Are these school lunchbox rules particularly nonsensical? Or are they all this bad?!

[Nevertimeforcake]

So according to my (primary) schools ‘healthy’ lunchbox rules I can give my child a kitkat (biscuit based chocolate bar) but I can’t give them a small chocolate coin or some cubes of chocolate as these are solid chocolate. It seems to make no sense to me - indeed the whole policy seems to be a box ticking exercise so they can be considered a ‘healthy school’ by County. Does anyone know of guidelines/ rules that make more sense? I’d like to make a suggestion on improvements rather than just complaining!

Why do you need to give a chocolate coin for lunch? Can't you give it to him on the way home from school? Or as a dessert after your evening meal?

No idea about other guidelines, our school sends the kids home for lunch!

I can’t bear this. They’re your children, you are in charge of what they eat. But since you have sent them to a school with this sort of approach, overall, I have to say, the rules seem healthy enough. Just give them a chocolate wafer. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why would you put a chocolate coin in a lunch box? That list sounds highly reasonable to me. A child should not have sweets every day, I thought this was known.

They are trying to stop mars bars and the like. Fixed rules are easier to enforce.

Honestly. It probably is box ticking, but that’s just what schools have to do. Given the stress staff are currently under I’d have to feel awfully strongly about biscuit classification before I bothered the headteacher about it. Just give your child chocolate outside of school hours.

Seems like a pretty sensible list to me

I get you OP, the list is a bit daft. Why are wotsits and Mr Kipling cakes okay, but not a donut? Hmm.

Isn't it a shame that schools even need to send a list out to parents.

I'd be more bothered that they assign something as a treat. Doesn't that just link those foods with reward?

They would have been better saying Green (healthy, go mad!), Amber (less healthy, consider one item every couple of days), Red (no)

Looks pretty reasonable to me.

(The writing of green in an amber colour would irrationally annoy me tho!)

I'd tell them to sod off and them sod off some more. They have zero right to dictate what you feed your child. Schools overstepping the line like this makes me furious. Also that guide is incredibly patronising and treats parents like morons.

I don't think it's that bad to be honest. DS's primary school just used to ask us not to send fizzy drinks, sweets or nuts, which is pretty much what yours says but with more explicit detail as to what is allowed.

Working in schools I have seen all sorts.
Last nights KFC, parents bringing in happy meal, huge share pack of profiteroles and 5 lollies and three packets of crisp.
I personally hate schools trying to micro manage home lives.

Seems sensible to me. Biscuit based chocolate bars have less sugar than solid chocolate bars of the same size, logical.

Some parents feed their kids shite, which affects their ability to learn and to grow. Schools would be irresponsible to allow that to happen at school.

I worked in public health for a while and a senior public health person told me that health 'rules' are made for people with the lowest IQ/ common sense. Hence no drinking at all in pregnancy rule. Also a midwife told me some horror stories about people blending up MacDonalds meals for weaning. So I think / just go with it.

I'd be more bothered that they assign something as a treat. Doesn't that just link those foods with reward?

Treats and rewards aren’t the same, are they? A treat is just something you have less often.

But I still wouldn’t like this. I get the reasons for it but I would prefer the guidance to be sent out to parents who appeared to be struggling to put together a healthy lunch. I don’t need to be told my child needs vegetables.

Our primary school was the same. It makes sense to me, no sweets or chocolate allowed, but you could have a biscuit based bar because it is not all chocolate.

They didn't like it when DD had a jam sandwich every day, but seeing as she wouldn't eat cheese, ham, marmite etc, I said it was that or nothing so they shut up then.

Yeah you gotta love the fact that you can't give a couple of squares of dark chocolate but you can give them something like a fruit winder.

A fun size milky way will be out but feel free to give them one of thse yogurt coated cereal bar things

Theres probably negligible difference in the sugar content

What’s your problem with the rules? Do you think that Kit Kat’s should never be allowed or do you think that all chocolate should be allowed?

I don’t really see the problem with these rules. An occasional Kit Kat is better than a Mars bar.

Yes it seems ridiculous. Thankfully our school doesn't allow pack lunches so we don't need to worry but I do find it a bit ridiculous that parents can't decide for themselves what their children eat and take it on a case by case basis.

Why are they advertising kiplings cakes?

@Tararararara

Yes it seems ridiculous. Thankfully our school doesn't allow pack lunches so we don't need to worry but I do find it a bit ridiculous that parents can't decide for themselves what their children eat and take it on a case by case basis.

What do you mean doesn't allow pack lunches, it's always a choice

@Smallwhiterat

(The writing of green in an amber colour would irrationally annoy me tho!)

And me.

I'm already itching to get in touch with them about it, and it has nothing to do with me.

Aren't Kipling's cakes nut products?