Should I tell the teacher?

[theweekendisnear]

My DS was talking to me about school stuff, friends, etc, and he mentioned that one of his classmates gets hungry at lunchtime, as he only has a carton of juice for lunch. I asked my DS if he wants to bring an extra sandwich to school and ask this other boy if he wants to have it, but DS said it's not necessary as another boy sometimes gives the other boy his crisps or mars bar.

I was wondering if I should pass this info to the teacher. The info (just juice for lunch) might not be true, as my DS sometimes gets things wrong (he's 7, and a bit immature). But if the other boy is hungry, maybe the school should know so they could do something? We'll have parents evening in 10 days. Should I mention this to the teacher? The teacher wouldn't know what the kids have for packed lunch, as the children eat outside and nobody checks their food.

I would definitely say something. Your DS might have got it wrong, but you'd feel awful if you didn't say anything and later found out this child was being neglected or there were other problems as well.

It won't take much effort for someone to check this child's lunch for a few days to make sure.

Could the boy in question be eating his lunch at break time/on the way to school?
There was a child in my class at juniors who did that and his parents were summoned in to explain why they didn't provide him with lunch. He otoh just wanted to make sure he got out to play football as quickly as possible.

I would raise it with the teacher anyway. If it's not happening, they'll be able to find out very quickly. If it is happening, he needs help.

Yes, I would mention it to the teacher. There will be somebody supervising lunchtime and they could easily breeze over and check he has something to eat.
I should expect that a school would want to make sure of its facts before discussing anything with the parents.
And if you mention it before parents evening, and it turns out it IS an issue, then the teacher will have the opportunity to discuss it with the boy's parents face to face.

Yes please mention it to the teacher. Do not wait till parents evening do it asap

I would be surprised if the school hadn't noticed, my Dds school know if a child has a forbidden chocolate biscuit, someone would certainly notice if a child regularly had no lunch.

Say something.

Defo say something. If the boy is eating it at another time, it could be that he has a tendency to over eat and his parents have told the school already not to give him more!
It could be completely different, thing is you don't know all the details and the school need to investigate.
I also think that sometimes, particularly at the beginning of a school year, the supervisors time is taken up largely by the newbies, and that older, more settled children are given more of a glance. Happened to DS2 in year 1. Turned out he had only been eating an apple from school dinners for months before he was 'grassed' on by his older brother!

YEs. Tomorrow. This was me. They gave me food :)

DC often refuse to have anything more than a carton of juice or a half sandwich for lunch. They insist many of their peers only have a small chocolat bar. And they might have tantrums if I even dare put anything else in the lunchbox. Or they might eat other parts of their lunch before going in the mornings. At the moment 13yo DS doesn't eat lunch at all, he waits until after school to scoff his sarnies (braces so eats very slowly).

I don't blame you for mentioning to school but don't be surprised if it's not a simple picture why.

If the child is always hungry it sounds as if there may be more to it than simply refusal to take more than juice especially as they are accepting food from other children. Tell the teacher

Surely the staff would have noticed if this were true.I am wondering if he has a 'healthy' lunch but doesn't eat it.

Would they notice if he's eating another child's crisps and mars bar or would they just assume it's his

socharlotte and mrz: I don't think anybody would notice this (a boy having only juice, or eating somebody else's food). It seemed strange to me too, but I asked DD, who is older and more reliable, and she confirmed that nobody checks what/if they are eating, as they are sent outside to eat at lunchtime, if they have packed lunches.

Anyway, I talked to the teacher today. I was very brief, and I repeated several times that this information might not be as my DS reported it. She understood the situation, and thanked me. It's very likely that this little boy is being fed properly (I don't know him or his parents, as we are new to the school), but the teacher will know what to do to make sure he's ok. I feel relieved now.

Thanks for your advice, everybody!