Schools aren't feeding children enough

[Squashpocket]

DS (5 years) has always come home from school ravenous. We have had to give him a 2 course breakfast and full meal sized 'snack' after school to get him through to dinner time. Then sometimes supper before bed as well.

I just thought 'oh well, he's busy at school', but now I'm wondering exactly how small are the portions of food at school?!?

I have sent him off to a (very active, sports based) holiday club this week with a normal packed lunch (popcorn and fruit for snack, sandwich, yoghurt, fruit, veg sticks, breadsticks and hummus and a cereal bar for lunch) and he has come home full and able to wait for his dinner. Breakfast this morning has just been a bowl of fruit and Greek yoghurt and he's fine.

So, AIBU or is school obviously not providing enough food? I'm shocked because this is not how I (fondly) remember my school dinners at all! It was all massive portions of mashed potato and puddings with custard (those were the days...). Does anyone else find this?

@IonaLeg

OP your son sounds healthy, strong and thriving. Any thread on MN about food brings out the competitive under-eaters, and while it’s sad and worrying to see those attitudes applied to children as well as adults, it’s absolutely no reflection on your son.

Yes.

If your son is a healthy weight and height then you are doing it right.

Unless they have a weight problem and need additional support, kids should be offered enough food so that they can have what they want until they've had enough.

Most children are pretty good at regulating their own appetites.

I’d say it’s unusual for a child of your age to eat more than their parent….which is what you say happens in your house.

The fact your child often has breakfast, his small school lunch, then a meal sized snack when he gets home, dinner and another meal before bed, says more about the quantity of food he’s eating than the school meal itself. If a child says they are hungry, it can be that they haven’t had stufficient food for ages, or it can be habit or boredom. So I wouldn’t take comments in hunger all to mean he has insufficient food or relate it just to the school lunch size. Some of this is also related to what you eat and how long it keeps you filled up.

Given people say food waste in school is huge and most don’t clear their plates, what is the solution to ensuring everyone has enough but also that waste isn’t increased? It’s a really difficult one. If you have seconds available, it might be wasted…but would you advocate that so the few who would like to eat more can?

Personally I’d see school lunch as just one meal of the day. Some children might eat more or less for breakfast and dinner in relation to the school lunch…they are all different. It is up to parents to ensure the overall amount is right for their child, as the school meal is just one part of the food intake.

@RightOnTheEdge

My children are entitled to fsm but I have started sending them with packed lunches because they both started to complain about being hungry at school in the afternoon.

My daughter is just going into Yr6 and she says even if she eats all of it she's still hungry in the afternoon lessons.

When I spoke to another parent about it she said she had to do the same for her son because he was always hungry at school and he said Yr6 get the same as the infants and its tiny.
I don't know if that is true though.

Yes I think the yr 6s do get the same portion sizes, my 11 yo has recently complained that they are too small. I think they are expected to take extras like bread and fill up on that.

I'll be interested to see the portion sizes at her secondary school in September.

It would be reasonable to ask if portions are bigger for older primary than reception class and if they are to point out that’s not going to work.

Here though, we have a younger child, not an older one.

@Looneytune253

I think (generally) our perceptions on what a child should be eating is skewed. When my daughter was small we had to do some research on portion sizes and portions of weetabix for a toddler were half for a toddler and one for a young child. Sandwich would be one slice of bread. I think we all over feed our kids and maybe the school portions are correct but they're used to what we give them at home. Not personally at you OP but could be part of the root cause of our rising obesity rates.

Hmm trouble is, the child is hungry. My kids were the same. At times they were really hungry, and it was often before a growth spurt, then they would suddenly not be hungry for a few weeks/months and then be hungry again.

And half a weetabix woudl never ever have been enough breakfast for any of my kids.

All 3 of mine are lean and 2 have spent large chunks of their childhood as underweight. My ds used to eat 3 weetabix for breakfast (aged about 8/9), but then rarely was hungry at lunchtime, he always needed to fuel up in the morning.
So I just can't agree about serving sizes.
Plus, half a weetbix in what context? Toddler who also drinks large cup of milk? weetabix plus banana plus toast?

I ate much, much more as a child than I do now as an adult. I was always absolutely starving.

I used to eat:

cereal for breakfast
morning snack
hot school lunch with main and pudding, always going back for seconds
massive bowl of cereal after school
dinner
cereal before bed

I was and have never been overweight. I think kids need more food than grown ups.

We once got a photo of our kids sitting at the table with their school lunch… every single one had 1 fish finger, 4 chips and a tiny teaspoon on peas. I asked and apparently that was the standard portion.
My children have quite small appetites but are always starving after having school lunches. I send a packed lunch now.

