do school dinners leave kids hungry?

[knittinginknots]

Our school dinners have strange names and small portions (2 ounces of meat per child). Kids come home hungry because they didn't like the strange concoction, or there wasn't enough left when it was their turn, or the portions were too small. Has anyone else had these problems and how did they resolve them

Yes they can do
DD1 - because she is quite fussy and didn't eat much of the dinners - so she has packed lunches now

DD2 - only 6 but coming home starving and saying she's been hungry all afternoon. She's not fussy and said she was eating all she was given. I mentioned it to the TA who said she'd have a word with the dinner ladies and since then has not complained of hunger.
But yes, makes you wonder about the portion sizes (Hants)

DD#1 has quite a big appetite but never comes home hungry. They have the option of second helpings after everyone has had a first helping, and they have bread out every day to fill up on if anyone finds there is not enough stuff they like. Having said that the menu is very varied and most of the kids really enjoy the food they get. There are always jacket potatos with salad and various fillings available plus a couple of other variable choices each day, so even my slightly more picky DD#2 can always find something she enjoys.

Well my DD had peas for lunch yesterday, it was supposed to be a roast but everything had gone by the time she got there. £2.10 for peas. She has taken a packed lunch today.

They shouldn't. The school cook should be able to provide enough to fill every child, and the child should know how much they need to eat.

If children are complaining that the portions are too small or of poor quality, you should approach the Head and let them know that there are problems.

I understand what gorionine says about kids chucking food away but maybe allowances could be made for those with genuinely big appetites?

Just to clarifie , I was mentioning the chucking food away to explain why some children do go home hungry, not to justify small portions. FWIW the portions I have seen so far a more than reasonable for children but to be full, the children
do have to eat it. It does not matter how much is on the plate if they do not actually swallow any of it.

My kids 'prefer' school food to my cooking

Its all very lovely, cooked on site etc. They offer a takeaways on Thursdays and we sometimes order when I can't be bothered to cook I have never done a packed lunch and I hope it stays that way for a long time!

My DS is a tiny little thing (as was prem) but has an enormous appetite and I know that he often has 2 helpings of the main course and 3 of the pudding as I am the CoG and the business manager at the school is amazed at how much he eats! (and he has a full dinner when he gets home in the evening as well).

If I were you I would speak to your HT and governors and ask them to put more focus on school dinners as part of being a healthy school. 3 years ago there were only 4 out of 145 children at DS's school having school dinners, there are now over 80+ most days. We have stopped getting meals bussed in, transformed a servery into a kitchen and employed a chef to produce healthy and tasty fresh meals - I have been so impressed (he moved the 'roast' day so he could use meat from local suppliers). There are definitely ways to improve this situation.

Thanks for all those views - I know what you mean about fussy eaters and wanting to go outside and play, but my interest (quickly turning into obsession) sprang from my eight yr old son regularly meeting me in tears at 3pm because of hunger.
Having spoken to other parents, he's not the only one.
I have been into the dinner hall and watched the kids being given their dinners. Half the tray is filled with salad, whether they want it or not, and the meat and potato are squeezed alongside.
I have spoken to the HT, cook and catering boss.
The problem lies with the latter. Chartwells. They are too interested in government guidelines and too keen to make a profit, not interested in kids' interests and appetites at all.
Does anyone else have chartwells, formerly scolarest?

Abgirl, I am interested in how you resolved your issue. I am a governor, and the CoG has suggested i take this further with chartwells. I suspect that we are locked into a contract, another 3 years of it to go, but do you do your own catering then if you have a chef?

Knittingknots, from your Thu 24-Mar-11 22:20:10 post, it makes it obvious to me the very big differences there are between schools. In ours the children start being served hot dinners (it is portionned but generous enough for a child) and then they go onto the salad bar where two older children serve them what they ask (pasta without any dressing, raisins, lettuce. colslow,diced cucumber, diced tomato and sliced bread) only the children who want some get some and the vast majority goes for the pasta and the raisins. Very few children go for the lettuce.

I think ours might be Chartwells - I will check.

