on the side of caution and I would disagree. Better for them to all bring in their own stuff including their own lunch.

The fact that different schools have approached it in different ways is irrelevant. If some other ways lack common sense or knowledge of infection control then they should be prepared to change them and that includes the insistence that children can't have packed lunch.

@pleasehelpwi3

My god. What a load of whingers on this site. To think you’d bother a headteacher right note as little darling doesn’t like the lunch. I’m a state primary teacher and I can’t imagine the stress my headteacher is under right now, let alone having to deal with self entitled parents bringing their children up to be totally spineless- are you going to ring up their university as well when they get an ‘unfair’ mark on an essay. Please don’t lie about safeguarding either- and it isn’t on any way a safeguarding issue except poor parenting- when safeguard leads have more than usual genuine and serious safeguarding issues to deal with....what an idiotic post and a scarily large amount of people agreeing. Still, this country did vote for Brexit....

I've got lots of sympathy for heads and teachers, but this is a ridiculous post. Kids need to eat during the day, school meals can be horrible. Asking to bring your own lunch isn't spineless or self-entitled, it's solving a problem with minimal fuss. Junior age kids are old enough to be told that sharing food is not safe at present.

University is at least 8 years away for primary kids. One of mine is at uni now, so I can confidently say that asking for something small and wholly reasonable at primary school doesn't set you on a path towards interfering with their university lives

I do agree that lying about safeguarding is wrong.

@pleasehelpwi3

Of course kids have the right to eat a proper lunch! But it seems to me that the OP thinks that their kids not getting gourmet food is a safeguarding issue!

OP never said it was a safeguarding issue. Pp's suggested that.

OP doesn't want gourmet meals, they just don't want to be forced to pay for meals that their kid won't eat. They want to be allowed to bring in a packed lunch,not exactly a gourmet meal ,is it?

There was a whole bit in Orange is the New Black where the prisoners couldn't stand the prison food, but a group of them clocked that if you asked for a kosher meal it was amazing. They all started saying they were Jewish and they 'weren't allowed to ask questions as it's discrimination'

Same in the hospital where I work. The gala meals come from a different supplier and were apparently very good!

@pleasehelpwi3

Of course kids have the right to eat a proper lunch! But it seems to me that the OP thinks that their kids not getting gourmet food is a safeguarding issue!

No that is only your interpretation of it (based on other poster's reactions)

My DC take packed lunches and eat at their desks, far less movement than them collecting food or having food passed around. As for sharing, it's not encouraged as they have to stay in lines and put their remains back into their own boxes. It seems more risky having more people involved with food and food distribution at the moment.

@pleasehelpwi3

Of course kids have the right to eat a proper lunch! But it seems to me that the OP thinks that their kids not getting gourmet food is a safeguarding issue!

I don't think I came across as entitled: My DD is in year 6 - food has gone down over the years and self-catering was brought in a few years ago and things got even worse. Parents brought this up last year and year before, the same response was given from HT which was 'we will change the menu'. It is then ok for 2 weeks and then back to slop. I have never approached HT on anything in 6 years (apart from backing the parents on the food last year). Packed lunch is a solution to a problem. I don't think my DD is being dramatic and I told her to try it for a term, to be certain this was not the case. She has lost weight, is tired and lethargic. I feel all your posts in particular are really unhelpful and you said yourself you didn't read all the posts on here. I am definitely not trying to cause any more work for the school but in this case I am willing (for the first time) to air my views. From what I have read, the HT is breaking the law, I think that is enough for me to take this further and ensure there is a path for other parents who feel intimidated to come forward.