To think that the new school should make hot dinners on site, rather than these steam ready meals?

[AbbaFan]

My DC's primary school is being completely re-built. They are building a brand new school on the field, and once it's done they are knocking the old one down and relaying the field.

So one of the big questions with the parents has been whether they will be providing hot meals. At the moment they all have packed lunches and have to sit in their classrooms, as there is no space anywhere else.

Today the head announced that they would be providing hot meals, but these steam type ready meals that they just heat up.

I am just really disappointed that they have choosen this route, over cooking everything on-site. Especially with all the 'Jamie's' school dinner stuff recently.

If you and other parents feel strongly enough about it, perhaps you could change the LEA's mind?

Make sure you involve yourself with the PTA and make a stance. It is possibly a lot to do with who provides school meals to the entire borough rather than just your school.

we have these steamed meals at our school (our county council did away with hot meals years ago and all kitchens converted/taken out).It's all down to cost/money and space (although probably not in your case). It's just cheaper to do this than employ staff to cook the food,serve it and clean up afterwards and source ingredients etc.

What are the meals like countingto10?

How many children in the school?

50 kids in each yeargroup (2 classes). Reception - Year 6.

I have eaten many of the e steam meals and they are healthy and delicious, pasta, roasts etc. The children love them too. I would not worry, it would be very expensive to build and equip a primary kitchen from scratch.

Actually I am going to disagree here. It may be expensive to equipp a kitchen and staff it in the short term but in the long term, raw, fresh ingredients are much cheaper than ready made steamed meals. It is a short cut and it should not be allowed to happen.

I would make a big noise about it. Get as many parents involved as poss and local MP.

Transported meals are quite common here, meals made at a school with a big kitchen and transported to smaller schools. But it is still proper food, they also supply meals on wheels type grub too for elderly.

Just because they are made off site doesn't mean they ahv to be crap, check out what the food will actually be.

My mum worked in a central school kitchen back in the 60's 70's that sent out food to loads of schools in those big metal trays.

A lot of schools do this because it just costs too much money to have a kitchen built which complies with the latest building regulations - even in a new build.

The school I work at has recently closed its kitchen altogether because it would cost too much to have it rebuilt to the latest standards - we are going to be shipping in food from the school next door whose kitchen was rebuilt last year at horrendous cost.

Maybe having a proper kitchen built would mean less money to spend on other things for the school or the children?

YANBU - they should cook fresh food from scratch on the premises..I would probably speak to the head if it was my childs school.

I read something recently that I think said that current government practice or guidance is that schools do not all need to have their own kitchens and food should be cooked in one place and delivered to other schools.

I was horrified to read this as it seems a backwards step. In the 70s my school served disgusting food delivered in a van each morning. My childrens schools cook food on the premises and it is delicious...I know as the parents are allowed to sample it when your child starts in reception.

I expect it is all about cost cutting - outsourcing things as at work places.. not a pratice I'm in favour of.

Contact the School Food Trust. They should be able to suggest ways you can persuade the head and local authority not to cut proper kitchens out of the design (assuming they haven't got that far)

www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/index.asp