To expect school to tell us about huge lunch cost increases?

[PhoneyM]

School lunch prices have shot up. Regular item like wedges and chicken previously £2:30 is now £2.90.

Issue is they have a cap on spend per day which means no option now to get something at break, drink & lunch. This goes over the limit.

Found this out when DD told can’t have food and water - need to choose (and water fountain broke). SMT teachers didn’t know.

Fuming.

Not fuming but I get prices are up. We're in y7, they're not going to be buying a drink and a snack after this week. The school has cocked up publicising a £2.30 meal deal, it's not, it's £2.30 main, 60p for the extra (eg pasta to go with the bolognese), 60p for a take away pot, 60p for cutlery, £1 for a drink.

We've just had notification that the council has fucked up on FSM allocation, so they've sent an email asking kids on FSM to come in with food or they'll go hungry. What's the point of FSM if they can't access them?

I'm lucky, I can feed my kids, many can't. The council being shot can't be a reason to not feed kids.

Do you not send your DCs in with a water bottle/tissues and maybe a snack as standard?

Christ I must be an exceptional mother😎

How annoying. Surely the school now need to revise the daily spend limit, seeing as the prices have gone up? Surely the two things go hand in hand? Surely someone at the school has common sense?

JESUS WEPT

Def attaching water bottle to her now.

She’s forgotten before and I’ve not noticed cos under the limit.

Expected an increase- just not 30% 😩

I think if your child is denied the basics such as water and food and made to choose between the 2 due to lack of communication it's fair enough to be really cross.

The way things are for families people are struggling to afford things.

You've found out the new prices now, just like you notice price increases when you get to the supermarket and see what's available. It's not really necessary to communicate this in any other way. It's also not the school's fault the lunch it sells is costing you more at the moment.

It's unfortunate the water fountain was broken as a one off, but these things are quickly fixed, and again not really a huge concern to inform parents about.

I don't get the price cap thing (don't have school age children), is this standard? Why is it in place?

It’s an amount per day they can put on the cashless account.

I top up and they draw from that. Didn’t realise there was one until prices for average food went over it.

I don't know why all these breaktime snacks are even necessary. Anyone of secondary age or older shouldn't need a snack every hour or so.

Schools are obliged to have free water available to all students.

We are actively encouraging students to carry a refillable water bottle and use the water fountains to refill it - far more environmentally sustainable and they get to spend all their money on food.

Once she knows. She didn't know.

FWIW it's illegal for a school not to provide free access to drinking water.

I think the not reviewing the price cap is interesting. It will have an impact on the catering firm if they know they are only going to get a limited spend which doesn't cover a meal and a drink and a snack from the x% of kids who bought food last year.

She can't have water with her meal? What sort of concentration camp mentality is that?! I'd be fuming tbh..

There is usually a water fountain - but broken today and if you leave lunch area you can’t come back in (one way system).

@LittleOwl153 Hadn’t thought of it like that. Surprise they didn’t whack it up and let me find out when months money runs dry too quickly.

Who set the cap, you or school? It seems weird if school set a price cap.

No idea tbh. Think it’s the cashless system thing - maybe security? It’s never come up because we’ve never gone over it - no one in friend group has.

Send a drink and packed lunch.