Are “home lunches” still a thing at your children’s school?

[Gladla]

When my DDs (now late 20s/early 30s) were in primary school they used to have 3 options for lunch, school lunch, packed lunch and home lunch. For home lunch the parent would collect them at the start of lunch take them home, feed them and bring them back at the end of lunch. By the time they were primary 6/7 lots of the kids would use the home lunch option to go to the cafe in the village on Fridays.
We didn’t use them often but my parents would take my girls for a home lunch about once a week. They were also a very popular option on the day of the Christmas party where lots of the kids would go home to get changed or in primary 5 when they went swimming most of the girls would go home at lunch to dry their hair.
I was chatting to my DD today who has a 5 year old and I asked if her school had home lunches as I thought it would be nice for me to take my DGD out. She said nope that’s not an option!
I was a little shocked. I understand that there are significantly less parents who are around in the middle of the day and safeguarding has gone up, but it seems fairly innocent if someone if collecting the child from and returning them to the office.

AIBU to be sad this option doesn’t seem to exist?
Did anyone else’s schools have home lunches or still have them?

Not a thing here but I wish it was! My son would love that, although we’d definitely spend way too much money on Nando’s round the corner (his favourite)

We have the option of taking children home for lunch in France. The kids have a long lunch break 11:30-1:30 though. Canteen can be pretty pricey here and no option of taking a lunch box in. That said I don’t pick my children up for lunch, I think it would be pretty tricky getting them back to school for the afternoon.

I had lunch at home in the 80s. I used to walk from school up to my grans with my little sister (10min walk) she had soup and sandwiches ready for us. We were about 6&10

My DD did this all through primary school 2015-2022. So yes still an option. In Scotland.

I had a home lunch every day in primary! I think from primary 4/5 we were allowed to go by ourselves and not be collected. My oldest had a home lunch every day too. Middle child did every Friday. Youngest one currently in Primary and rarely has one due to work commitments.

The school i work in also has home lunch as an option.

It was only high school we could go home for lunch ( early 90’s ) and we’d either go to the bakery & sit at the shops or walk to the chippy and eat it at my friends house that was next door To the chippy.
My kids only get a 40 minute lunch break nowadays so it wouldn’t work.

Mental because 30 years on im still friends with the girls i was friends with in primary. Maybe the "dinner kids" at your school were just horrible bullies?

My DD does this every day. We live very close to school and she has lots of allergies so easier to eat at home. Most kids at her high school leave school at lunch but most go to the chippy.

Was an option when I was in primary the 80’s.

local secondaries had it as
an option but my secondary didn’t. (I’d moved out of the city to a town in year 7 but all the city secondaries also had it). My school wasn’t near a town centre or even a shop!

Don’t remember it being an
option when I ds was in primary (2008) but I was a LP working FT so not something I ever had the opportunity to consider.

Certainly wasn’t possible by secondary as their lunch break was about 20 minutes! Pretty sure it was
pretty much not the done thing anywhere locally by then anyway.

I went home for lunch in the 80s when my dad was at home in the day (he was a shift worker) but we lived in the next street, so it was easy.

When I was teaching in the 00s, it was definitely an option but only one child ever went home. Most were on free school meals, so it made sense to have a hot meal at school, but it was definitely an option. By the time I left teaching in 2018, I don't remember it being an option.

How was it managed time-wise? I'm a teacher and I barely have time in the 35 mins to drive around to the shop to get a sandwich, nevermind eat it. I can't fathom how children could manage to get home by car or on foot, eat and get back in max 45 mins.

It was a thing when I was at primary school in the late 90s/early 00s in NE Scotland. I never did it as my parents both worked, I was always jealous of those who did!

I remember home lunches so fondly! The smell of food when I cycled up to the house, a bit of a break. I never even thought about it but now feel sad that my little boy most likely won’t have this? It feels too long to be at school the whole time 😭

Still happens in some parts of Spain but the lunch break is longer and they finish school later.
I would personally hate this. One school run a day is enough and even on my WFH days I would not want to have to spend my precious solo lunch break sorting out kids.

Was an option in the 80s and early 90s when I was at school. In first and middle some went home and in high school alot just went up to the local shopping centre. My parents both worked full time so I never did but always wanted to. A combination of more parents working, safeguarding and poor teen behaviour at the local shopping centre has probably put an end to it.