Just because some children throw food away doesn't mean other children are not unsatisfied. Ds loves school dinners, it's the nearest he ever gets to junk food, and wouldn't dream of throwing a single chip away, but naturally he does need more food as a growing Yr 6 pupil than a child in Yr 3, and portion sizes are always the same. There is not always enough for a second helping.

We are in a contract with Surrey Commercial Services who provide meals to Surrey CC schools, details here: www.myschoollunch.co.uk/surrey/ Very happy with the quality and range of meals, and they partially funded the kitchen refurbishment, we applied for other grants and used some capital funding as well. We found working closely with them the best approach so I would try this with your current supplier and see if you get anywhere, if not make plans to change when you can? No good for your DS I'm afraid.

Am hoping that the meals go down with Mr and Mrs Ofsted who are coming ON MONDAY!!! Aaaggghh....

knittinginknots Chartwells lost the contract to provide school meals in County Durham about 2 years ago - now provided by Taylor Shaw and much improved IMO.

It's very sad to read about rubbish school dinners. Our are fab and I assumed it would be the same everywhere. The teachers have set up their own ParentPay accoints so they can eat them too!

We generally have a meat option, a veggie option and a baked potato option, 2 types of cooked veg plus baked beans, salad bar and dessert.

Recently it has been decided that Years 5 and 6 will get bigger portions as parents felt that they really needed to eat more. Head spoke to cook, and voila!

I think if you don't voice your concerns in school, then they won't know there's a problem, will they?

At our school they can have second helpings.

DD gets simple choices and good portions. Some of the children don't eat all their dinner, so I guess, if that happens they will not be filled up. DD apparantly eats all her dinners. Although she normally has a packed lunch, dinners on fridays.

And so the next generation of fatties develops...

'And so the next generation of fatties develops...'

You don't know what you're talking about
not having enough at meal times is a sure fire way to make you binge later on

when i was at school they used to ive us in years 3-6 2 fish finers and mash and ve and expect us to befull, only the year that was last sittin ot seconds, when i complained a teacher ave me one of his fishfiners, but didnt solve the problem, seriously my 2 year old can eat 2 fish finers, scratch that my 10mnth old can eat 2 fis finers....

Portion sizes are different for different aged children in my DC's school. DD is in Reception and her portion sizes are much smaller than DS1's, who is in year 3 (as it should be!). There is usually seconds available, and sometimes thirds

My DC eat plenty!

My DCs have always found this of school dinners being both small and hard to eat (potatoes, chicken, funny sauce etc. cooked very strangely). DD3 takes packed lunch for this reason. DD1 and 2 are at high school so they can leave for the shops at lunchtime and get something better, though I have forbade them to go to burger vans or chip shops. Maybe Greggs, sandwich shop etc.

Sadly schools are trying to keep costs down any way possible, even at the expense of childrens appetite.

My two have started moaning about portion size too - I think costs have been cut by teh catering company. Ours are ordered on a Monday for teh whole week (children decide on Monday what they will eat each day) so there are no extras to give seconds. They are cooked off-site and brought in. Same size portion for a P1 and a P7. Supposedly bread available - and salad. But according to the previous dinner lady teh bread would quite often arrive on Monday and be left to do the whole week!
I did complain to the catering company and got a reply saying no-one else had complained and portion sizes were according to guidelines. My dc seem reasonably happy with teh quality of the food - it is the quantity they have issue with (and since it is a new complaint I think it is cost cutting)

DCs' food in both schools cooked fresh on site and no complaints about portion sizes, they both love their school dinners. DD2 is at primary, has a choice of one main and one veggie option but it can be mix and match, seconds are often available.
DD2 is at middle school, at least 4 choices available plus unlimited salad and bread which is always fresh. It's £2.10 for us too but definitely value for money.
Feeling very lucky now.

DD and DS1 have school lunches (sodexho) at state school.

They aren't ravenous but are hungry when they get out. But then they have more opportunity to snack/graze at home that at school, so I just make sure I have something with me at pick up to tide them over until supper.

DS1 is a very fussy eater - which is why I'm keen for the school dinners to continue. If I gave him a packed lunch it would end up being the ame thing all the time. At leastwith school dinners he is trying new foods.

There is one day every 3 weeks where he cannot bear either of the options. But at our school they always have jacket potatoes on the go for anyone who cannot eat either of the options.