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.

Children serving food sounds outdated but totally fine, a bit like a milk monitor. The bit that worries me is the bin emptying who knows what’s in the bins? I’d be straight on the telephone about that, it’s awful.

I think bin taking out is fine as long as again they have easy access to wash hands after.
Its helpful to thr school society vs writing lines or sitting silently in a classroom as punishment, and it's a chore some might already do at home.

We used to serve food in my state primary back in the 90’s each table had one person who served the whole table. So for e.g a whole tray of jelly would be deposited on the table and the server would scoop each portion onto plates and pass them round. Same for the hot food too. So that part doesn’t sound too bad to me but bins as a punishment isn’t good.

@CombatBarbie

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

Why on earth would that not be safe?

I think the intention (the serving and the bin punishments) is around the community of the school.
Children serve hot food with ladles etc.
I agree that some might empty bins as one of their jobs at home. To me, seems a different thing for pupils in a school to be touching bins as there are so many safety aspects.

@AllthingsSummer : I'm not clear from your posts what "serving" means, as that will decide where my answer sits on the "that's unhygienic and dangerous" to "how sweet! what a wonderful way for children to learn to be better people!"

Imagining the school canteen from my childhood, I'd be pretty unimpressed if a nine year old we're standing in the actual kitchen (next to working ovens, industrial dishwashers, etc) behind the warming plates with a massive serving spoon slopping baked beans onto other pupils plates while dragging their plait in it as they leaned over.

On the other hand, having them all take turns to fill water glasses and tidy up other people's plates at the end sounds charming.

I'm not too fussed about bin cleaning punishment, to be honest, though I'd rather the school chose something else. Cleaning bins isn't nice but I don't think it necessarily sends an inappropriate message about the people who clean them as a job. But I'd rather have the punishment fit the crime and I can't imagine many regular school bin-related offences! If the bins need cleaning, they should hire staff or make it part of the regular rota. I mean, what if one day nobody is naughty?!

Sounds wonderful to me

My children's small village primary school did similar 10/15 years ago. Although just for serving not cleaning etc and staff were on hand to help and supervise. It was called 'family service' and each table of 6 or 8 children say together all year. Year 6s would serve at the table for everyone (similar to eating as a family). It was fab for table manners etc as the older ones modelled good habits and really helped the community feel of the school. It also meant any younger ones in the playground automatically knew old we children in the school who they could approach for help.

Not sure about the cleaning/punishment aspect though.

When I was at school W e all sat at tables. When you got to whatever years 14/15 year old ps are in we be sone servers. We had to collect theft rays of food etc and serve them

Didn’t do me any harm

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

@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.

Sounds good to me

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.'

@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.

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!

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

Sounds like a great idea

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

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.

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.