Yes still the three options for us. Scotland

We could only do it from 6th form in my school (drove up to the next town for a minted lamb baguette and a cigarette.)

My DH did it all the way through secondary. We were only talking about it recently. His mum would leave him a cold lunch, and he’d have enough time to watch some TV, walk the dog and get back for lessons.

In the late 80's early 90's I would be on home dinner from primary. I'd walk home alone and get in just as mum was returning from her morning clearing job. I'd get to watch whatever to itv lunch time cartoon/kids show was as she warmed up some soup/bean on toast/scrambled egg etc then take myself back. This was from the age of 7.

Secondary home dinner was just going over to the local shops/chippy.

Up until about 10 years ago we had a few kids still going home but we're collected. I work in a a mainly Asian area with most mums not working. It's petered out now and I've not know it happen post-covid. Even the bringing in of a hot lunch at lunchtime has stopped (used to have a queue of mums with lunch boxes at the office)

Had forgotten about these! Was great to get out - sometimes rode pony round field using tie to steer! (high school age). At another school went home for 'lunch' but one day a week never went back as it was Games, had been ill and hadn't met Teacher so friend said 'yes' when my name was called! Other days met friends in cafe for frothy coffee. 😁

Was working mostly when my kids at school, but one had to come home at lunch for some medication for few days. Never heard any of my grandchildren talk of home for lunch - as mentioned by others, have short time for lunches. Pity as nice break in our stressful times.

I have a very clear memory of this when I was about 7 so early 70’s
When the register was taken every morning we had to say what we were doing for lunch that day, and it was noted down. School dinner money was sent in in an envelope every Monday morning with the days lunch was required written on the envelope. We took our envelope to the teacher when our name was called for registration on Monday morning, the information was put in the register and lunch numbers for the week sent to the school kitchen. I was nearly always a school lunch, but one particular day I was supposed to be a home lunch and said so very proudly at registration. We lived near the school and I walked there and back on my own.
On this day a group of us were kept back at lunchtime to finish some work. We had two sittings for lunch and my class was on second sitting that day.
i took my work to the teacher and was very upset my name hadn’t been called out at 12 as one of the home lunch children. The teacher realised her mistake and told me to get my coat and head home straight away. I ran all the way home.
My poor mum had my lunch on the table and was wondering where I was as I was about 15 minutes late by this time.
About 5 minutes later my teacher was knocking on our door to check i’d made it home and apologise to my mum that she had forgotten I was a home lunch that day.

By secondary school from about 14 in the late 70’s I always went home for lunch. Let myself into the house, made my lunch and usually watched a bit of tv. I remember The Sullivan’s, Emmerdale or The Cedar Tree. Most of the older pupils went home and our lunch break was 1 hr 20mins to accommodate this. We finished at 4pm in the afternoon not 3:30. Some of the teachers also went home or left the premises for lunch as we would see them driving out of school just after the lunch bell went and returning in time for the afternoon session.

When my kids were in primary school early 2000’s it was an option to take them home for lunch.
If their birthday fell on a school day I would collect them from school at lunchtime and take them to a local cafe for a treat. My daughter is now mid 20’s and has fond memories of doing this.

I forgot all about “going home for lunch”.

I was in Secondary in the early 80s and me and some mates bent the rules on this one. We went to the local chippy on a Friday lunchtime and sat in the stands of the local rugby club and had our “Friday Chips”.

We thought we were busted one Friday when a teacher came in to get his lunch. All he said was “I haven’t seen you, I won’t say a word”.

Not a chance that would happen now.

I used to go home for dinner right through primary school & then when I went to secondary school I went home on days we couldn't use the campus swimming pool, when I got to 15 we were able to go to the Youth Club that was open during the day for the unemployed, it meant we could smoke without risking getting caught.

When I was 10 I used to walk round to the infants side of school & collected my 4 year old brother so we both went home for dinner & take him back afterwards, would never be allowed now.

I’m glad it’s not really a thing anymore. I had to go home every day at lunchtime so didn’t really form friendships and missed out on lots of exercise by not playing outside at lunchtime. The lack of friendships and lack of fitness both affect me as an adult

I remember it being offered as an option at my middle school in the mid-late 90s, but nobody ever took it up. Long since stopped I expect as PPs have suggested due to disruption to the day and safeguarding. It’s not offered at my DC’s primary.