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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

Reception - packed lunch or school lunch?

62 replies

Lozario · 28/05/2013 12:48

Hello, PFB is off to primary school in Sept and I've just received a form asking if he's going to have a packed or school lunch. They need to know by Monday for some reason, although I could probably change it if I change my mind though.

What did your kids go for in reception and why? I guess school lunch is minimal effort on my part, but might be more interesting for DS, however with lunches I'd have a better idea of what he'd eaten and it would be cheaper... What would you recommend?

TIA

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ilovepowerhoop · 28/05/2013 12:58

ours works a bit differently and they can choose day to day whether to have a school dinner or a packed lunch depending on what is on the menu. DD goes a school dinner about 3 out of 5 days each week whereas ds only goes once every 3 weeks for the beans on toast! Have they sent a menu so you know what the food options are and can judge whether your ds would eat any of them?

lynniep · 28/05/2013 13:00

In reception, I signed up DS1 for school lunches. I was under the misguided idea that they would be healthy and he would get a 'hot meal' which would be nicer for him in the Autumn term.

I since discovered what the school lunches are really like. I wouldn't put them in the 'terrible' category, but they are certainly not great.
On mothers day I witness what he was offered. One slice of ham (the formed variety). A tiny serving of frozen mixed veg. Five roast potatoes (not whole potatoes - I'd say the equivalent of three new potatoes if that) and he helped himself to a small piece of bread and some grated cheese. For pudding, he got an enormous dollop of sugar (fudge pie - literally just a bowl of sugar) covered in chocolate custard (so thick and lumpy it wouldnt pour) Of course he loved that, but I was not impressed.

I have since reduced his school dinners to twice a week. More to give him a bit of variety really.

So - is it possible to visit the school this term and see what they serve up?

whattodoo · 28/05/2013 13:08

My DD has school dinners. I've seen them and they look good and healthy.

DD previously went to private nursery 3 days per week, where she had all her meals. She isn't a fussy eater, do I was confident she would eat well and enjoy the food.

However, the school dinners kids eat in a different room to those who have packed lunch (for logistical reasons) and those who are picky and slow over their dinner miss out on valuable playing/friend-making time.

Depends if your DC makes friends/bonds easily?

Original poster

Lozario · 28/05/2013 13:11

Oooh I hadn't realised they could mix and match like that - on the form it's just one or the other. They do have a couple of induction sessions for us in July so I could check out the canteen and sample menus then - maybe we'll start off with packed lunches whilst he gets used to the setting and then we could do school dinners on Fridays or something as a "treat" - esp if it's a bowl of sugar for pudding!?

Although I was even worrying his little fingers wouldn't be able to unwrap his sandwiches... And he can't peel a satsuma by himself yet I don't think , .

OP posts:

ilovepowerhoop · 28/05/2013 13:14

we use tubs for the sandwiches and of you are worried about the satsuma then peel it and put it in a freezer bag so its ready to eat.

It probably depends on the school as to whether you can mix and match so do check that out.

Original poster

Lozario · 28/05/2013 13:15

what he does make friends quite easily I think - and I remember school dinners was the "cool" thing to do when I was at school. I don't think we saw the eating area on the school open day (we might have but saw so many schools they have all merged into one!) so I will ask at the home visit if they all eat in the same area.

Also, isn't it weird how it's packed lunch and school dinner - I guess because "dinner" insinuates hot food!

OP posts:

ilovepowerhoop · 28/05/2013 13:15

I have brightly coloured versions of these tubs that I got from Asda: www.amazon.co.uk/Sistema-Sandwich-Box-x-3/dp/B0040QD9MG for sandwiches.

Original poster

Lozario · 28/05/2013 13:24

Thanks powerhoop!

OP posts:

noramum · 28/05/2013 13:51

DD has school dinners as

a) I work and just don't want to add making lunch on top of everything

b) she just eats 1-2 different sandwiches and would therefore eat 5x a week the same.

c) she will try things at school and discover she likes them, at home I get strange looks

I think her class is a good mix of both and I know some swap by term. We can change with one week's notice but not choosing daily. They eat all together, so no problems with eating at different times or not being able to sit next to a packed lunch friend.

AnythingNotEverything · 28/05/2013 13:51

When ds started school we went straight for school dinners because I thought the first week, when nobody knows what they're doing, is a great time to learn how to do school dinners.

If I'd started him on packed lunches, he'd have been too scared to ever change. Some kids are braver than mine though!

Periwinkle007 · 28/05/2013 13:58

our school has the hot lunches in the hall and the packed lunches in the classroom so they are split there too. only a few children in my daughter's class have hot lunches I think.

with regards to opening things themselves I just make the lunches of things I know they can do. we tried the squeezy yoghurt tubes but invariably they were a nightmare to open so lunch generally is now sandwich/wrap in one tupperware pot with some little tomatoes or babybel. then another little pot has an already open cake or nutrigrain type bar and then another little pot has strawberries or grapes or something in. all ready prepared so easy for her to do. we have the little pots with flip up sides as my kids find them easy to open.

boatclub · 28/05/2013 13:59

I went for school dinners because

We get free school dinners
A friend suggested it would be easier to switch from rather than to dinners further down the line

and although they don't sound amazing DS enjoys them, has become better at trying new things and has better table manners/cutlery skills as a result.

