Free school lunches for infants - what do you think?

[KateSMumsnet]

Starting this month, in accordance with plans announced last year, all pupils in English primary schools up to the end of Year 2 will be eligible to receive free school meals.

How do you feel about the changes? Is it money well-spent, or could the funds be put to better, more targeted use? Has your school had to make any changes such as building new rooms or using classrooms? Are you glad to have lunches taken care of, or would you prefer to make your child's lunch? Have you seen the new menus, and are you happy with them? Will any of you be opting out?

We'd love to hear what you think - do let us know below. And keep your eyes peeled for a guest post on the nutritional value of school meals, coming later this week.

p.s For those of you still making a pack-up every morning, try out this recipe for the perfect lunch box bars (you can still make them even if your DC are at Uni, we won't tell)

I don't get the problem, at my dd's school they get a healthy, freshly-cooked, organic meal each day....why would I send her in with a packed lunch??

it would be a good idea if the meals were healthy and nutritious.

our LA isn't as bad as some, but every meal has a 'pudding', far too many pizza and waffles combo going on, the only veg appears to be sweetcorn (MORE sugar/carbs)

there's just not enough fresh fruit/veg/salad.

my ds has packed lunch and it's way healthier than any of the meals on the menu at school.

I do pay for him to have Fish on fridays as a treat because his best friend does, but otherwise i'm not impressed.

i'd NOT be happy if my son was forced to have school lunches every day.

shrunken the problem is that not all schools are like your dd's. A lot of schools serve up rubbish.

ravenAK my response was to the suggestion of frozen cardboard

I think speaking as someone without DC that I have mixed feelings about it. I highly doubt that the meals are all fantastic nutritionally. Add in the fact that some children will probably be served up a second main meal in the evening rather than a smaller snack meal such as soup or sandwiches, together with the pudding issue already mentioned, and you have a recipe for obesity. However, it can't be all bad. No time spent prepping lunches, no mad lunchbox police and better concentration (better to have main meal at lunchtime, provided not too stodgy!).

just as not all schools are like the horror stories some posters seem to think typical Lumpy

I think this is a waste of money. Many can afford to feed their own children, but will still take the free meals and spend the money on their own frivolities. However some children in poverty will benefit from genuinely receiving this one hot meal a day (though i thought children from disadvantaged families were entitled to free school meals anyway?!).
I think we all have a moral responsibility to reject the 'free' meal if we can genuinely afford it.

I don't like it really because it will benefit the poor who would have school meals anyway!

People who are in the middle will get the free meals and spend in so etching else the 10 pounds a week. Foynd the same when mine came out of nappies!

And I feel That people disagree with infants having pudding. A puddings a day is fine as long as they're not bring fed biscuits and kit jats at home

Eh?!

Under the previous rules only those in receipt of certain benefits which meant some parents on low wages but not entitled to Working Tax Credit weren't eligible even though their income might be lower than those on benefits.

Well then a piece of cake in a lunch box is ok,except it isn't according to the gov.

I had a child in my class last year whose packed lunch regularly consisted of two large chocolate muffins a doughnut and a family bag of haribo

Like Raven I see the meal so can speak from experience. I'm sure some schools serve great food and you're lucky if your kids attend one. However, not all schools are like this.

Just don't make it compulsory, then if the food is crap or if it suits your child better they can take a pack up.

Oh I had the odd one who sent in a crap lunch,the maj were ok (no award winners but just about ok) some were ok and some were fab.

Pretty much like school dinners so how is it all school dinners are esteemed as fab and all packed lunches as crap?And how is it packed lunches get scrutinised to the nth degree and school dinners don't?

It isn't Lumpy and there are no plans to make it compulsory

opting out with the possible exception of the roast dinner day... depending what the other option is.

opting out as a lot of the veggie stuff is cheese based. there are far too many processed meat options (sausage rolls/sausages) and we have cut those out of our diet (except for parties) for health reasons.

there are puddings everyday. eating the pudding would mean not eating the fruit. ds would choose the puddings.

currently the children have two portions of veggies in their lunch and two of fruit. they usually eat the new aim of about seven to ten portions a day.

Mrz why does my child have to eat crap in school dinners because a couple of % in their year eat like this? And if there truley was an epidemic of bad packed lunches, which there isn't surely there are better ways to fix. Either that or all chn need to be raised by the state as they seem to know best. Apparently.

Some schools are making it compulsory though.

Do packed lunches get scrutinised? I only see the contents if the child shows me. I haven't a clue what is in most packed lunches and neither do the other staff but this little girl liked to take everything out before going to the dining hall.

Haven't read all the thread, but I think whilst in theory it's an ok idea (though would still rather have my child benefit money), it's badly thought through, because the Pupil Premium money is still dished out to children who 'qualify for FSMs' - a lot of parents may not see the point of filling in a form with lots of personal details, when their child gets the FSMs anyway. In my kids' school that's about 70k of extra funding, just for KS1, as a lot of children are on FSMs - if those parents decide not to fill in the form, it's a lot of funding lost.

I also totally totally don't believe any child will become more likely to become obese because they are having school dinners.

Snacks at home are far more likely culprits.

I think it is ridiculous. Why eliminate my child benefit because my DH earns just over £49k ( I am a SAHM), yet then entitle me to nearly £50 a month of poor quality school dinners!? Either cuts need to be made or not. It's a huge waste of money. If they can means test CB, then they can means test school dinners.

Mrz its the assumption that school is right. If school thinks that serving white carbs on top of white carbs on top of sugary yoghurt or stodgy pudding is acceptable, well I know who has the problem. Schools/govt already think that parents are idiots - if packed lunches were scrutinised should I send my meal plan in for the week to show its balanced? My child's lunches are balanced based on our family menus which are by and large made from scratch. I won't have some jobsworth telling me a 'homemade' flapjack is unhealthy in a packed lunch when children are offered sausage rolls, pizza, chips, pasta, spongy pudding, custard, chocolate chip cookies, fried fish EVERY DAY. I am the parent, not the government, not the headteacher. Me.

How is there an assumption the school is right? The school has nothing to do with school meal menus.