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Original poster

oooh, what would happen if....(school lunchboxes)

52 replies

Tortington · 08/12/2008 13:18

just occured to me what would happen it you put a chocolate biscuit bar in and a small bag of crisp

then you get told off - you nod and say "absolutley" but carry on.

repeat
repeat.

but you still carry on

what would the powers that be actually do?

OP posts:
aSpacePunkcametravelling · 08/12/2008 19:17

why would you want to give your kid's crap food anyway?

constancereader · 08/12/2008 19:18

Mrs Badger - we are not all like that. There are some teachers who would undoubtably behave in the way you suggest, but not all (or even most imo).

Some of us think blanket lunchbox rules are rather silly too. We are more interested in teaching than supervising lunch.

LoveMyGirls · 08/12/2008 19:24

Not read the whole thread.

I have never liked being told what to do but on this occasion I think it's good my children are encouraged to eat healthily and one of the big influences in your childrens lives are their peers so if everyone is eating healthy food then it's unlikely your child will refuse which is all for the good imo.

I think a healthy diet is a balanced diet therefore today my dd2 (who is at nursery) had a cheese sandwich, some grapes, a couple of butter crackers and a penguin it's about a healthy balance not all healthy food isn't it?

Itsjustsorandom · 08/12/2008 19:26

How can every childs lunch be checked everyday? You might give your child a choc biscuit one day but this could be the day the box is seen by teachers & then the parents are in trouble.

MrsWeasleyStrokesSantasSack · 08/12/2008 19:27

As a Dinner Lady we would certainly not take it out on the child. We have a child who wouldn't eat due to a fear of being sick. We spoke to parents and all worked together to help make life easier for the child. We also had 1 child who only ever had 1 packet of crisps (nothing else) after talking to the parents child is getting help to change this habit and we are supporting him.

The key is a balance of things so if you put in a sandwich that is usually what we concern ourself with. As long as child eats their sandwhiches we dont mind what else they eat, within reason. We have a child who comes in with a flask of hot noodles soup which everyone raved about until I found out it was actually a pot noddle!

OrmIrian · 08/12/2008 19:37

We recently had a letter from school about lunch boxes. It said that whilst they were not interested in telling us what our children were eating, they were concerned that some of the children were eating the biscuits/crisps before the sandwiches and fruit - please could parents encourage to eat the sandwiches and fruit first. Perfectly reasonable. Hopefully it also might prick the conscience of the parents who rarely include anything sensible like sandwiches and wouldn't think of fruit

It also asked if those parents who regularly brought lunch boxes in late (after registration) could please stop doing so as it was disruptive. And guess who (for the first time ever) had to pop into the office at 9.30 with DD's lunch box the very next day because she'd forgotten it

TsarChasm · 08/12/2008 19:45

'I am sure you are aware that i am raging against the govt machine that suddenly dictates by proxy through schools.'

Yay! Go Custy!

But yes, after the cream cracker debacle at dd's school the other day, yes, I suspect they do take it out on the kid.

constancereader · 08/12/2008 19:48

Honestly, taking things out on the children is not part of the average teacher's mental make up. I know there will always be some horrible teachers but the rest of us care more about teaching children to read and count etc than checking the bloody lunchbox.

TsarChasm · 08/12/2008 19:53

Some schools (ours) are taking the whole healthy eating thing to an extreme. And in any event I do think they should only advise not go round banning things. Even chocolate biscuits (unless there are allergy implications like nuts).

retiredgoth2 · 08/12/2008 20:10

...do schools really put these sort of prohibitions in place?

Crikey.

I imagine a black market in Penguins and Hula Hoops, in which Year 6 bootleg barons build illicit fortunes...

...as it happens, I don't put any of the prescribed items into the smaller monozygote's lunchbox (the others all have school lunch). However, were I to receive a nannying letter banning, say, crisps, then I can imagine this policy might be reviewed.....

Ivykaty44 · 08/12/2008 20:13

I have a friend who has always had issues with her weight - consequently has been thin - got bigger, got think agian, got bigger.

For my friend the worst thinkg she says is to ban something and make a food a sin, if she gets it in her head a food is banned then she wants it.

I think the carrot rather than the stick is far more appropriate for healthy eating.

I didn't realsie that [parents are concerned with what goes in other dc lunch boxes - or what is in their reading diaries. I dont seems to have enough time to read books I want to read with out reading other peoples, so it is good on here to be enlightened to what goes on out side my own bubble (not being funny I do seem to miss so much it goes straight over my head)

For the record I do the 5 thing for lunch box - I work on the fact 5 things is enough to eat and if you dont want one that day there are four other things to eat. So jelly marmite sandwhich, babybel, fruit squash drink, packet of rasins. Not a perfect lunch but it is my choice and she will eat it and be fully through the afternoon and therefore happy.

PeachyBidsYouNadoligLlawen · 08/12/2008 21:15

We're allowed nothing but fruit as a snack. Lunchtimes are as yet undictated but on a few occasions teachers have awarded calss prizes for lunchboxes and we are aware we could well be humiliated for a non perfect lunchbox (not a surprise that the TA's son always 'wins' as she gets advance warning )

Anyway I understand the point is to protect the obese kids but I am not sure it does, the obese kid in ds3's year doesn't eat shite at school but he comis in (with his morbidly obese dad) munching it, they pick him up froms chool with sweets..... no amount of rules is oging to change that: they're beight professional aprents, they know.