We get the menu which seems pretty accurate and for the first couple of terms discussed options

Periwinkle007 · 28/05/2013 14:02

also check the water bottle you plan to use is easy to open. We bought one which looked great but it was so stiff that I struggled to do it so she had no chance. I also discovered in week 1 that the normal sized drink bottles weren't big enough for a whole day including lunch so we have the sort of adult sized version now which she doesn't always drink all of but better to have too much than a child gasping for a drink at home time.

freetrait · 28/05/2013 17:52

School dinners. Definitely!

My DS had packed lunch in YR and then when DD started school nursery I put them both on school dinners (she does 3 full school days including lunch). Best thing I did. No more making packed lunches, encourages them to eat with their peers, and helped turn DS, quite a fussy eater into a less fussy eater. Also, he made friends with the school lunch boys as well as staying friends with the packed lunch ones he was already friends with .

ilovepowerhoop · 28/05/2013 19:10

lots of the kids at dd/ds's school dont like school dinners as they have to wait in big queues - it is a combined campus so there are maybe up to 500 children that need to be fed at lunchtime and the dinner hall doesnt have that capacity. Dd is in P5 and they have to wait for the second sitting which means by the time she gets there they have sometimes run out of what she wants to eat and she ends up with the dregs or something she doesnt like.

wheredidiputit · 28/05/2013 19:58

It really depends on the school. Our school you have to give a weeks notice to change from dinners to packed lunch. You can not pick and choose on a daily basis.

Also in our school the reception children eat their lunches in their classroom both hot meals and packed lunches this is so the TA's can monitor what the children are eating and can sort any issues quickly.

It's only now in the second half of the summer term do the reception children go into the dinning hall so they can get used to it.

My main problem is that they have lunch at 11.30 so although they have a snack in the afternoon dd2 is staving by the time they come out of school.

ilovepowerhoop · 28/05/2013 20:04

ours have lunch at 12.10pm (first sitting) and no afternoon break/snack.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 28/05/2013 20:10

I did exactly what lynn said. In reality it was no easier as I still had to cook for dp dd2 and I.

After two terms I stopped signing dd1 up for them as she didn't really like them , refused to eat the veg as they were soggy and pretty much lived off the puddings. Never again.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 28/05/2013 20:18

At our school, you can't mix and match day to day, but can change week to week. Those having school dinner eat a bit earlier than those having packed lunches then get to play. Packed lunch children play then eat.

Ds started taking a packed lunch and did swap to school dinners. Now he's back having packed lunches because he'd decided that a certain boy who has school dinners was his new best friend and was copying everything that he did. Unfortunately his new best friend's behaviour left a lot to be desired so by swapping him back we're avoiding some of that time and his behaviour has improved as a result.

There are lots of variables that you can't even begin to plan for before your dc start school - just be prepared to be flexible OP.

HorryIsUpduffed · 28/05/2013 20:18

Ours asked that too, even though we can actually pick and choose on the day which is a godsend on those days you open the breadbin and it is empty . Stupid data collection is stupid.

quip · 28/05/2013 20:21

I use school dinners as:

I've tasted them. They're pretty good
They are healthier and more varied than the average lunchbox
My kids are picky so they won't eat veg in lunchboxes but don't notice it in a cooked meal
I can do without the faff of making lunchboxes every night. It's a right pain and if I put in too much effort on healthy food they didn't eat it.
Eating a communal meal with a knife and fork is orders of magnitude more civilised than sitting eating crisps and sandwiches out of a box

RiversideMum · 28/05/2013 20:21

I guess the quality of lunches varies fom place to place. Ours are pretty good and there is a 3 week menu where DCs can pick day to day what they want. The only thing I fall out with is the serving of veggies on he side. So you get spaghetti Bol with carrots and cauliflower. Or a baked potato with peas and courgettes ...

Original poster

Lozario · 28/05/2013 20:45

I remember having a jacket potato with a side of chips at school. Oh yes.

Can see it's going to be trial and error for a while - it's a big school but I don't even know if the infants eat separately from the bigguns.

OP posts:

MadeOfStarDust · 28/05/2013 20:54

Make sure they can use a knife and fork if they are eating hot food - dinner ladies are thin on the ground nowadays and can't cut up for everybody.... things like being able to cut up roast meat and getting the insides out of a jacket potato... other things end up on a fork lollipop - roast potatoes/fish nuggets etc.... Also make sure they don't mind gravy or beans "touching" their other food - you'd be surprised how much of an issue that can be.....

And finally - if having hot food - don't assume ANY of it actually gets eaten - the slops bucket at our school is a thing to behold!!! (packed lunches get told to take anything uneaten home with them)

DeWe · 28/05/2013 21:23

Ours choose by the week.

But one tip I was given is that if you want them to have school lunch at some point then you're best to get them to try lunches early on in reception. Because it is much easier for them to get help when it's assumed they are new to it than next year when everyone will assume they know exactly what they are doing.

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