Fucking hell, we have to download an app and pre-order school lunches now?!

[AngeloMysterioso]

I have 3 DC, the eldest of which is in primary school. They’ve changed school lunch suppliers this year and now we have to download an app, set up an account and pre-order our children’s meals. I’ve just been sent an email reminder because I hadn’t got round to doing it since the letter went out last Friday because my mental load is already pretty heavily loaded, what with dentist appointments, swimming lessons, birthday parties, after school clubs, hospital appointments, paying the childcare fees, sorting packed lunches, and bloody everything else you can think of.

I’m like… seriously? As if I don’t have enough fucking family admin to do, now this? What happened to kids just queuing up and asking for what they want?

I suppose it’s quite good in the sense that it means all kids will be getting the meal they’re chosen, and will know what they’re getting.

Could be very positive for ND kids who don’t deal well with uncertainly, or with standing in an indefinite queue watching the only option they’d be prepared to eat disappearing, and the only the option they’d have sensory difficulties with remaining.

No one enjoys seeing their preferred option disappearing obviously, but worse for ND kids.

So yes it sounds like a pain for you, but actually very positive for the kids.

At our school the cut off is 3 weeks, so if you forget to order, by the time you find out, you're stuck with packed lunches for 3 weeks. Also, you can't change the choices in those 3 weeks which is an issue as it's a rolling 3 week menu, so if my daughter doesn't like something on the day, I can't change or cancel it for the time time round, and I can't always hedge my bets because there's often only one veggie option.

It wasn’t like this at any of the five French schools I attended. All of those schools you got your segmented tray and queued up to pick one salad option, one protein, one carb, one veg, one dessert out of two or three choices for each. Might be different now though, this was over 30 years ago!

I could have cried reading this.

Thank you for getting it!

If people are paying for it why should it matter? There were times when my son was able to get seconds and thirds when there was food left over. Has the government stopped funding you or have the parents stopped paying for school meals?

Do you pay for her meals or does the government? It doesn't matter which response you give because the system makes no sense. If you pay it's taking the piss out of parents. If the government then surely their fight is to make sure all children are fed. That's what the VAT was for on private schools so where has that money gone?

Yes - and without it taking up classroom time!

Op is planing
but there comes a point when you take on too much and then you can’t cope with minor changes
sometimes you have to do less

it will reduce waste and cost if people say ahead of time what they want

Oh that’s harsh.

You forget at our school and they have given the jacket potato or sandwich option, the same as if they have packed lunches and forget to take it in.

You can choose/change the food option up until 8pm the night before.

This makes no sense why would it?

I was referring to At our school they order their specific meal at 9am on the interactive boards in classrooms. That won’t be a one-minute process with 30 five-year-olds!

The posts re ND are interesting. Intellectually, I definitely find that being able to prebook and choose (and in our school we can choose to opt out for certain days to0) is better. But I do sympathise with the added burden of it. It is a bit of a pain. I usuall yland up doing it at the last minute at the start of term and try to do as far ahead as I can because i know I will never remember on a day to day basis but the additional mental burden is annoying, even as I appeciate the value.

The infant children all get free school meals. Subsidised by the government scheme.
My point is, if the kitchen staff haven’t got a clue how many children from that 180 would choose shepherd’s pie over veggie curry then they’d have to make 180 portions of each and that would be absolute madness!
And no, the children couldn’t go up and get seconds or thirds because a) the kitchen staff cooked a fairly accurate amount of food based on the choices from the parents/children and b) trying to get 180 children through the lunch hall in one hour would have made it logistically impossible!
I appreciate that all schools are different and I can only comment on my experience with my school.
Just because either the government, or the parents are paying for their child’s school meal, doesn’t make it ok to waste an obscene amount of food.
If people find it too tricky/overwhelming/whatever reason then send your child in with a packed lunch 🤷🏻‍♀️ I imagine that would be wrong too because they’d have to spend time and money feeding their children. Schools can’t win. As ever.

My child is in secondary and I miss having to remember just once a week to book their lunches! Now she has to queue up and regularly the food she likes has sold out 🙄

Fwiw I have ADHD too and Live by phone reminders for this kind of thing (& everything else!!) - alarms, alongside calender reminders, the second I learn about it is the only thing that works (mostly) for me ⏰⌛📅

Honestly doesn't bother me. I tend to sit amongst them whilst they are playing at the end of each school holiday throw the choices at them and work through the whole term. Print off the lists for each child and put it on the fridge. Everybody in the house knows who is having what each day (kids are 4&6 the eldest tells the youngest). I can meal plan dinner around what they are having for lunch each week. Bish bash bosh done.

The hardest part of it all is when the poor dinner ladies get confused with who is who in Reception class and they get each others meals instead of what was chosen for them.

I would love to know and help my daughter choose what to have for her lunch. She’s in reception and at her school they just get taken into hall and choose from 2 options. By time she home with me she cannot remember what she’s had. Most i’ve got from her is i’ve had a burger bun! did you have a burger with it? can’t remember!!! hahaha

Sounds absolutely lovely but this whole scenario would Never happen in an ADHD household 🤣

If only to be aceing life this much 😢 lucky you!

If it's too much hassle you could make lunch. 🤷 I'm a primary school teacher (& I'm also a parent whose children love hot dinners and their school uses the cashless system). We started the cashless system last week and oh my goodness it's a game changer. Previously every morning children were giving me cash (mostly notes and not the correct change). Children were going on different days, paying on different days, children were forgetting to tell me they were going, children not knowing if they are going and having to bring in their lunch boxes and getting me to check. I would have to go down to the office to get the change and put it in different envelopes with the kids names and amounts on it. All while trying to teach 30 kids as well as dealing with runny noses, tears, blunt pencils, lost rubbers, laces undone. The list is endless. This way is so much easier and not left open to interpretation. 😂

We just put money in the dinner section of Arbor app , the kids do the choosing at registration.

Well exactly, and there is usually a salad bar / jacket potato option if your really don’t like what is on offer.

My DCs primary was still operating like this, two options but no app or choice to be made in advance.
And same now that they are at secondary (3-4 different mains but no need to choose in advance).

Could be very positive for ND kids who don’t deal well with uncertainly, or with standing in an indefinite queue watching the only option they’d be prepared to eat disappearing, and the only the option they’d have sensory difficulties with remaining.
No one enjoys seeing their preferred option disappearing obviously, but worse for ND kids.

It is for my oldest. On the app for his specialist school, it is the same menu every week. Mondays are always pizza and other options - Fridays are always fish fingers with other options. I can click where he gets a set menu each school day for the entire term and know he will eat his lunch.

I'm not aceing life, I write a million and one lists otherwise things don't get done/forgotten and I get overwhelm. Over the years I've had to add strategies in to prevent burn out. I deal with school stuff as soon it comes in and as much in one go as possible to prevent this.

This is such a kind and understanding reply. 🥰

Well, when my DC's were at school I definitely didn't think it fair when they were on last sitting and all that was left was smiley face potato things and baked beans for main course and a bowl of custard with sprinkles for dessert as no protein items were left for dinner and no cake or whatever was supposed to have gone with the custard. Not only did my child not get a proper meal, but is still had to pay the full cost. That was the last time we let either of them have school dinners. Much better now - the school where I work uses an app and it does ensure there is sufficient of everything for those who have ordered. And much less waste too.