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Original poster

School dinners

20 replies

Skribble · 11/11/2005 21:47

How much is an average primary school dinner these days?

DD has been on at me for ages to have school dinners, I have always said no as I am sure she would just have a cheese roll anyway. She brought home the menus and we went through it to see what she would have. I have sayed OK as long as she takes a hot meal. Been in for a visit but not sure how the cash works, DD says you pay then leave your purse in a box at the till????

OP posts:
roisin · 11/11/2005 21:50

Dinners at our primary school are £1.55. You have to pay weekly in advance.

We choose to pay half-termly in advance.

Aimsmum · 11/11/2005 21:58

Message withdrawn

Gobbledigook · 11/11/2005 21:59

At our school £1.50 a day. Can pay weekly or half termly.

Original poster
Skribble · 11/11/2005 22:04

It is per item here I am pretty sure. DS had a couple of dinners due to emergencies at his last school but this is in a different region.

DD is determined she wants a dinner on Monday so no chance to check, I think I will put in £2 and she how much change she gets. I would prefer it to be paid weekly to teacher but they pay at a till. Bet she ends up with only a cheese roll anyway.

OP posts:
Aimsmum · 11/11/2005 22:07

Message withdrawn

BadHair · 11/11/2005 22:09

Ours is £1.55 a day, I think. They take their money in a camera film pot (given out by school) with their name on. They give it to the dinner lady on the till, and she puts the change in, if you didn't give the right money.
Mine takes packed lunch as at least that I way I can get to see what he's eaten and what he's left.

Original poster
Skribble · 11/11/2005 22:12

I have always done packed lunches for that reason, my rules are if they don't eat it bring it home. I just feel in the cold weather I would like her to have a hot lunch, instead of the cheese or ham sandwich she has had for a year and a half.

OP posts:
nooka · 11/11/2005 23:33

We pay £7.50 a week for ds, and he gets to choose on Sunday night. dd still has packed lunches, although I would like her to move to school dinners (hot and much less hassle). ds is always hungry, and will eat most things (including lots of vegetables) so school dinners are quite a good deal for him. dd is fussy, but we think might eat better in company.

Original poster
Skribble · 12/11/2005 01:12

Our school dinners are a bit Jamie Oliver and I am not sure how DD would manage to choose, I don't know if picky is the word but she is a simple eater. Not sure if the spicy stirfry wraps will appeal to her.

OP posts:
firestorm · 12/11/2005 21:00

im a kitchen assistant in a local school & one of my jobs is to take the money from the children (£1,40 a meal) the little ones do as your dd says, put their purse in a box by the till.

Furball · 12/11/2005 21:07

We pay the teacher either monthly, weekly or daily and she marks it in a book. I let ds stay for the first time on Friday, he is only just 4. The menu says he has to have one main meal, 2 veg and 1 carb. I went through the menu with him and he decided what he wanted at home. When he came home he says he had chips, crusty bread and spagetti hoops with no drink. Not surprisingly he's having a packed lunch again on Monday. I can't believe he didn't even get a drink! He's 4 and it was his first hot lunch, surely someone would help him??? Obviously not.

nutcracker · 12/11/2005 21:11

£7.75 a week here, payable weekly in advance. Think you can pay monthly or termly too.

suedonim · 12/11/2005 21:14

School dinners here are 1.50 which includes a drink. The children have a choice on the lines of a cooked meal, a filled jacket potato or sandwiches, plus a pudding/fruit/yoghurt. We can buy books of 10 dinner tickets so the children needn't carry money with them.

Original poster
Skribble · 12/11/2005 21:24

Thanks everyone, I will have to dig out a purse for her now. I'm not sure how it will go but at least I know she will tell me what she has. Not a chance of them getting spagetti hoops and you only get chips if you have them with a main course and they are only on once a week. The menu sounds very adult.

She is thinking about having fish as many days as possible so she gets a sticker. I wonder if that would work at home .

OP posts:
kcemum · 12/11/2005 21:41

Wow, I think we're being fleeced! £1.75 a day!

mrsdil · 13/11/2005 11:08

I pay £8 per week to the teacher on monday morning, my ds is a fab eater though and loves veg and fruit and the menu is pretty good so it suits him better.

Pinotmum · 13/11/2005 11:25

Dd's are £7.25 for the week, paid on a Monday morning in advance. The menu looks good and she really likes them.

golds · 13/11/2005 11:37

Ours are £8.25 per week and I have 2 at school, becomes quite expensive. DS is sensible and always goes for something with veg, whereas DD can't be trusted and will always go for the not so good option. I work at our school at lunchtimes and think overall they are very good

Furball · 13/11/2005 12:34

Skribble - Our school menu is supposed to be healthy and no junk. They only have chips on a friday. The carb choice was chips, crusty bread OR pasta. I assume the pasta was the spagetti hoops, not what I would call pasta in a healthy school dinner type of way. I was more peeved that even though they are supposed to choose an item from each catagory of the menu, noone enforced it even with the little ones who know no different and he ended up with ALL the carb options and nothing else.

spidermama · 13/11/2005 13:14

£1.40 at the moment in our school but set to go up anothr 10p I think.

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