No food left for older children at school

[Kacee29]

I’ll probably get told I’m moaning about nothing here but here goes.

I have a Dd in infants and a dc in year 5. Dd gets free lunches as they all do. We pay for DS’s lunches as over the years he’s really enjoyed having school dinners. He’s willing to try a lot more food there (he has asd and issues with food). Plus he doesn’t really like packed lunch foods. So yeah he’s always had the cooked lunches.

Now he’s in year 5 he’s the second to last in to get have lunch and on a few occasions he’s not had much for lunch as there’s nothing left - he’s ended up with something he doesn’t like or something like a sandwich which I could make for himself anyway (nor do any of the other children as it’s the last things left 😫) I know I’m sounding precious but he will simply not eat anything that’s given to him.

Aibu to think they should make enough so the children in the older years can eat once they get there? We pay for his lunches but some children get their lunches free if on a low income etc. It’s even worse for those children receiving free lunches as it might be the only substantial meal they get in the day. I know that DS can come home and eat, others might not.

But then I think we pay nearly £45 a month for him to eat. So it’s not really good enough not having enough food?!

They know how many children in the juniors are going to be having cooked food in the morning.

So yeah aibu to be annoyed. Thinking of sending him packed lunch but he generally loves the cooked lunches. This has been an ongoing problem since September. I think the issue lies with that before covid not all infants would take up the free lunches - some took packed lunches. Now the school won’t allow those who get free lunches to take a pack lunch because of covid plus he’s one of the last in!

It makes me so sad when he comes home and says he hasn’t really eaten much so packed lunch it is! 😭

Raise the issue. The Head won't know there is any issue otherwise.

May be an ordering issue, portion control, record keeping, may be a fiddle or a higher uptake of meals?

The school I used to work in had a great system. They would vary the order that the juniors went in throughout the week. They used this same system for the football pitch so that little ones could play without fear!

@GillKC

The school I used to work in had a great system. They would vary the order that the juniors went in throughout the week. They used this same system for the football pitch so that little ones could play without fear!

That sounds like a terrible system So rather than cook enough food, they just make the children take turns missing out?

@GillKC

The school I used to work in had a great system. They would vary the order that the juniors went in throughout the week. They used this same system for the football pitch so that little ones could play without fear!

What’s the benefit?

So the school knew not enough food and they did this work around so hit the same children went hungry all the time?

Sounds thoroughly shit

This is ridiculous. I work in a school and it's not good enough. We used to have loads of waste to ensure we cooked enough for everybody and usually this covered everybody for what they wanted but obvs the waste wasn't great. Now we've moved to a system where the children order what they want in the morning and a MTA has a list they check off when they get to dinner so they take what they ordered. Hardly any waste and everybody gets a decent meal that they like. We're a big primary (600) My daughters go to a small village school and they have the same system.
I would go to the head and suggest some solutions but having children with little left to eat is not a solution even if you swap who goes hungry each time. With FSM being such an issue at the moment and hopefully people beginning to realise how important they are I can't believe a school is allowing this to happen.

Our school uses a service where you pre-order each meal in advance for the week/month/half term ahead (orders can be changed/cancelled online up to the evening before). This means less food wastage and an efficient ordering system that means everyone gets what they've ordered whether they're the first or last one in. It isn't impossible. The system your child's school is using clearly isn't fit for purpose.

What’s the benefit?

The benefit in that system is that different children get the first choice every time so it's not always the same children that have two choices instead of four (for example).

It's a better system than the school mentioned in the OP, but not as good as a pre-order system that allows every child to get their actual choice.

@lyralalala

What’s the benefit?

The benefit in that system is that different children get the first choice every time so it's not always the same children that have two choices instead of four (for example).

It's a better system than the school mentioned in the OP, but not as good as a pre-order system that allows every child to get their actual choice.

Yes a “better system” than same children going hungry every week.

But if there’s not enough food... all the system does is vary who goes without.

So fundamentally... shit

This is unacceptable. You have to bring this up with the school.

@WillSantaBeComingToTown

Your remark to @waltzingparrot was unnecessary and rude.