OTOH I am keeping a food diary with Dh becuase ds1 has got it into his head that he might get fat when he's already tiny and skinny and I cannot get more than 1 meal a day into him at home, he has AS so I am neeidng t see the SENCO to monitor it. I have had eating disorders in the past and will be v v sad if he develops them too, esp. at 9.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/12/2008 21:26

I must admit, I got a bit upset when dd1 came back from nursery, on a day when her lunchbox contained a perfectly healthy lunch, including 3 of her 5-a-day, 2 dairy portions and plenty roughage, but also 3 jelly babies, begging me not to put sweets in her lunch ever again because she "got into trouble"

I hate the idea of "good" foods and "bad" foods- I think it promotes food issues. I was also upset that SHE had been given a row, rather than a teacher speaking to ME about it, and spoke to the teachers the next day, asking if it was a new policy that no sweets/ cakes were allowed, as I wasn't aware of it. They said they had decided that SOME kids' lunchboxes were getting out of hand, so they had put a blanket ban on all "bad" foods I suspect that the parents of the "some" kids will ignore the ban, and am annoyed that my dd1 felt so guilty about her 3 jelly babies!

Now she is at school, I find the whole "healthy eating" ethos very preachy and puritan. On one hand I am glad she is learning to eat healthily, but I'm not sure that she isn't (aged 4) becoming obsessed with what is Healthy and what isn't- the other week she got really anxious about eating a bit of birthday cake after a party, as she knew it was "bad for you" and I can't help feeling that isn't right. I think sometimes they are a bit overzealous

shopaholicDIVA · 08/12/2008 21:42

gosh, this thread made me realise im the sinister mum. [i need shooting]
dd3.5 goes nursery at primary school
takes lunch box.
normally contains some of the followings.,,
sandwiches
yogurt(she loves it but expect real mess)
fruit puree sqeezy thingy
cucumber sticks
grapes
chocolare roll( characterized)
small bag of dried fruit
crisps
small chocolate bar

dd actually tells me who had what while we go shopping, we are currently trying to locate barbie chocolate roll katy`s had in her lunch box not found in asda, tesco, aldi, lidl.

DoubleBluff · 08/12/2008 21:47

Ds is not allowed to eat chocoate at break bu tis allowed to take a cerael bar (coco pop one) - they are both unhealthy so doesn't reall yteach much about healthy eating

DoubleBluff · 08/12/2008 21:48

Ds is not allowed to eat chocoate at break bu tis allowed to take a cerael bar (coco pop one) - they are both unhealthy so doesn't reall yteach much about healthy eating

Ivykaty44 · 08/12/2008 21:49

Can someone tell me where to get humous in individual pots to take in pack lunch - as my dd doesn't want the stuff decanted but already in a small pot like her frined [mug emotion]

SniffyHock · 08/12/2008 21:55

Ivykaty - Sainsburys and Asda do them.

I used to be a teacher and had nothing to do with lunchtime. (Too busy drinking tea, smoking fags and marking books). I doubt that it's generally up to teachers to 'police' these rules. I assume that the lunchtime supervisors would tell the head.

Ivykaty44 · 08/12/2008 21:58

thanks sniffy - I have tried my local sainsbury and they didn't have them. Shall have to try to get to asda.

Judd · 08/12/2008 21:58

See, I'm a midday assistant and I wouldn't have a bally clue what children have in their lunchboxes on a daily basis. We are a large infant school (3 classes per year) and so 100+ per sitting. Lunchboxes outweigh dinners, and they sit at opposite ends of the hall. I am aware that I rip open a good few frubes (usually HSM at the moment), cheese strings, peperami, and the Tesco children's snacks range...but as I'm also cutting up pork/yorkshire puddings/scooping the middle out of jacket potatoes, I really would not be able to point out an "unhealthy eater".

SniffyHock · 08/12/2008 22:17

My sainsburys only have them in the 'Be Good To Yourself' range.

Ivykaty44 · 08/12/2008 22:23

cheers for that shall have alook - my store has moved everything atound and I dont think the staff really know where anything is

retiredgoth2 · 08/12/2008 22:32

...I used to send Monozygotes in with the small humous pots (from Sainsburys) and sticks of celery and pepper to dip. They were fond, but asked me to desist when the other kids mocked them...

(Daddy, they say we are eating bird poo)

goodasgoldfrankincenceandmyrhh · 08/12/2008 22:57

My dd1's school has a policy where chocolate is not allowed, but chocolate biscuits are. So I could give her a Kitkat, but not a square of Green and Blacks.

They also have a charity that goes into the school and does healthy eating demonstrations and cook and taste sessions, which I think is a great idea, but in practice their idea of a healthy diet is actually a weight loss diet.

Original poster
Tortington · 08/12/2008 22:58

thank you juule, it is government then, that clears that up for me.

children should be encouraged to eat healthily no doubt, whether that be forced through schools is,well..debatable!

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