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Free school meals - what's happening at your school?

130 replies

KatieMumsnet · 08/04/2014 14:32

Hi there

The BBC is reporting the challenges many schools are facing in the run up to introducing free school meals for infants (in England).

Nearly three thousand schools will have to improve their kitchens, while 1,700 schools currently have no kitchens at all.

We at MNHQ were just wondering what is happening at your kids' school? Is anything changing in the run up to free school meals being introduced in September? Are new buildings having to be added or changes made to where the school meals come from? Will the time your children have lunch or what they eat change? Is the school worried about the change or is it something being positively welcomed? Are you looking forward to the change?

Any thoughts - do let us know.

Thanks

KatieMumsnet

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LtEveDallas · 09/04/2014 08:13

DDs current school has no kitchen, no dining room and nowhere to build either. Assume all the meals will be packed (as they are now). The school is moving next year (building work has just started) and the new school will have kitchen etc.

One of DDs friends qualifies for FSM but doesn't have them because the sandwiches are on brown bread, there is no choice. I've no idea who the supplier is, but apparently (and this is on the word of a 9 year old, so...) there are only two types of FSM - ham or cheese. I've no idea how they are going to work this out. It's not a very multi-cultural school, but I would have thought there will be a lot more varieties needed come September.

Meglet · 09/04/2014 09:27

No idea, the school haven't said anything. The DC's ways have school dinners anyway so I'll be £40 a month better off when ont have to pay for DD.

School does have a free school dinners day once a term, I get the impression it has a high take up rate. Maybe they have a good idea how they're going to fit then all in.

Dillydollydaydream · 09/04/2014 09:46

Haven't heard a thing yet. Our school has no kitchen on site though, meals come from another local primary school so I'm not sure what will happen come September.

DontCallMeBaby · 09/04/2014 10:02

We have a kitchen which I think is going to be able to cope, but space for kids to eat is another matter. School is a two-form entry primary, so 420 kids. Currently they eat hot dinners in the dining hall and packed lunches in classrooms (this changed a few years back, they used to all eat in the dining hall, but even now DD says the hall is 'surprisingly still super-full'). If there's serious increase in uptake then some kids will have to eat hot dinners in the hall. Problems with this - the hall is in the main school building, the dining hall and kitchen are not; new dining furniture needed for what may be a short-lived fad; no more lunchtime clubs using the hall.

We don't really know what the uptake will be - parents have been surveyed, but they tend to respond more positively to surveys than real life (far more ticked boxes for 'yes I will use breakfast club' than actual kids signed up for it, for instance). Plus some target parents won't be with us until September of course, if they have YR starters and no older kids in the school.

We have a lot in our favour - size of the premises, kitchen, size of the budget, sensible head, good school dinners already so increase may not be proportionately that huge, affluent area so little reliance on Pupil Premium, and it is STILL a deeply awkward situation.

I'd like to see schools and parents write to Nick Clegg at the end of next academic year and point out just how much his clever little plan has cost in terms of actual cash (dining furniture, building work, kitchen pods etc), lost Pupil Premium, and missed opportunities for children (clubs cancelled, music rooms co-opted, and so on).

GwendolineMaryLacey · 09/04/2014 10:25

Our school has just completed refurbishment of their kitchens. However, the kitchens were the original ones from the year dot and as there has been a lot of expansion in the school the last five years it would have had to be done anyway and was probably in the pipeline before this was announced.

MrsJohnDeere · 09/04/2014 10:41

Our school has asked if we think our relevant age child will want to have the free school meals in Sept but did stress that we weren't committed to having them. They just want an idea of numbers for planning purposes.

turkeyboots · 09/04/2014 12:01

Not peep from DDs school on this. They have an excellent providers right now but I think he and they will struggle with free meals as uptake for hot meals is v v low at the moment.

Hawkshaw · 09/04/2014 13:22

Our school is getting refurbished kitchens as part of a school expansion to two form entry from a PAN of 45. However, as they struggle to get all the kids fed in the hall with their current numbers, some children only seem to get about ten minutes to eat, there is nowhere else to use to eat plus only about half the children currently have to be served, I think the system is going to struggle under the strain of potentially having another hundred and ten children to get fed.

