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! 😭

@WillSantaBeComingToTown

amp.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/18/exodus-of-exhausted-headteachers-predicted-in-england-after-pandemic?__twitter_impression=true

Don't write to the school- they have to write back.
Schools are at breaking point

This isnt the time to raise concerns about lunches.

At my DD's school if she was in the last group to go in she could end up being offered a plate of potatoes. That was happening 2, 3, 4, 5 years ago. Obviously she went onto packed lunches but there were kids on FSM just being given the potatoes. Its because there arent enough of "those parents" that this sort of thing goes on, bugger all to do with COVID.

They need to set up a system where they can order in advance. Even if it’s just in the morning.

YNBU to bring it up with the school

I'm reading this with interest, I was in primary school in the 90s and had school dinners (my parents' paid for them). We didn't get a choice! There was one meat/fish option and the school had a list of the children who had dietary needs/veggie or whatever and would make that exact number of meals for those kids (of which I was one as we were Muslim so I'd have a different main if the main involved meat, which it usually did). Pretty sure they had to pay each term up front? I'm wondering whether going back to this system would be better and easier, you would know exactly how many lunches to make (well, not taking into account pupil absences though I suppose) and no moaning that you didn't get the option you want. And if you're a fussy eater then your parent has to cater for it via packed lunch not expecting school to.

We’ve had this lots of times over the years at my DD’s primary nothing to do with the pandemic. Surely if you have overcome all the challenges to feed hot food to the school why should Covid be blamed for that hot food running out at year 5?
Nothing to do with the pandemic! I work in a Nursing Home If we have hot meals for the residents they don’t suddenly run out for the top floor!
Complain politely. My DD used to get things like hot dog with no bun so given a piece of bread and other random combos like 1 fish finger and salad.

Is it that he doesn’t like the choice that you pay £2 per day for, or that there is no food left. It sounds like the former, which I don’t think there’s much you can do about.

That said, I used to hate this in school when I was last on the rota. So much so that I remember it 20 years later!

This has happened to my dd a couple of times. She’s in Year 6 and she’s ended up having a sandwich and not a hot meal. You know, the sandwich I could’ve sent her in with.

In DS and DD’s school lunches are being served up in boxes atm for Covid reasons (they’re eating in class) and it’s much easier for them to be dished out when it’s clear by token what each child wants

The only difference is that atm they are coming with the veg of the day, beans or without anything. Rather than having a choice of three different veggies or beans, but that’s totally understandable.

@WillSantaBeComingToTown funny enough not everyone accepts covid as an excuse for everything, are covid spores eating some of the food which is why there isn't enough? Is making up a bit more food to cater to the children who pay or are eligible to have them for free putting people more at risk by popping some extra pasta or whatever that they're already cooking?

Thanks all. I don’t think covid is to blame but I believe my children are having school lunches due to covid - many infants would have packed lunches before covid but now all infants are requested to have the free lunches... this was an issue when I was at school so definitely not new. But annoying regardless!

Children are collecting their food at different times and eating in their classrooms (apart from infants who eat in the canteen). But they’ve always gone in at different times anyway so no covid isn’t really blame here!

Definitely not unreasonable

I wouldn't be happy with that either. Our school it's a 3 week rolling menu. Kids order in the morning. Choice is limited due to covid to a hot meal or a packed lunch. Everyone gets the meal they ordered. I thought that was standard rather letting the food run out.

YANBU and that is terrible. The school really need to sort that out. They should have a system where you order meals in advance and are guaranteed to get what you ordered.

One of my many roles in school is lunchtime supervisor. We aren't having hot meals at the mo, but when we do, parents have to order over a term in advance. So if we were having hot meals again in January, they'd be getting the menus and paperwork etc this week or next to be returned by the end of this term. The info is then printed out for us each week and we serve meal A, B or C to whoever has ordered it. We don't have a kitchen on site so the food is cooked at a nearby school and brought to us in warmers.

