Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

To be cross at nursery for this?

22 replies

Kanfuzed123 · 14/12/2022 17:11

30 free hrs here but nursery charge £16 a day for food with no option to bring your own, lunch is normally a balanced school style meal (you know roast, shepherds pie, pasta bake, chicken curry etc) because they follow a healthy eating curriculum and their menu is posted to their website, well I say normally except the last 2 weeks. When I’ve had feedback from the girls in dc room they are saying lunch was chips and peas, pasta and cheese, finger food (breadsticks, cheese sticks, raisins) and today was mash and hoops… nothing else. That’s not on is it?

it’s not balanced, there’s no protein, it’s not what they say on the website and when I’ve asked management they are saying they follow the meal plan on their website, but don’t outright deny that’s all the kids had. I mean for £16 per day you’d expect them to be feeding the kids a proper meal.

this is what they get
breakfast: feral and milk
snack: half a slice of toast and milk (have to provide our own)
lunch: chips and peas
snack: biscuit
tea: crackers and cheese

for a healthy eating curriculum that’s pretty poor right?

oh and it’s not what dc just ate and she eats very well at nursery and I’ve clarified with the girls that it’s all that’s been served and they’ve confirmed it is

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

SunshineClouds1 · 14/12/2022 17:52

Do you get a report on what they've ate?
We get giving a daily report on what lunch/snacks were and how much they ate.

What you've said, breadsticks etc finger foods are what is giving for afternoon tea at my nursery. Could they be getting mixed up and forget what they had for lunch?

Either way though, £16 for what you've said is ridiculous.

PenelopeStrawberry1 · 14/12/2022 17:56

£16 per day is ridiculous! And it sounds as though they're very stingey with portions too, such as half a slice of toast

Tina8800 · 14/12/2022 18:06

My baby isn't in nursery yet so I don't know but 16 pounds a day for meals is shocking to me. Especially as you can cook very healthy, organic meals (3) for at least 2 days for that amount. I work in schools and I found the meals to be extreamly unhealthy (chips and peas are not a meal!!!) and after Covid they got even worst.
I would definitely complain and get other parents to complain too! If the nursery struggles to come up with healthy options for whatever reason, they shouldn't charge you that amount and the parents should know about it!
For the "menu" you have described I wouldn't even give 2 pounds never mind 16!!!!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Childcare & nursery Families General food General parenting

ReeseWitherfork · 14/12/2022 18:09

£16 is pretty standard so definitely would be if they were having what you say they use to have… shepherds pie etc… so do you have any idea what’s changed?!

Photosymphysis · 14/12/2022 18:12

£16 per DAY?

That's £80 for 5 days. I feed a family of 4 three meals a day, and snacks for 7 days on that! That's bonkers!

They obviously need it to top up the funding but that's an insane amount. And to pretend it's all for the food is dishonest.

MadameMackenzie · 14/12/2022 18:17

ReeseWitherfork · 14/12/2022 18:09

£16 is pretty standard so definitely would be if they were having what you say they use to have… shepherds pie etc… so do you have any idea what’s changed?!

£16 is most definitely not standard! That's absolutely appalling! It doesn't cost £16 per day to feed an adult a day's worth of decent home cooked food.

Original poster

Kanfuzed123 · 14/12/2022 18:26

as a result with 30 free hrs a week in nursery prior to TF childcare is still £190! It’s honestly disgraceful and then for them to feed them basically miserly portions of junk is just taking the piss.

no one has got it mixed up either, I’ve double checked what’s been for lunch and snack on collection and it’s been reiterated verbatim

OP posts:

bumbledeedum · 14/12/2022 18:28

Nursery's use the ability to charge for 'extras' such as food a a way to top up the fixed amounts they receive in funding otherwise they wouldn't be financially viable to stay open.

The amount aside, the offering is crap OP

upfucked · 14/12/2022 18:30

It is 30 funded hours not free hours. The money from the government does not cover the costs of 30 hours. That said the meals should be balanced. You need to speak to the manager to find out what is happening.

surreygirl1987 · 14/12/2022 18:55

The £16 doesn't surprise me. There's lots of top-up fees at many private nurseries. My son's 30 hours barely made a dent.

