No hot food allowed in school lunch boxes?

[Bayleaf25]

Just wondered whether your schools have a policy on this? Our head has sent a letter saying we are not allowed to bring in hot food due to health & safety. I have several issues with this;

1. It often gives a healthy & varied alternative (soup, pasta, baked beans).
2. Can't imagine those thermos flasks keep them really hot 4+ hours after being made.
3. If the school doesn't offer hot school lunches as an alternative then I don't see why parents can't give hot food of their own.
4. For working parents it is a good option for the child to have a hot meal at lunch time (sometimes).
5. Surely there are other risks at school - using scissors, outdoor play equipment. So don't see why this risk is any different?

Anyway, basically I am cross about this & wondered what your view are and whether your schools have a similar policy? Thanksx

Or just give them sandwiches?

The weather is warming up now, do they need something hot? I sent ds to school with hot dogs in a flask of boiling water once, with 2 buns and a sachet of ketchup. He thought it was great.

Carrying a tray of food is more risky than opening a flask.

4madboys Have you used the Screw top Thermos Food Pot.

Any other flask recommendations?

DS2 has been taking a wide-necked flask for ages, with tasty warm food, without anyone saying he couldn't.

Then someone else brought one in and told the deputy head teacher who suddenly decided that hot food was banned. Poor old DS, who hates being singled out, had to bring his flask to her, while she and the TA prodded his baked beans to decide whether the flask was going to suddenly burst open and scald the class.

They pronounced his beans Safe To Eat but he was told never to bring them again.

Back at home, once DH had pulled me down from the ceiling and I had stopped screeching incoherently, I decided to look for the silver lining and use this as a opportunity to introduce DS2 to the ocassional hot lunch.

But it cheeses me off that they can be so arbitary in their rules.

This thermos flask is the one we have. Also comes in pink. I originally bought two of them (both black) in the US, where they were considerably cheaper. One of the black ones is still going strong, nine years later, but the other one stopped working after a few years. No idea why.

Thanks pellshky looks ideal

Yes that's the one DD has in pink - keeps food hot but not scalding.

Of course teachers don't make themselves a cuppa at break and take it back to class do they!!!!

@stopthinkingsomuch

I think my days of falling over and scraping my knees are over... I can probably be trusted with a cup of tea.

I do have tea in the classroom, but well away from the children.

I also worked in a school which banned all hot drinks or glass from the classrooms.

No - we're not allowed to have hot drinks in classrooms near children.

You'll probably find that the real reason is that the children have difficulty opening the lids, due to the vacuum created when they are done up, and the staff are fed up with being asked to open them.

Our school allows hot food, but not soup (or anything too liquid) - liquid stays too hot. The decision was taken after a child burned their mouth and tongue quite badly by drinking straight from the flask, but common sense prevailed so hot solid food -pasta, couscous etc is allowed.

There is not generally any problem with a flask, but some need to be opened by an adult as they have been closed sooooo tightly to stop leaks. The fat short ones are best... flasks... not necessarily adults.....

I was waiting for the usual comparison of an adult and a 6 year old...

@LadySybilDeChocolate - hot dogs, what a great idea - never thought of that one. Been out and bought a tin today. My son is going to love that next week! Probably violate the healthy eating policy .

It's a primary school so it will be full of spoilt little princes and princesses with parents who expect a team of staff to be constantly hovering over their child, attending to their every need. Any slight burn and they will be in threatening to sue the school.
It's just easier to ban everything.
Yes I'm cynical I work in a school.

eggrules i havent used them no, but have friends who do, they are meant to be good, but they should be for that price!

Healthy eating policy? Well, it has tomatoes in the ketchup!

Personally, I'd simply send a letter saying it is non of your business what my children eat for lunch.
Or simply shut up an carry on.
We've all carried on sending in squash and juice, the word water hasn't been said again

Personally I'd actually love it if DD2 drank water, but it's more likely that the HT will sprout wings, a curly tail and learn to fly.

Carry on sending in the same food as before. If anyone challenges your dc get him to point out that they told you to stop sending hot food in. His food is not hot, it is pleasantly and safely warm and thus not hot and thus not coveted by the ban on hot food.

And for anyone wanting a thermos flask - keep your eyes peeled at tkmaxx - they often have a good selection (albeit not all the colours in at any one time) including thermos brand. Often at half price or less.

Or you could just send in sandwiches. There is probably a moderately sensible reason for this- there'd usually is- and generally speaking it's not a good idea to give a primary school child the idea that rules are for other people. And in my experience, enough of them are barrack room lawyers off their own bats without any encouragement from mum.

I'll have in look in TK Maxx before I buy one.

so... it's ok to encourage children to rebell against rules parents don't support, but then the parents are surprised when general behaviour becomes a concern?

Why would parents want to encourage children to have no respect for authority or rules?

Maybe you don't agree with the rules. Fair enough- that's your choice. But the point is, it is a rule and so therefore you need to abide by it. What message are you sending your children if you allow them to flout any rules they don't agree with? Rules are there for a reason, like laws, and it's not up to the individual to decide which ones they like.

If your child learns (from you) that it's ok to mock the rules, then what chance do any of us teachers have of getting them to follow classroom rules?

No such policy at our school either, which is good - mine like to bring in beans on toast, soup etc.

quietly wonders who will be blamed when the DCs get food poisoning or scalded lips or covered in lukewarm soup when they have trouble opening a vacuum seal

Juniper904: I don't think OP said she was going to break the rule, nor is anyone encouraging her so to do. I think she's gathering ammunition to make a reasonable challenge. (It'll be interesting to see if the school does come back and say something amounting to 'it's banned because we don't like it').

But do I agree that whilst the rule is in force it should be abided by.