Pupils serving lunch every day...

[AllthingsSummer]

Does this sound right to you?

My child’s school does not employ kitchen staff (apart from the cook). Pupils are on a rota to take a week serving lunches.

Punishments in the school also take the form of cleaning out bins, including the kitchen bins.

I do not know of hairnets/gloves being worn, and am wondering if this is actually breaching Health and Safety guidelines for schools?

Thanks.

[cottoncurtains]

My dd is at a big (top) private school and all the dc have some sort of job like cleaning the bins, clearing the dinner plates and collecting them etc.

These dc are pampered little pooches. My mum was a cleaner and some days it actually annoys me how lazy and entitled some of the dc are. I don't think this entitlement is restricted to private schools though and personally I'm a fan of this system, it may be the only chance some dc get to see what this kind of work is like and I'm hoping it may make some of the dc at my dd school a bit more humble around people who work in industries that do similar tasks as jobs.

If you are concerned about hygiene I'd raise it. The school will undoubtedly explain what they're doing and I'm sure they will reassure you about hygiene but in the least you can ask them. My school tends to bend over backwards to reassure me what is going on whenever I ask them anything.

I would if I was worried but personally my dd needs this sort of thing. She has no way of seeing what it's like to clean anything and tbh may never do for the rest of her life.

[ChocOrange1]

Serving food on a rota is a good idea. Its fair and gives each child some experience of responsibility and helping others. I wouldn't have an issue with this at all.

I wouldn't like the idea of children cleaning out bins as a punishment. It seems unhygienic and also enforces that people who do menial jobs have done something wrong to end up in those jobs. Which is not OK.

[sashh]

My state primary did this in the 70s.

One of mine did too (I went to three) another one had 2 pupils per class go to ask what was on the menu and write it up on a board in class. I'm not sure why because there wasn't a choice of food.

One of the punishments in my secondary was to clear up chewing gum.

Japanese schools don't have cleaners, the pupils and teachers do the cleaning, they do have cooks but children (with help for the tiny ones) collect the food from the kitchen and it is served in the classroom.

Some schools grow veg too which goes into the school dinner.

[stickyjamtoast]

I share your hesitation over the bin punishment - but actually my children behave like it's a huge personal insult if I ask them to take the rubbish out at home - they are so disgusted! Maybe practicing at school isn't such a bad thing!

[Tigertigertigertiger]

Never heard of this - but what a great idea.

[AllthingsSummer]

Thanks everyone. I’ve enjoyed reading these and they also took me back to my little Primary School and the way we shared duties.

I think I’ll just casually ask about the bin punishment from a h and a point of view at some point!

[maureenponderosa]

A few years ago, when I was a primary school teacher, I went to Sweden with some colleagues to spend time in a Swedish primary school. The children served the food to each other on a rota and cleaned up after.

I edited a video of the whole trip and it was the children serving in the kitchen that most excited my pupils at home. They begged to do this themselves. They wanted the trust, the responsibility, and to feel part of the running of the school.

It's not a bad thing when done well.

[sunflowersandbuttercups]

We did this in primary school in the nineties. We were also responsible for wiping down our tables, returning dishes to the kitchen staff and clearing up the dining hall - which meant putting away tables and benches and sweeping the floor.

We were supervised but I think it was a good way of learning basic table manners and cleaning tasks.

I was at an independent school btw.

[CandyLeBonBon]

When I was at school in the 70s each table had a 'dinner server' and a 'pudding server'

At the time we all thought it was a great accolade to be chosen for either job. Dinner server held the greater kudos and was generally given to boys

But it was considered a useful part of our education. It wasn't a punishment.

That was being made to stand on your seat until every other person in the dining room had finished. Only then could you sit down and eat your own (cold) food.

That was the punishment for either talking (no talking whilst during mealtimes) or food refusal.

I remember the view from that chair very well!!