The kitchen send one spare portion of something in case anyone has forgotten their packed lunch (very rare) or someone drops their lunch (fortunately also very rare!). As everyone has ordered in advance, they always gets the meal they have paid for.

Our Reception children are served first, then the rest of KS2, then the older ones in whichever order they line up (so not necessarily yr6 last). We are a very small school though and only serve around 12-15 hot meals per day.

Just stopped DD having lunches as well. As if the £60 cost a month were not enough, for that it’s all freezer food.

3 times in 2 weeks DD has crackers and cheese because - despite the children ordering their chosen meal the day before - they didn’t make enough of those meals. And now that the meals are pre-plated and eaten in classrooms, she can’t ask not to have eg gravy and so won’t touch her meal because it’s covered in it.

@WillSantaBeComingToTown

Catering in covid times is a nightmare for school- both in terms of food prep and socially distanced serving and eating. They can't have all the children eating at the same time as before. Many are still not offering any hot meals

Don't be that parent.

Then 'that' parent shouldn't be charged for what her DC isn't having.

They know the numbers. They cook for the numbers.

That is not on. I'd definitely speak to the school.
My Ds school have only just moved back to hot lunches (practicality as they now eat in classrooms due to covid so had to find a way to get hot food to each room) but they've always taken their order in class in the morning for lunch. So they're told the options and then enough of each food is prepared. It sounds like they are trying to minimise wastage at your child's school but aren't actually catering for demand. Definitely speak up and maybe ask if any of his peers parents are finding similar issues so that a few people can raise it.

That’s bad
I’d not be happy

Ask for your money back.

That's ridiculous! They're not buying enough food for all the kids to have a proper meal that the parents paid for.
Year 6 must barely get anything at all.
If they're not willing to buy more food then they need to make it so every year takes it in turns to be first.
Or hold some portions of every option back so there's a set amount for each sitting rather than just putting it all out to start with and if it runs out before the last sitting then tough shit.

You are not being unreasonable op. If schools are open then there should be enough hot dinners for everyone who pays/is eligible for fsm. I am fed up of Covid being used as an excuse. My ds has got a bad back from having to spend the entire week sitting on a science stool (he is tall which doesn’t help). I complained but was told nothing could be done as the science block is the allocated area for his year due to Covid. I appreciate it is a nightmare for schools at the moment but surely the basics like meals and suitable seating still needs to be provided.

We get sent menus for DD’s school, we pick what they want for the term (usually 3 week rolling menu) so school knows who’s having what.

Dd1’s school is a nightmare (high school), they always run out so she now takes a packed lunch even though she’s meant to get free school meals. She does have ASD and a lot of food issues so maybe just being fussy but even in “fish and chip Friday” there’s no chips by the time she gets there.

Same happened to my DS when he was in year 6. They had a new headteacher who changed the lunch schedule meaning he was the last class to go for lunch and they were left with the scrapings, my DS is a picky eater and is limited in the things he would eat so he wouldnt eat something different to what I'd told him should have been on the menu.
I was annoyed too as like you say, when you are having to pay for it you expect them to have a decent lunch that they've chosen.

I ended up giving my DS sandwiches as he got fed up of it too and then he went on to secondary school so I didn't have to worry about it the next year.
Surely it isn't unreasonable to ensure there is enough of all the options for all students.

Surely its unacceptable to leave children hungry? I would politely Email the head and explain what has happened here .Aside from the fact you are paying the best part of 50 quid! Nobody should be left hungry .DO be THAT parent OP!

it’s not on children are going without when you pay for lunches

It's also not on that children who are supposed to get free lunches are going without, as OP said.

YANBU and the school need to think about how they order food in and how much they prepare of each.

Do they no ask the children in advance which option they want?

We ask at morning registration. The children are told the options and they choose which one they want. They then get that option at lunch time.

My nephew has to have his options chosen at the start of each half term. His mum (with his help) chooses them online in advance.