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Education

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Original poster

Will my son be teased for bringing in a packed lunch to secondary school?

73 replies

tigermoth · 02/09/2005 08:22

I get the impression that at my son's new secondary school, children don't bring in packed lunches.

When we were shown around last team, there was no mention of packed lunch arrangements. We were shown the canteen, and its varied menu was really promoted by the staff, but we were not shown any eating areas for those who had their own food.

When my son went for his induction day day, he was expressly told to bring in lunch money for the canteen.

ds is definitely under the impression that bringing packed lunches into school is uncool and few children do it, if any.

Last term, all the children in his Y6 primary school class was given a 'getting used to secondary school' magazine. It was apparently written by other children, with lots of tips about settling into big school. In the 'do's and don'ts' list it stated 'don't arrive on your first day with a pack of little sandwiches made by your mum'

Now I am happy for ds to have some canteen meals, but they are definitely more expensive than the packed lunches I would give him and I would like to feel I could send him in to school with a packed lunch sometimes as well.

The canteen menu, while it contains healthy salads and 'meat and two veg' meals, also serves chips, hot dogs and donuts. On his induction day, my son told me with much delight, how he had feasted on the biggest hot dog he'd ever seen followed by a large donut.

He says he will choose the healthy options, and admittedly, he does like a lot of 'proper' food.... but I am not convinced he will make the right choices when faced with donut temptation He has a big appetite and often used to ask for second helpings of school dinners (especially puddings), until I stopped it by giving him a packed lunch each day.

Is this the end of my influence over his lunch time choices?

OP posts:

Thomcat · 02/09/2005 10:36

oh that;s interesting Cod, what a good idea, thta would certainly work for you Tiger wouldn't it, then if he got silly with his choice of food the threat of bob the builder packed lunch would work a treat!

I used to beg my mum not to let me have cooked dinners!

happymerryberries · 02/09/2005 10:37

HOW MUCH??????

A cooked dinner of meal and two veg in our school costs less than £2. The staff can get a free lunch but we all opt to pay and the money goes back toi the school!

Original poster

tigermoth · 02/09/2005 10:40

well, I'm definitely going to be checking the menu priceswhen I go to the school today, Perhaps my son is pulling a fast one

I love the idea of a bob the builder lunchbox threat!

OP posts:

Aimsmum · 02/09/2005 10:41

Message withdrawn

mumtosomeone · 02/09/2005 10:50

Aimsmum..did you find the leappad thing?

Aimsmum · 02/09/2005 10:55

Message withdrawn

cod · 02/09/2005 11:06

Message withdrawn

charliecat · 02/09/2005 11:09

I was at school nearly just over 10 years ago now and whilst I had a pound a week from my mum and school dinners others had 5 pounds notes every day, which they rotted thier teeth with and brought fags with.

moozoboozo · 02/09/2005 11:10

I had the piss ripped out of me when I was a kid, as I had "weird" food. I don't think this would apply anymore though.

flashingnose · 02/09/2005 11:12

I'd go with Thomcat's suggestion after a couple of weeks - packed lunch Mon-Wed or Thurs and then one or two days from the canteen. That way, he gets to exercise some independence and choice without becoming King Chip.

Libra · 02/09/2005 11:22

What worries me is not the school canteen but the fact that most of the children go into town during the lunch break and buy chips etc. If you are ever in town during the lunch break it is packed with spotty and fat teenagers eating chips on the street, even in the rain. DS - who will in S1 next year but has already assured me that he would die rather than take in a packed lunch - is a good eater and I don't want him to turn into a blob. But on the other hand I understand the pack mentality argument as well.

BigBumpBonnie · 02/09/2005 11:26

My ds has just left secondary school and he used to get £2 a day lunch money and never complained it wasn't enough all the way through! His school also had the card system where you put the money on the card instead of taking cash every day and if you ever wanted to check you could find out what he'd bought. Great idea! I personally preferred him buying lunch at school as I hated making packed lunches, but it wasn't considered 'uncool' to take sandwiches.

