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?

Allowed at primary but we lived too far away. It’s school not a prison so if people want to take their children home for lunch school can’t stop them.

absolutely allowed at secondary and kids can also go to the shops, chippy etc at lunchtime too.

my DS goes to the shops at lot and sometimes pops home (we live nearby) but DD likes the school canteen and goes there most of the time

Sounds like a total and utter faff. I would hate this. I hate making packed lunch as well. I also work in the City so how on earth would it be possible for working parents? World's moved on and a good thing too

Ok my previous post was snippy 😂 but this has really moved me!
I do have lovely memories of my primary school finishing at midday at end of term and my mum making my sister and me a lovely lunch or taking us out for a treat n

I was a child in the 1970s and always went home for lunch. I had no idea it wasn’t an option anymore.

No. It wasn't a thing when I was at primary in the 80s either - I'm not sure I'd have wanted to miss playing with my friends anyway.

DH did go home for lunch in the 70s.

During ny Primary teaching career (now retired) the last time I remember this happening would have been in the early 2000s. There were three or four children who went home for lunch. Lunchtime was an hour long then, not the 45 minutes that it is now.

World's moved on and a good thing too

Not where I live and it's a good thing here. All primary children are free to go home for lunch. They just walk home - no signing in or out needed.

The school was considering shortening the lunch break but put out a survey to parents who voted against it as it wouldn't allow enough time for kids to go home.

Secondary kids go down the town at morning and lunch breaks so you have to time a visit to Subway or the cafes and bakers according to this or the queue would be a mile long.

Going home for lunch actually gave us more time to play. Dash home, quick lunch that was ready on arrival and then back to school. We were back in the playground (or the park next to the school) before most of our friends who had to stay in had been served in the dinner hall.

What a self centred view. The world isn't just about you. Home lunches work brilliantly for many people.

Maybe if you had to queue. I always had packed lunch so no waiting to be served here. DC would spend longer getting home and back than she spends eating at school.

I left primary school in 2002 I think, and I did that the last couple of years of primary, it was unusual then as I only knew one other child that did it, but it was possible. It was great for me as I was very unhappy at school so it gave me a break during the day. My mum picked me up and we'd either go home or in nice weather go to the park 5 mins walk from school and feed the ducks.

It wasn't compulsory! Just an option for those that wanted it, so I'm not sure why it bothers you.

Always, through primary and secondary school. It was such a relief from school hours and a way to pave independence. We didn’t have the parent drop off/collect option. It would never have happened otherwise. I do have fond memories of playing dare… who could stand under the hose on the bowling green for the longest. It was a very hot summer so we were dry by the time we got back to school. That was primary school 😊

We had them at my school in 90s/00s I knew one person that went everyday, I don't recall anyone else ever using it but I`m sure they did.

I still bring my son home if it's wet... wet lunchtimes are grim in school.

Not at primary, but I had friends at high school who did it until about year 10, then they stopped it. I imagine it's a nightmare from a safeguarding perspective - schools now all seem to have big fences around etc so I'd imagine there'd be more of a signing in/out system and stuff that would take ages.

It’s a choice - not compulsory. 🤣

I used to go home for lunch at primary, no one collected me tho. Mum and dad would have been at work. Is it not a thing now.

In the late 70's/early 80's me and my sister had home lunches twice a week. We walked home, had a sandwich and semolina and walked back. Loved it. We did have a school 10 min walk away though and we had a proper hour, not scrunched in as they are sometimes these days.

No, it wasn’t an option at my prep school - we just had cooked lunches, no packed lunch or going home for lunch option. My sons school is cooked lunches or packed lunch, but there is one boy who goes home for lunch - I think he has anxiety around eating in front of people though and that’s why he does it. It sounds lovely but wouldn’t work for us as we are a 15 minutes drive away from school and lunch is only 45 minutes.

It is still an option at the school my child was at. We are based in the south east. I used to take her out once a week.

I had no idea this was a thing but I love it!

I imagine it would be a logistical nightmare and there can't be that many kids with one parent at home all the time.

1979 was the last year I went home for lunch
1980 - senior school it wasn't a thing

Yes our school allows this, we’re in a London borough