However, I would be concerned about the food. Was lunch really only chips and peas? Nothing else? Thats weird. The snacks and tea are okay but the lunch needs to be a proper meal.

ReeseWitherfork · 14/12/2022 19:01

MadameMackenzie · 14/12/2022 18:17

£16 is most definitely not standard! That's absolutely appalling! It doesn't cost £16 per day to feed an adult a day's worth of decent home cooked food.

Show quote history

Oh god sorry no you’re not wrong, I totally misread. We pay £17 a week here in the south east and most friends (at different nurseries around Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire) pay similar. I don’t know about London prices but out here £16 a day is indeed expensive!!

ReluctantLondoners · 14/12/2022 19:03

I assume the £16 a day is just a way for them to make some money as a lot of nurseries cannot provide childcare on what they get from the government for free hours.

Ours did it by offering longer hours and by being open through the holidays so you had to pay for those extra sessions.

But that menu is crap. Is their cook off sick maybe? Or maybe they're struggling with staff and don't have time to cook. A lot of daycares seem to be short staffed just now

4onway · 14/12/2022 19:04

2.40 a day here for all snacks and a hot dinner. I mean it’s not organic haute cuisine but it’s like school canteen standard

toomuchlaundry · 14/12/2022 19:08

I assume they have lost the person/contract for who provided the food and haven’t been able to replace them yet. But they should be open about it

Duplocrocs · 14/12/2022 19:12

Blame the government. This is because the £16 won’t be for just food. The £4 per hour that the government gives nursery for a child is just not enough… and is for education only.
So many nurseries/childminders need to top up the hourly rate to cover everything - nappies, food, snacks, insurance, resources, trips, premises, heating, minimum wage is now almost £11 etc etc The numbers are just so impossible.
I think the fact that they are saying it’s just food will cause frustration and maybe setting an unrealistic vision to parents of what they are providing - normally nurseries label it consumables so parents understand it’s more all encompassing.

Duplocrocs · 14/12/2022 19:15

And to put it onto context say your child is in for 8 hours a day and government pays nursery £4 - to provide a proper service they may need to charge £6 so they need a £2 top up so £2 x 8 = £16

Original poster

Kanfuzed123 · 14/12/2022 19:20

I’ve looked around at other nurseries (I’m actually moving her because of this) and they charge £2.50 for all snacks and food so £16 a day is extortionate. They are also open 10 hrs a day and charge extra for that and are only really
closed for one week over x mas, so they do all of that too.

i know that the funding from the government is pants but this would be the same food as for parents paying £60 a day, and it should be balanced.

it’s not the only dishonest thing that’s been happening there, dc has clearly (she’s been telling me she has and she knows character in tv shows that we’ve never seen before and can say what happened in lots of episodes like peppa pig and bing) been watching a lot of tele there too, despite management saying the don’t have screen time. Screen time is fine here and there but not as a core activity but they’ve not been honest about it either

OP posts:

Original poster

Kanfuzed123 · 14/12/2022 19:21

Duplocrocs · 14/12/2022 19:15

And to put it onto context say your child is in for 8 hours a day and government pays nursery £4 - to provide a proper service they may need to charge £6 so they need a £2 top up so £2 x 8 = £16

We also pay a top up charge as the funding only covers a 3 hr session in the morning and 3 in the afternoon and one at lunch

OP posts:

Theydoyaknow · 14/12/2022 19:26

£16 quid a DAY?? I honestly cannot get my head around how they justify that! The menu is dire!

Duplocrocs · 14/12/2022 19:30

So the £16 a day is on top of a top up fee? Surely no parent is happy with this

Original poster

Kanfuzed123 · 14/12/2022 19:34

Duplocrocs · 14/12/2022 19:30

So the £16 a day is on top of a top up fee? Surely no parent is happy with this

It’s only £7 I think but still

OP posts:

amylou8 · 14/12/2022 19:34

I'd assume the £16 is to top up the pittance they are given by the government, rather than what it costs to feed the child. What they're serving does sound a bit rubbish though.

Flip