Secondary school not allowing kids to eat lunch inside in cold weather

[Bananabrain99]

Secondary school not allowing kids to eat their lunch indoors in this cold weather AIBU to feel cross with this as it is detrimental to pupils' health and wellbeing? My child was upset going into school today due to this and less than half the kids are in her class at the moment due to illness. Reasons cited by the school not to open up the hall is building works and needing the hall for flu vaccinations. Obviously I do expect my DC to have fresh air at breaks, but I don't think many adults would like a freezing cold picnic. Don't think there is anything I can do now (and school say will open a hall in January) but just feel upset about it and not sure if AIBU - I had presumed DC had somewhere warm to eat at least (12yrs old)

What do all these children, who are made to go outside, do if it is raining?

My school used to do this. I used to piss off home at lunch time and not bother returning! (Not saying this is right!) Ridiculous to expect people to spend an hour outside in the cold. We didn't even have seating! You could sit on a wall- or the grass!

Unreasonable. Staggered lunch times, sandwiches in form rooms.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable for teenagers to spend 45 mins outside. Wrap up and move about! I do it every day. In fact, I eat my lunch standing up while supervising in the playground.

I’ve got plenty of heart but I do think the general attitude towards a cold snap in this country is pathetic.

And who supervises them in the form rooms?

What do they do if it rains?

They need to be in the warm in this weather

Don't they have form rooms? We didn't have supervision in our form rooms; it was great fun.

Don’t know any secondary school round here that has lunch time supervisors. The teachers all supervise break times and lunch times.

Lunch time supervisors are usually primary schools only.

You can’t leave children unsupervised in classrooms and it is unrealistic to have 25 lunch supervisors that my school would require for this, we can’t afford exercise books let alone 25 new members of staff. The rooms are potentially in use because of the staggered lunches, it’s not as straightforward as you think herding students into a different room each day.

I’m not saying outside is right but I’m saying what you suggest isn’t as easy as you think.

Prettyinpink22 Teachers are not paid to supervise at lunchtime. They are strangely enough entitled to an unpaid lunchbreak. Schools employ MDS to supervise at lunch. The OP is right about the school offering g an indoor place to eat lunch but this has absolutely nothing to do with where the teachers eat!

Great way to get the rooms wrecked, parents to complain if their child has an accident, and teachers not to be able to access rooms to set up for afternoon lessons.

If pupils absolutely have to be inside they should be supervised in the hall and gym by senior management - and the hall shouldn't be used for anything else if needed at lunchtime.

That's so ridiculous. Why can't they use classrooms?
It wouldn't be an issue in summer unless it was raining, but in this bitterly cold weather it's inhumane. Even cats and dogs get to eat inside.

At secondary school level, why can't they just go back to their form rooms unsupervised after they've eaten? That's what happened at my school and it was fine. Seems odd to force children of that age out onto the playground like primary school children.

Break times are paid hours in the school day. Lunchtimes aren't and teachers can leave the premises if they wish.

It's -4 where I am, so I wouldn't be too happy with it.
If it wouldn't be accepted in the workplace then -usually- it shouldn't be accepted for children in school either.

This was normal for mine for a couple of years over COVID, but they have now relented and said they are allowed back into form rooms. However not everyone has a form room they are allowed to use.

Hot lunches in a vacuum flask, or paying for school lunches if you can stretch to it, goes down a storm.

The worst thing this year is they say there is so little heating in school this year, so whether indoor or out they can't get their feet warm.

Some schools, particularly modern secondary schools where space tends to be minimal, struggle for social space and anything that puts pressure on that- like building works ir a hall out if action, makes things difficult. But you are not being unreasonable. There is no reason why they could not organise staffing to allow children to eat their packed lunch in classrooms.

1. They might be being used for other lessons
2. They might have an accident - could be serious in a lab/workshop/food tech
3. They might vandalise school property
4. Bullying likely to increase
5. First aid emergency/child choking
6. Teachers tend to work in their rooms during lunch setting up for later lessons/marking/planning - impossible with students around
7. Unlikely to leave it tidy so the next lesson will be delayed

Most secondary schools have teachers and support staff who work lunchtimes as supervisors- paid and get a lunch. No reason why they could not be organised to supervise children in classrooms with packed lunches.

They're not allowed in class rooms as every teacher knows, the rooms get trashed.

I've paid out £££ for my own resources and if I am off a day I come back to a room that looks like it's been ransacked. Or worse, the nick your car keys/purse/phone/other items in your room. Or throw the glue sticks so they stick to the ceiling.

I have to lock my classroom at break and lunch as a result

If I am in my room at lunch, which I am most days it's because I am working catching up on admin and usually running a lunchtime detention too.

I adore my tutor group but I can't do three (unpaid) things at once.

Fair enough, we had an unusual system where teachers moved between classrooms and pupils stayed in their form room (unless it was for science etc. and those specialist rooms weren't used as form rooms). I'm not sure why those other things weren't issues, but I can't remember any problems from the system. In fact, in the sixth form the teachers didn't generally come into our common room at all. I used to teach but we had houses with common areas the pupils could use.

For those asking if it rains, if it's a light drizzle then no arrangements are made.

If it's heavy rain then most schools will have 'wet break/lunch' and organise classrooms for students to sit in.

Had the same when I was at school due to rubbish being left everywhere. As a cohort we were given chance after chance and it didn’t happen so we were outside and that was that.

I would assume it was for school children.

Quite hard to get anywhere to tell you who is eligible but...

www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccination-programme-information-for-healthcare-practitioners

This says years 7, 8 and 9 with 10 and 11 later if you have any left over.