How do you organise dinner time with school-age children??

[Muminmamma]

While the children have been at nursery and pre-school they've had a packed lunch and we've always chosen to have dinner at 18:00 with the children so that the whole family eats together.

From next year my two children (4 and 6) will be having a hot lunch at school. So now I'm not sure how to organise the schedule (give up eating as a family during the week and having to cook two meals or all eat together but what?) and what to make the children for their evening meal - another hot meal or a light meal (and if so what?) and will we eat later or ?

Would be really interested in hearing what other people do? Ideally we'd like to continue eating together because I think that's very important (and I honestly don't want to cook two dinners a night) but is this just a pipedream now?

My DC have always eaten dinner with us even when they've had a cooked lunch at school. It's more sociable that way. I just give them a smaller portion.

Just carry on as normal, school meals are not the best, the range of food is poor and the portions are not huge, mine were always starving hungry ( their words not mine) after school. I looked at school meals as a poor second to home cooked meals.

Ok, I'm clearly over-analysing the situation, good to know we just continue as now! Thanks for the feedback!

DD1 is normally starving when she comes out. Mine has a small snack when she gets home (usually fruit and a biscuit) and then dinner as usual with us.

Mine have never been any less hungry in the evenings after having school dinners, so we eat the same as a family

We all eat together at 7pm. I have no idea how much or actual quantity or quality of what they are at lunch so at least I know they get a decent breakfast and decent dinner.

Just to echo what others have said carry on as normal! I don't think two hot meals hurts at all, years ago it was the norm.

Some days we do eat separately but that's more down to clubs so on those days my children tend to have a quick snack plate and my husband and I have something the children don't enjoy!