Home dinners

[Hettie3]

Hi
My daughter starts school in September and for a whole variety of reasons I would like her to have a home dinner. I was surprised to find that the school did not offer an option on the form I have to fill in requesting sandwiches or school dinners for home dinner. I have never heard of a school not offering home dinners (I've worked as a teacher in several although haven't worked for a few years now as I gave up when she was young). I mentioned it at the induction evening to a teaching assistant and she said oh no it's all part of the routine they go for lunch together then play. I didn't get chance to take it up with anyone else - I was a bit knocked for six to be honest. I will be contacting the school but just wondered what other people have found? I really don't think they can stop me taking her out at lunch time. Morning and afternoon sessions are quite separate and are marked in the registers and lunchtime requires a separate registration so I am not sure how they cna require her to stay. I guess they feel it might be better for them to be on site for various reasons (but professionally as well as personal I don't understand them - I haven't found children have social issues when they go home for lunch from my classes).

Hettie x

We have brought ds home most of his reception year for lunch as he simply cannot cope with the school playground due to his difficultys.
He is the only child in the school to come home and it has been a pain.
We wish school had not insisted on this and find it very tying having never more than 3 hours to do things.

It's normal where we live....mine don't do it but he asks to. A few kids all go home for lunch.

My DC have regularly come home for lunch over the years. There is a signing out form in the office and at least four or five ate signed out for lunch each day. This is semi rural , large village on edge of town.

I can imagine a school being unhappy with parents inviting other people's children home for lunch because the school is responsible for them. How can it be responsible for children if they're not on the premises?

I dont know if its normal everywhere else but it never happened at my school,or any of the schools that the kids i looked after went to!

Tbh,if its what you want and its allowed then i dont see why not?Assuming she wants to of course.I imagine my son would like it,maybe not so much as he gets older as like someone else said,lunch is the main playtime as they get older,but certainly at 4 and 5 he would love to come home and have lunch with me and his siblings.

Thanks all - really interesting getting all your thoughts. Cakesaregood - I agree it is more rare not but from this thread it seems it is happening in a variety of places. I hope the head will listen - we have made the request by indicating it on the form and putting it in the medical info stating the reasons why we think at first it will be in her interests and that we will be very grateful if they can support us in continuing to care for her as best as we know how. I mentioned to the teacher as I handed it in that we had done this. I hope that that is a calm and reasonable request. Aside from anything else regardless of medical reasons, it would appear that this is an entitlement anyway even if they don't recommend it or encourage it as one of the posters has looked into this to. Though they can go at it with the we know best thing, actually, I have 10 years' teaching experience too as and a professional, though I may have differing viewpoints to other professionals, I can be confident in myself too and I hold these viewpoints with both hats. I think her concentration etc will be much better if she is cared for correctly - eating really is on a knife edge - there are more complications than allergies but I don't wish to go into that here. Ultimately it isn't anything that can't be handled but I think I need to still oversee things until she is just a little older. There is no reason ultimately she can't progress to staying but just for these early years (or year or however long) I feel she would be better at home. I have seen a number of children go home for lunch to no detriment in my own classes. It is more rare these days with two working parents and I will hopefully return at some point too so she will have to stay!

The school my DD starts in September lets them go home for lunch if they want. It is all in the info pack we were given. However they encourage them to stay in because of playing and making friends.

Thanks
I am going into this open-minded. I do also think I should perhaps see how things go too! I am prepared to be flexible so long as her best interests are kept at the heart of any decisions

My dd3 started school last September, I soon realised she was finding lunch times very difficult so started bringing her home for lunch, I went against the grain a bit but it worked out well. She now goes to a small nurture type lunch club four days a week and comes home once a week.
We have a few Brethren families at our school and they go home for lunch too, so my dd was not the only one.

Thanks - interesting to hear that experience. I think there seems a lot of pressure sometimes in schools (I know I worked in them!) for children to do so much and a lot is expected. Some children find this overwhelming and there is nothing wrong with that at all - supporting them by bringing them home or now her lunch club is a good thing. I am pleased going against the grain worked out for you.