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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Home dinners?

9 replies

threesnocrowd · 23/05/2011 21:17

I remember as a child there were a lot of children who went home for dinner.I always wanted to but my mum worked so I never could. Does anyone know if this practice is still common anywhere. When I suggested it to the school they looked at me like I'd gone insane! They told me that part of lunch time involves exercise and suggested that if they came home they'd be losing that time. We live on a smallholding so they're very active. Hoping someone may have some experience with this.

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harecare · 23/05/2011 21:19

Do what you like and think is best. If they walk to and from school they'll be getting exercise anyway. If you're driving then I'd think you were wasting petrol.

CMOTdibbler · 23/05/2011 21:22

I think the children would be missing out on a lot of socialising with their friends, and might not like being different from everyone else

hocuspontas · 23/05/2011 21:32

From a security point of view it would mean adults in the playground while the other children are out playing and gates always get left open. Some parents would always be late and staff would be hanging around waiting. When I was at school those of us who went home for lunch just ran home and ran back 45 minutes later, it's not like that now! I'm sure if you insisted they wouldn't say no but it's not encouraged.

CaurnieBred · 23/05/2011 21:39

DD comes home for lunch occasionally when my parents are down visiting as it means she gets to spend more time with them. School can't keep them in if you want to take them out. But the school is literally 2 minutes away so not a hardship to go and collect her. She sees it as a treat but she would not want to do it every day.

I used to come home for lunch - wouldn't have been able to see The Sullivans otherwise (wartime Neighbours!).

thisisyesterday · 23/05/2011 21:43

replied on the other thred, but if this one's being used will do it here instead!

don't think it would be a security issue... you'd pick your child up from reception, not from the playground surely???

we were told that ours can come home for lunch if desired, however ds1 prefers eating with his friends at school.

hester · 23/05/2011 21:51

I was thinking about this just the other day. A significant minority of children went home for lunch when I was small; at my dd's school it wasn't even mentioned as an option. Ah well, times change.

Groovee · 24/05/2011 15:39

Ours can go home. The gate is locked and you return your child to the gate and the learning assistants check them off as returning and they then go to their playground. But as we only get 45mins for lunch it is harder to get them home and fed in time to be returned for play.

The children who do go home are usually Brethren children who share a family meal at lunch time or the ones who cannot behave and as a last resort have been asked to remove their children over lunch time.

lemonmousse · 24/05/2011 16:10

I always went home for lunch at primary but that was because I was so finicky I ate next to nothing sadly I've grown out of that

I work in a school and we don't have any children who go home at the moment but we did have a whole family (3) who went home everyday. Their Mum (SAHM) always cooked a full dinner at lunchtime - I once asked her if she cooked another meal for her DH when he came in at night but she said she just stuck his plate in the microwave.

When she started working her children started staying for dinner. I couldn't help think her DH would be pleased to get a freshly made dinner for a change

dikkertjedap · 24/05/2011 17:40

I agree that it would be nice for them to eat at home. However, at all schools I have come across here, children are expected to stay at school. My experience helping out at school is that they eat in just 15 minutes and spend the rest of the time playing, so it is really important for building friendships. I therefore think that if you don't want your child to eat at school it may be more difficult for her to build friendships with her classmates.

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