Reception - packed lunch or school lunch?

[Lozario]

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

Hi Loz are your school meals not free? Ours are in the next door borough for all reception kids. Packed lunch isn't even going to be an option

ipanicked I'm pleased we can choose. When I was a child we weren't allowed packed lunch. Later on we were, it was a huge relief. The school dinners actually made me retch. We were told we had to eat them.

I would rather pack my child's lunch. I know what is healthy and liked.

I don't think they are free because there were 3 options - packed lunch, school lunch or free lunch. Damn this borough!

Personally we go school dinners all the way, partly as i work and can't be arsed haven't got time to make sandwiches but also i know they are healthy, in our borough we have a website where my child's choices are individually recorded each day so i can monitor choices. Helps to make sure i don't offer the same at home and gave me ammo to tackle dd when she started choosing salad each day never veg!
It all depends on the quality of food, your time availability and what your dc is likely to choose. With ds who is constantly starving it has meant him happily trying new food regularly, the portions are regulated and he's v energetic so by friday he comes out v hungry but this is beyond school control so i plan snacks accordingly

My dc take packed lunches and ds2 will when he starts reception in Sept. At our school reception have lunch 11.45-12.45 (rest of school eat in sittings 12.00-13.00) and have two dedicated midday supervisors who help them unwrap/peel/cut up if they need it.

We do have themed school dinner days that dc on packed lunches can join in with, you just have to pay in advance though school is really flexible and they can have dinners as long as you pay that day.

I don't get those who say it is a hassle to make sandwiches/packed lunch doesn't the "sandwich mayhem" just get moved to tea time if folks have school dinners?

Or do kids have 2 hot meals, do the adults eat their hot meal at lunch too, or are people making a light tea for the kids AND a main meal for themselves?

(We do packed lunch and eat a hot dinner together at 6/6.30)

madeof my dc all have school dinners but I still cook a family evening meal for all of us.

Most dc are hungry after school irrespective of what they've had for lunch.

We have done school lunches for reception - it means DC gets a hot meal during the day - which is good in the winter and means we don't need to give a massive meal at dinner.

Recently there has been talk of packed lunches but I have a routine and not sure I could find time - have the inclination to make lunch in the mornings.

DD had school dinners mon to thu and packed lunch Friday, because she didn't like fish and chips.

I was sceptical about what was in school dinners before the horsemeat scandal, now I'm paranoid.
I would always send packed lunch. I'm a vegetarian and although my children are raised to eat what they like, I wouldn't want them eating the processed meat that goes into school dinners unless I personally knew the caterers which would only be possible in a tiny village school, so for me it was an easy decision.
I remember from my own school reception days being down for school dinners but all my friends having packed lunches. I felt really upset and left out so within two weeks my mum started sending me in with a packed lunch. The excitement of showing friends your first 'my little pony' lunchbox is never forgotten. So I think what what their friends are eating may eventually factor into the decision anyway.

We started off with packed lunch because that's what he wanted and was really worrying about not knowing what to do at lunchtime and was worried about the 'hot' part of hot dinners lukewarm is more correct most days . After a few weeks he started asking about having pizza when it was pizza day so he then had a mix of some and some. He's now in year 1 and for the last year or so has had cooked dinners (still daren't call them hot!) most days. Our menu has two options for each day and there are only three days in a four week cycle that he doesn't like either option. We don't have to worry about the running out of one option because the children order their food in the morning - the dinner register takes about 5 minutes if that and they are told what the red option is and what the green option is - they then say red, green or sandwiches as they go down the list. KS1 finish for lunch at 12 and by the time KS2 finish at 12.15 the younger ones have been served and then the older ones come in. KS2 sandwiches go out to play for a little while until there is space in the hall. I am on call for covering absent dinner ladies so see the routine and it works well. KS1 sandwiches go in with the hot dinners unless the weather is good and then they can take their lunch outside to eat on the picnic tables.

Both mine started on school lunches - no discussion, my decision.
Once they were established and happily eating school lunches, I allowed them to pick one day a week to take a packed lunch so that they can sit with their friends who only ever have packed lunches.