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! 😭

Yanbu, you’re paying for something and not receiving it because the catering company is choosing to cook too few meals. They know how many children they are, there is bo big surprise at lunchtime that a certain number of children turn up - this isn’t a mistake this is cost cutting.

Complain until it improves.

At DD's school they have to choose from the menu and get a sticker according to their choice.

Don't be that parent.
Yes, don’t be that parent that allows your child to routinely go hungry because the people you’ve paid to feed him aren’t doing so and you are afraid to upset them

I work in a school and this issue is annoying for us dinnerladies as well. I really wish the catering company would move to a system in which parents order in advance. The current system is that there are 3 options and we just estimate quantities based on previous weeks. So if a lot of children choose one option it can run out. We also don't know the exact number of children being served until they turn up which means we sometimes have leftover food that gets wasted. I hope one day they may adopt a system with preordered meals which I have seen in other schools and it seems to be quite efficient.

Ps if not all the infants took up the free school meals then the school shouldn’t have been charging the government for them - that is dodgy. So when all of infants started eating school meals the school should have started cooking more.

Surely it isn't unreasonable to ensure there is enough of all the options for all students

Just the waste of hundreds of meals a day to consider.

@MeadowHay And if you're a fussy eater then your parent has to cater for it via packed lunch not expecting school to - by fussy eater you mean a child who would be confused and a bit disappointed to only receive a plate of mashed potatoe because that's all there was? I mean what a snowflake ...

I used to work in a school kitchen and this was a regular occurrence. The manager was so determined to stay within her budget that she would scrimp. The last children in would occasionally end up with no protein so would be given grated cheese with their meal - boiled potatoes, carrots and cheese? however the HTs lunch would always be plated up first and kept in the hot cabinet so he would get a proper meal! I used to have to count how many potatoes we had, how many children there were and cut up some to ensure that we had enough. It was horrendous.

@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.

I teach and still don't think it is acceptable.

This could be solved very easily by asking children to pre order their options, even if has to be a few days in advance.

The pandemic should not be used as an excuse for this. Many other schools are managing it.

YANBU OP. That is not okay, I would be furious in your position.

@flaviaritt I worded that completely wrong!
What I mean is that most schools ask in advance what meals the students want so they should have cooked enough of whatever choices the students have made.

If 70% have chose burger and chips and 30% have chosen macaroni cheese then they should prepare those portions and not make 50/50 of each and then wonder why the burger and chips have run out and the rest of the macaroni is unwanted and wasted.

So my daughter started school nursery in August so I am new to this. The menu operates on a 2 week rotation, with the nursery staff we tell them what she will be having each day at they note it down. With the school children the parents have an online account that they have to select what they are having in advance and then pay if you need to pay. I don't know how it works, if the child says the name and they are given the meal or if they could change mind on day. It's more admin but this is a council area wide thing, not just handled by the school our daughter goes to.

Sorry not read the whole thread.

Don’t the school rotate the years for lunchtime?
My kids school had 4 years, so
week 1, year 1 first, then 2, then 3, then 4
Week 2, yr 2, 3, 4, 1
Week 3 yr 3, 4, 1, 2
Week 4, yr 4, 1, 2, 3

So we all hated being on ‘last dinners’ but it didn’t seem so bad knowing the next week you were on ‘first dinners’.

Aibuabouteverything

Got you. That sounds practical but it might take an extra member of staff to do that (or at least a couple of hours). Perhaps they just don’t have the resources.

@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.

Why not? She's paying for something her child isn't getting. Other schools manage to get over this problem, why shouldn't this one?

I really hate the way MN tries to inculcate a terror being "that parent". It gets used as an excuse for so much substandard practice in schools which they really shouldn't be allowed to get away with.

@DishingOutDone what? Of course not, you obviously didn't read the rest of my post I clearly stated that if meals were paid for in advance and there was only one option for everyone (and separate ones for dietary requirements like allergies/veggie whatever) the right amount of meals would be produced, stopping anyone ending up with a plate of potatoes. Of course it's not acceptable for a child to be given a plate of potatoes

Covid means that not all kids, even when paying for their hot lunch, can have their hot lunch? WTF, Ive seen Covid blamed for some weird sh*t but this really does take the .

*can't. Argh.

YANBU. Obviously it's important that free school meal kids get to eat but you are paying for a service and it should be provided. I pay for school dinners for DS as he enjoys them and prefers them to packed lunches, I'd be annoyed too if he wasn't getting them.

That would piss me off too. The reason they have school dinners in the first place is to ensure children eat something as this aids learning. You are absolutely right to point out that some children might only have one hot meal a day, so it isn't fair. I'd say something - it isn't fair that you pay and he doesn't eat!
My child's school aren't doing much hot food still because of covid, but they still managed sausage baguettes, warm quiche, soups with buttered rolls, cheese or ham rolls and all the desert stuff. Xx

@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.

Sorry but if pubs and restaurants can manage than so can school catering. Especially if teachers can. It’s just poor organisation.

Complain. You’re paying for this. I work in a school, in year 5 actually, and my school is one of those who have stopped hot meals. I am finding the food that is given to the kids from reception to juniors are just about tiny bitesize pieces which means a lot of the children are wanting thirds, never mind seconds. It was such a shame, especially for those parents who are paying for their child to eat a meal in school.

Finally, after 3 months, we got told today catering staff have been told to make the portions larger. We will see how it goes.

Our school manages it just fine. Hot meals delivered at the same time to 12 classerooms.

If they can’t do it they shouldn’t be taking your money.

Classrooms

So many people on here latch onto the phrase ‘don’t be that parent’ to try and be a ganger-up without having understood what it implies, and end up making an arse of themselves.