BigBumpBonnie · 02/09/2005 11:27

The card system also means they have to buy lunch at school as it won't work in the local chippy!

happymerryberries · 02/09/2005 11:29

If you can get kids to eat a hot meal at lunch time I also think it helps their concentration etc later in the day. I realise this isn't always possible and then a good packed lunch is the best option. But having to sit downand have a hot meal is better for them than wolfing down a sandwitch as they wander round the school (which happens where I teach)

I think that having a sit down and chat with their mates is important for their social skills, and then they can go have a run around.

Realise that this isn't always possible BTW

sallystrawberry · 02/09/2005 11:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

harpsichordcarrier · 02/09/2005 11:45

The important thing, IMHO, is that he gets to eat lunch with who he wants to, or on his own if he wants to, and where he wants to. If everyone else is eating in the canteen, then he will want to go there, and I really wouldn't make him go somewhere else and eat something else, unless money is really tight - I would try not to make an issue of it. Leave it to his choice I reckon. And yeah give up on any idea of controlling his choices... I think we can get a bit hung up on what children eat. More important by miles that he makes friends and is happy at school.
of course he might not give a toss, which would be easier of course.

piffle · 02/09/2005 12:21

Today my ds took a filled ham roll, two pieces of fruit and juice and water - I gave him £1 to spend on a snack or a sweet.
He will get a mix of packed and homemade tbh, he is happy atm although today is his first day and if it resulted in him getting mocked mercilessly I may reconsider...
His school is opposite a massive Tescos a lot of kids head there before school and blow their money on crap - I want to avoid that!

tiredemma · 02/09/2005 13:25

I went to the well 'ard school that coddy is on about, IIRC, id say that there was an equal amount of kids with packed lunches as kids having school meals. We didnt have to choose a particular method at the beginning of term and could have sandwiches one day and meals another.

I certainly dont remember anyone getting picked on beacause they had a packed lunch, although im not sure if that would be the case if the sandwiches had been cut into pretty shapes, without the crusts etc.

But that was over 10 years ago and i dont know whats hot and whats not regarding secondary school meals anymore!!

if he's happy with it, and you are then go for it, im sure he wont be the only one with a packed lunch.

Creole · 02/09/2005 13:25

Sallystrewberry - not sure where you are located, but under 16s now travel on the bus and trams for free in Greater London. This came into effect yesterday.

anchovies · 02/09/2005 13:47

I'd definitely let him choose at first if you can afford it. It's not worth the risk that he might feel like he doesn't fit in. Having said that I only had one term of lunch money before my mum realised that I was spending half on cheese pasties and bags of 10p crisps and the other half on sweets on the way home!

hatstand · 02/09/2005 13:55

can't you compromise - give him some money to buy a sandwich or a main course, and give him something else to have with it (which won;t look like a packed lunch as such, eg fruit, flapjack/cereal bar errmmm struggling here...but you get the idea

hatstand · 02/09/2005 14:00

in my day it was school dinners that were uncool - much cooler to be able to sit outside (well in the summer anyway) away from dinner ladies and teachers, with your sarnies. But that was in the days of no choice school dinners. No chips either.

Original poster

tigermoth · 02/09/2005 18:30

well, there is quite a range of opinions here! Just checked with ds again about the amount of lunch money he actually needs. I think he knows where I am coming from . He has downsized his estimate to £3.50 a day.....

I am keen to introduce 'mixed feeding' asap, ie some food from home with some money for the canteen. I will let him have his £3.50 a day for the first week and take it from there. I cannot believe most of the 2,000 children who attend the school never take in packed lunches.

Cod, that card system sounds really good and as you say, stops children going outside the school to the chippy.

Sallystrawberry, those bus fares seem really steep. I hope the new london rules about children travelling for free become national rules soon.

OP posts:

happymerryberries · 02/09/2005 18:33

LOL at his down sizing of his estimate! ....That boy will go far in life!

I think when inteoducing 'mixed feeding' giving him an amount at the start of the week to cover snacks, keep the amount faily small to limit damage to your purse and his diet, but then he could still go up and buy something if he wants to.

spacecadet · 02/09/2005 18:39

my dd is in year 10 and takes 1.60 a day, and that gets her a jacket potatoe and an afters she takes her own drink from home, she takes her own drink from home, she often has sandwiches too, and so do lots of her mates, they do swaps with their packed lunch!

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