to complain about the state of the school lunches?

[supermaje]

I’m genuinely torn about whether I’m being a bit precious here, so tell me straight. My DC’s (8 and 10) primary school lunches are, frankly, shocking. They come home starving most days because the portions are tiny, and the food sounds grim. Yesterday was “pizza” which apparently was a single slice of bread with a smattering of cheese and a bit of tomato paste. That’s not pizza, is it?! It’s toast.

They also regularly run out of options by the time the last sitting gets served, so my youngest ends up with whatever’s left, which is often jacket potatoes for the third time that week. He’s so fed up he’s asked me to start making packed lunches again.

I get that budgets are tight and schools are under pressure, but for £2.50 a day, I’d expect them to at least get a decent, filling meal. When I mentioned it casually to a teacher at pick-up, they said something like, “Oh, it’s not the worst we’ve seen!” which made me think they know it’s rubbish too but aren’t doing anything about it.

Would I be unreasonable to raise it properly with the school? I don’t want to be that parent, but surely they should be offering better meals than this? Or is this just how it is everywhere now? I don’t want to kick up a fuss if this is standard and everyone else is just putting up with it.

(And yes, I’ve seen the menu they send home. It all looks great on paper. It’s just the reality that’s dire!)

Thoughts?

I live in the same road as a Primary ans often see Brakes lorries taking food. My dH used to be a chef and he has told me the standard from such firms is very low. The pictures on their vans are vastly different to what gets served.

I don't get places where the meals are free for everyone it's the same in London even though a lot of people must be balling in money to even afford to live in London like damn no wonder the food is mid. Where I'm from only children from poor families get the meals for free.
Edited to say and for reception -year 2

Absolutely this. It's nothing to do with the teachers.

My eldest daughter is 34 and still remembers being vegetarian and third sitting for lunch, when the only thing that she could eat was a plate of sad salad. Non veggies used to prefer the veggie option, so that would go first, and you'd think that common sense would dictate that they would just make MORE of the veggie choice, but no.

So this isn't a recent thing.

I am so glad my kids were brought up in Scandinavia (free home cooked tasty food) and not in the UK. Why on earth do you put up with it?

People won't pay for it via taxes is the reason. I think taxes are higher in Scandinavia so services are better. I would prefer this but most voters don't seem to agree.

Just provide them with a packed lunch instead

Yes, I am pretty sure you are right. But for society it’s win-win.

Parents used to complain about portion size when dc were at primary. It was usually the parents with larger dc. Just give them a snack when they get home from school. If they’ve had breakfast, fruit at break, lunch (even if it’s small) then snack at 3.30pm then cooked dinner, that should be plenty of calories in their day.

My kids primary school is struggling financially as much as any other. They still manage to provide sensible school dinners every day. Proper portions of things like pasta bolognese, sausage and mash, chicken curry etc.

Are you in a MAT by any chance?

I agree they are overall awful, unhealthy and tiny. My son is in year 1 when the free school meal bit is over I'm definitely moving to packed lunches (I'm just too much of a cheapskate to do it while it's free!)

Because the free school meal dc are disadvantaged by standing out as poor so feeding everyone together evens that out. You also teach social skills which sometimes don’t happen at home, even in rich families where both parents work and fail to provide those basic skills (dh and I both work but still parent, but there are pockets of people who don’t). Anyway, it’s a leveller for those early years.

If you’re knowingly giving your dc food that’s as awful as you describe surely you’re being neglectful?

We raised it at our primary before ours even started school as it looked like they were serving crap. They basically just admitted budgets are really tight.

Fussy eating in reality contributes to the hunger, but then I’d be fussy if I ate there, so I don’t blame them really!! I send in a packed lunch 3 days a week as a compromise, I guess if I wouldn’t eat it I shouldn’t force my child to either, he basically ends up with roast dinner one day a week and fish finger friday.

Obviously we have enough disposable income we can give him lunches, but the genuine kids in need get some kind of meal at school so it’s not all bad.

Anyway by all means raise it, but I don’t think the outcome will change much, ours is a very tiny school of just over 100 and they actually have a dinner lady that does the lunches, apparently it was cheaper than outside catering which I find somewhat crazy…

Exactly the same at my kids school except they are £2.65 a meal and often get the wrong meals, it's OK though because the school keep repeating that it's getting better 🙄

We have been sending packed lunches for two years now. Food was disgusting, veg sizes tiny, my DC was asked to “eat up” potato wedges twice before getting her pudding. No thanks!

Yes of course. Sometimes I let him have sweets too, I should report myself to social services.

I don't think the argument that the poor children stand out stands anymore no one knows who has free school meals my eldest child gets free school meals because my financial situation when he started school wasnt good. You order the meals online no way does anyone know who is getting it free and who's parents paid.

Edited to say kids who eat packed lunches are also learning social skills? And presumably aren't being forced to eat alone in a cubicle

You lost me at 'aren't doing anything about it'. We complain about our lunches all the time thank you, the office staff are great at recording this and complaining to the company, who then come in to monitor.

Don't blame teachers for your kids shit lunch when you haven't done anything about it either.

The lunches don't cost £2.50, ks2 childrens paid meals subsidise the pennies that schools are given for the 'free' ks1 meals.

I've worked in a lot of primary schools and in most of them the meals have been very small. Definitely not big enough for a main meal for the day for most of the children. Despite the size of the portions there is still a lot of waste and some children barely eat anything and can't wait to throw it away and get outside. They are encouraged to eat but they can't be made to and so are going through the rest of the day with a few mouthfuls.
In contrast, I remember the dinners at my school being enormous in comparison but that might not be true!

Also, an ex employee of the company told us if they come in under budget they used to get perks / praise / whatever. So basically they are being incentivised to turn a bigger profit. Nothing to do with the teachers who are on lunch break at that point.

My dcs school meals through both primary and secondary have been patchy in quality, to say the least. 90% of the time they've opted to take packed lunches.

It just boggles my mind that so many other countries treat their children as valuable and important enough to warrant feeding well at school, whereas in the UK we generally feed them any old crap as cheaply as possible then wonder why we see so much obesity, tooth decay and poor eating habits in later life. It's bloody shameful.

If you can afford it, and you have the time I’d advise you to send in a packed lunch.

They are there all day and are always starving. My kids were happiest in lockdown when we had to send a packed lunch.

Schools have been outsourced too much of our parenting, and they struggle to do a good job as they are constantly under funded.

I’ve never left my school to it. I don’t think you can leave them to teach your child the basics of maths and English or give them a nutritious meal. They’re too busy, stressed and constantly under barrage.

That's not great. I have to say that the food waste in my school's dining room disgusts me, there is SO MUCH food cooked and so much of it just gets chucked out.