School demanding packed meals for 18 hr bus trip

[Snoopmummy]

DC is off on a school trip involving an 18 hour coach journey. School is demanding we drop children off in the evening having fed them (fine), equipped with nut free snacks (makes sense). We have also been asked to provide TWO meals: a packed breakfast and a packed lunch.

That means breakfast will be consumed 13 hours after they set off and lunch will be something like 17 hours later. Is there any food that can safely last for that length of time in an insulated bag or flask? DC does not like dried fruit or cereal bars.

AIBU to consider asking for the risk assessment over this and suggesting we equip them with money to get food on the way as they will need to stop anyway?!

@Anothernewname123

whats the issue?

food is food. They are hardly gonna waste away.

Good! I'm glad it's not your kids!

The world doesn't need more of that nonsense!

If you can only think of either a sweaty cheese sandwich or a pile of snacks and nothing in between, I fear (yes fear) for your children's ability to attend school trips.

Any reason why you dislike teachers so much? Like as a whole cross section of society?

If @kisstheblarney and @sunglassesonthetable are teachers I'm glad you don't teach my kids.

The absolute state of your standards. (And I'm talking about how you have communicated with me, not cheese sandwiches and snack food).

@Anothernewname123

what's your issue with food? You think a coach trip with " a pile of snacks " is going to be harmful ?

@Anothernewname123

i think every one is wondering this!!

The absolute state of your standards. (And I'm talking about how you have communicated with me, not cheese sandwiches and snack food).

Excuse me, you've just " pissed yourself ".

you are joking.

I'm not a teacher and I would be very sorry for any teacher who had the misfortune of dealing with you, or your child if they've got the same entitled attitude!

The way we've. communicated with you over snacks and sandwiches, how very dare we!

You're comedy gold!

Deadly!

Truly deadly!

I'm just reading through your posts to see if I could communicate to your 'standard'
@Anothernewname123

I like these

Fraught with difficulties 😂😂😂 JFC!

Actually pissing myself laughing at fraught with difficulties 😂😂😂

Something to aspire to. .

I'm sure you pack a lunch box to the same high standard.

That's ' Jesus Fucking Christ ' right ?

You couldn't make this up. 🤦‍♀️ Standards.

It's brilliant isn't it.....

Not happy with our standards, from someone unable to navigate a once in a blue moon lunch box!

What if we call it a bento box? Is it "acceptable" then?

And we won't pack snacks, we'll pack tapas? Or charcuterie?

@Anothernewname123 how many school trips have you organised and run ?
if the answer is none then please leave it to those of us who have done many and know what works

Some of these replies male the current scenario of teachers quitting make sense!

DDs primary school run a brilliant trip in Yr5 to London to Harry Potter Studios. The kids start looking forward to it a couple of years in advance. However as we in Yorkshire its a long day. They set off at 7, home at 10. Not quite the Alps, but a lot of driving. We provide breakfast lunch and dinner... partly to keep the trip more affordable! It already involves a bit of fundraising to enable everyone to go. Would stopping for a meal on the way back be a bit more palatable after a long day? Yes. But an extra £10 for some families would be too much.

The only words the teachers deserve to hear are Thank You. And they certainly do every year!

👏 👏

Bloody well said!!

Thanks for ideas for my epic trip from Wales to the Italian Alps in 2 weeks!

@Mywhoopdeedoo

I've paid for and sent my kids on many school trips and volunteered on several - at schools where the teachers don't wring hands and say what's best for the kids is 'too difficult', where parents opinions are listened to and not derided and mocked.

I've paid for and sent my kids on many school trips and volunteered on several - at schools where the teachers don't wring hands and say what's best for the kids is 'too difficult', where parents opinions are listened to and not derided and mocked.

And me.

Tbh you've mocked and derided. And haven't taken a single issue on board.

And I'd argue that a quicker journey is best when weighed against " the type " of food.
I want my kids to get their destination and get value from the trip. as a priority.

But you won't hear a reason like that @Anothernewname123 will you?

Its not parents who are mocked and derided. I don't think so. It's just you, on this thread, because you haven't taken a single point on board. And you're very rude. With your 'standards' etc.

You have put a single reason forward other than " it's not difficult "

( remember, you 'pissed yourself ' laughing )

Thank you for all your replies. I will be sending a packed lunch. I can see that another poster on here has had a hard time and it got a bit toxic. Questioning a system does not mean you don’t value teachers though I can only sympathise that teachers on here are feeling frazzled for very legitimate reasons and that may explain their response.

As some have guessed, it is indeed a prep school. Older DC was at a different (independent too) school and they organised similar trips but have always bought the DC food on the way. It would usually involve one staff member collecting the orders which were made in advance. To be honest, older child’s school was always run like a slick operation in comparison. I don’t know how did they it and would like to introduce their efficiency into my own workplace!

I also appreciate that independent schools generally have more back office help to deal with organisational matters and that this trip is outside the norm for this age group at a typical school. I probably should have posted it under Education somewhere but couldn’t see a thread for independent schools.

Thanks again and sorry to have unwittingly wound up so many. Packed lunch it is 😀

You can always question a system .

When you don't take on board any reasons in return and just imply laziness, it's not particularly constructive questioning.

I've always felt this thread was more about questioning the organisation of the trip " "school has demanded " rather than actual ideas for lunch boxes, which has evolved from it.

The subsequent poster obviously felt very strongly that this food situation was down to poor organisation and poor standards.

The fact you are referring to a private school does give more context to your obvious expectations of what services the school should be providing.

@Snoopmummy

Interesting you feel that the lone poster, suggesting " lazy teachers " and that posters had low standards and the one being rude " " you don't give a shit " etc was the one given a hard time.

I'd call it disagreeing.

Do you know them out of interest?

@Snoopmummy

Easy enough to do a packed lunch

When mini blondes was a toddler we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on a motorway/accident.

Talking hours !!

Luckily I always kept a small bag of long lasting snacks - rice cakes - pop corn - brioche rolls - raisins - dried fruit - crisps - biscuits etx

So she didn't starve

Nothing worse then a hangry toddler 😂😂😂😂

So you can pack similar and
A Sarnie and fresh fruit

I am Wondering what they will do on the return journey. What food /who feeds them for those 18hrs

i don’t think I do know them @sunglassesonthetable... Unless she is a parent at a private school in London and even then there are thousands of us - though we may be coming for the state school places soon with VAT. I don’t particularly want be dragged into the row. My standards are generally extremely low! But even I shuddered at a meal lasting for this long. It seemed a bit tight to me but now I can see it is down to logistics.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this thread would rumble on for so many pages for something relatively insignificant and niche.