I think (generally) our perceptions on what a child should be eating is skewed. When my daughter was small we had to do some research on portion sizes and portions of weetabix for a toddler were half for a toddler and one for a young child. Sandwich would be one slice of bread. I think we all over feed our kids and maybe the school portions are correct but they're used to what we give them at home. Not personally at you OP but could be part of the root cause of our rising obesity rates

Hmm. Mine eat 2 weetabix for breakfast, a sandwich would be 2 slices of bread etc. They are both on the lower side of a healthy weight (around 25th centile).

The school dinners that I've seen are tiny. I'm talking 1 fish finger for KS1 and 2 for KS2, 5 rubber chips that have been in the steamer for 3 hours and a spoon full of sweetcorn, served tepid.

The salad bar was some wilted lettuce and a bit of sliced tomato on a saucer for 100 children.

The waste was huge too because the children just didn't have time to eat, they didn't like the taste or said they were finished so they could play out for longer.

I send packed lunches in now, but DC still comes home hungry because they want to get out onto the playground so just don't eat 🤷🏻‍♀️ it used to bother me but they just make up for it when they get home now.

i am sure schools have their guidelines

@Neverrains ours get 2 fish fingers and a good handful of chips and a serving of peas. Was that Reception class?

I work in a school and the portions are pretty small for the older children although I'd say a fine size for the younger children. However, a tiny budget is already stretched as far as possible.

@AbsolutelyPatsy

i am sure schools have their guidelines

Of course they do, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the guidelines are appropriate.

[quote Benjispruce5]@Neverrains ours get 2 fish fingers and a good handful of chips and a serving of peas. Was that Reception class?[/quote]
It was year 2 and year 1.

@Squashpocket

Obviously the packed lunch is made up of kid-sized items, so it's a sandwich with the crusts cut off or a mini wrap, kids yoghurt, tsp of hummus and 1/2 carrot, one or two breadsticks, kids cereal bar (I think they have 60 calories, so they are tiny) rather than full-sized adult versions. It's more than I would have a lunch (but then I'd probably make up for it with all the wine and chocolate after they're in bed ) So, I suppose it sounds massive but really it's just a variety of small things iykwim. It fits in a normal kids sized lunch box. I've also packed an extra snack because he's literally running around all day at this sports club.

It's honestly not that massive, which is why I'm a bit surprised at just how ravenous he is after school. I can only assume he gets very little during a school day.

Well that doesn't sound an unusual amount for a packed lunch. Lots of variety which is nice.

My GC of similar age would eat similar amount and are also slim and active.

I supervise lunches and yes the portions are small, however recently we brought this up and the kitchen increased the sizes. The DC didn't eat it. Even the dc who liked it didn't finish the larger portions but a huge number don't like it/barely touch it and we can't force them to eat. It's quite time limited too especially with covid restrictions but mostly they just want to get outside and play.

Our cook gives the older child more.

This is why mine don’t have school dinners. Tiny portions, absolutely minute! 1 fishfinger each 🤦🏻‍♀️

Usually at holiday clubs they can have a couple of additional snack breaks, whereas at school they eat lunch once during the lunch break. Maybe your son had some of the snacks in his lunchbox not long before he came home?

My child never finishes her school meal because she says there's too much food 🤷‍♀️
I think most people have an unrealistic view on portion size and we all serve too much these days.
Same with clothes sizes everything is huge these days and trying to find uniform that's suitable for a kid that's lean is a nightmare because everything is catered for chunky kids ☹️

A lot of the problem is we have break at 10.30 and they have a snack. Then lunch at 12. I don’t think they’re hungry enough.

OP your boy sounds very healthy and the packed lunch you describe sounds great. Anyone suggesting his lunch is sugar laden or that you are setting him up for obesity is talking shite. MN seems to breed fay phobics 🙄

I found that my children came home v hungry when they were 5/6 which I eventually figured out was because they were very distracted at lunch and barely ate. They got better at managing as they got older.

But you say your boy does eat which suggests that he isn't being given enough food.

Madness when you think about it to assume all children should eat the smell amount of food when anyone who knows children will know that each child is different.

My middle child is on packed lunches for this very reason. He has hunger phobia and the crap that our school give them in miniscule portions was giving him anxiety 😂

@santabetterwashhishands

My child never finishes her school meal because she says there's too much food 🤷‍♀️ I think most people have an unrealistic view on portion size and we all serve too much these days. Same with clothes sizes everything is huge these days and trying to find uniform that's suitable for a kid that's lean is a nightmare because everything is catered for chunky kids ☹️

My children both find the school portions far too small and I also struggle finding school uniform to fit as they’re very lean. I buy the Next ‘slim fit’, but then then skirts are big on the waist band. All children have different appetites depending on activity levels etc.

@Maverick197

Usually at holiday clubs they can have a couple of additional snack breaks, whereas at school they eat lunch once during the lunch break. Maybe your son had some of the snacks in his lunchbox not long before he came home?

I was going to say similar. During our Holiday clubs the snack / food breaks are staggered throughout the day. We close at 5pm and our last snack break is 4.30pm. In comparison during a normal day at school the children would have dinner around 11.30.