[LolaSmiles]

At my primary school there were 2 students, usually year 4/5/6, who were dedicated servers. The luch staff would bring the food to the table and the servers would ask each student what they'd like and serve accordingly. Students would serve each other water and wipe the tables down at the end with soapy water.
I liked it as a way of eating lunch and would love DC to have that experience.

[duckme]

The school I work at used to do this, to an extent. The older children would serve the salad or deserts to the younger ones. This stopped with covid though, bubbles have to be kept apart now.
The kids loved doing it? I think it's a nice idea.

[toocold54]

I’ve never heard of this before but I think it’s a great idea!

[Enidblyton1]

Sounds like a great idea

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I would imagine bin cleaning is a better deterrent for bad behaviour than lines.

[lavieengrenache]

I think Montessori schools use a similar system and when I was at primary school in the seventies we sat at tables of ten, mixed ages, with a staff member at most tables, one pupil would be in charge of pouring water, one of serving main course, another the veg and another the pud. It was actually great - opportunity to practice manners and teachers encouraged conversation. We cleared our own crocks to a serving hatch.

Slight tangent, but we were also set to clearing litter from the playground on occasion too - don't remember anyone's parents coming up to school to complain!

[Abraxan]

@CombatBarbie

Do you mean actually serving food as in ladel to plate because that doesn't sound safe for 9-12yr olds.

Why wouldn't that be safe?

Most older primary children should be capable of spooning some food onto a waiting plate surely.

At my primary - well first school - The oldest children were the equivalent of year 4, so 8-9y; they were the servers for the rest of their table.

[Abraxan]

We did this in primary school when I was little, in the 70s.

It was seen as a big privilege to be selected to be a server on your table. We loved it.

I've not seen schools do it these days, but I'd be happy to,see a return to 'family' dining tables of mixed age groups with colder children acting servers, rather than the canteen style you have now, And a return to proper plates, rather than the plastic 'prison tray.'

[FinallyHere]

Boarding school

We sat in mixed groups at dining room tables, which changed each week with the schedule worked out by prefects who took turns weekly.

Upper IV acted as waiters, collecting good dishes from a serving hatch and returned the stacked plates when finished.

Prefect served the meat/fish

Vegetables handed round separately. Everyone had to take something good everything.

Seconds of there was anything left were offered in order of seniority.

The olden days.

[stickyjamtoast]

Steiner school was my first thought! I think the lunch times sound like they have the potential to be a lovely set up. Depends how it's managed. I wouldn't mind children helping with occasional chores related to learning, less keen on emptying bins.

[PeterPomegranate]

Same as @Beamur In my 1980s primary school each table had a ‘girl server’ and a ‘boy server’ and the boy collected the trays of food and plates etc from the serving hatch and girl served up at the table. Apart from the sexism looking back it seems like a good idea.

[TakeMe2Insanity]

It’s done through out Japan. The kids cook, supervised by kitchen staff, take the meals to the classroom, serve, clear up.

The only thing in your scenario which is wrong is clearing out bins as punishment, bins always need clearing.

[Beamur]

My state primary school did this back in the 1970's/80's.
You sat in tables of 8, the same kids for either a year or a term (I can't remember which) and two children from the oldest class would serve and clear up. It was considered quite a privilege and responsibility to do it. Behaviour was pretty good and it mixed the ages up in s really positive way.

[EweandI]

Sounds good to me

[CombatBarbie]

@MrsFin because the holding trays will be hot 🤔 I burn myself enough plating up food so my concern would be H&S. Teens I wouldn't be concerned about so much but primary kids.... Erm yes.

[Coolerthanapolarbearstoenails]

I was at school 15 years ago (small independent).

We had the clearing up thing as a punishment. You'd just go around making sure the tables were clear, re filling water jugs/cup and taking the bins out. Main irk was that you lost your break time but that was the point! There was still kitchen staff working and doing the brunt of it.

I quite like the idea of the serving aspect too though. I'm sure they do it properly in regards to H&S. You'd be pleased if your mate was serving and it was something you particularly liked