Bunnyjo · 09/04/2014 13:46

DD's school is a small village school and currently every pupil has school meals. As such, they'll obviously be able to cope with demand as it won't change.

However, we haven't heard whether prices will be increasing for junior pupils or nursery pupils who attend lunch club. Hoping not as DD will be in Yr3 and DS will be in nursery; if there are significant price increases, next year could be quite expensive...

thatgirloverthere · 09/04/2014 16:14

Our current charge for a school meal is £2.35, I have three children at primary school, two in ks2 and one in ks1, they will all have a hot school meal from September, it currently costs me around £35 a week if they all have a school lunch. I'm welcoming the freebie for the year I'll get it.

craftynclothy · 09/04/2014 17:52

DC's school has expanded from a 2 form entry to a 3 form entry. As part of that the school is being rebuilt and the new building will be finished for Sept 2014 so I don't think there will be any issues with kitchens, dining space, etc.

They are currently changing their supplier and the new one is online based - parents can pay by direct debit and choose meals for their dc in advance. I definitely welcome that change but they haven't sent much communication about the free meals from September and the info for registering with the new provider only went to those currently on school dinners. It's definitely being promoted as something positive.

elliejjtiny · 09/04/2014 18:04

We haven't heard anything, I keep forgetting to ask. Currently DS1 and DS2 both have school dinners and DS2 will get them free in September.

pushoz76 · 09/04/2014 18:13

My twins will be starting school in September so this was a question I asked when viewing schools. One school had it sorted saying they would do 2 sittings but the second closed the question down saying it wasn't their problem but the caterers. This worried me as their dining hall would only sit about 90 and there was 60 in each year group.

MNHQ
KatieMumsnet · 09/04/2014 20:19

Thanks everyone - really interesting to hear the different situations.

OP posts:
YoniMatopoeia · 09/04/2014 21:35

My DDs school has no kitchen. They buy in one hot meal a week, which we pay for and parent volunteers collect. Apart from that it is all packed lunches.

They can't build (grade 1 listed building on site dating back to 15th century)

DD will be year 4 so not affected.

I did chat with the head about it some months ago, but not heard anything further.

Vickisuli · 09/04/2014 22:42

Our infant school (180 kids) has said they are making changes to lunchtime routine to accommodate more having school dinners, they already changed Reception kids to earlier lunch. Also they have said they will be expanding /changing the menu, and taking on additional staff to cope. They make their own food in their own kitchen now, not Chartwells (which is used by every other school in our area) including my daughter's junior.

The main thing that is changing for us (apart from no bill!) is that currently we can say each day (on the day) whether they are having packed lunch or school dinner, so DD has about 3 school dinners a week. They have sent out a questionnaire asking how many will take up the free meals, but stating that you will have to have school dinner every day or not at all, which I think will be off-putting. Even if you aren't paying for it, you don't like the idea of your child not eating much because they don't like the options that day. I don't really see what they can do if you put their name down for school dinners but still give them a packed lunch some days though....

Having said that I hate making packed lunches and am quite happy to get free meals, just wish it was brought in sooner as DD1 is already in yr 3, and DD2 will only get one year of free meals. DS will start in September so he will get his full 3 years worth (unless they change their minds again in a year!!!!)

I think DD2 will whinge though because DD1 will still have packed lunches as a)dinners at her school are more expensive and b)she is really fussy and doesn't like a lot on the menu, and I don't want to pay £2.25 for plain pasta and cucumber, or a jacket potato with beans.

BlueSkySunnyDay · 09/04/2014 22:43

We havent heard a thing. DS is at a quaint victorian village school and the hall/dining hall was built in approx the 70s. It is a real struggle for them to fit in all the children for school dinners already during the lunch hour (particularly on Friday which is fish & Chip day)

Will the government be supplying funding for a new bigger MUCH NEEDED hall? (they have plenty of land to build it on!) I suspect not - so this is yet another, not very well thought through idea.

thegreylady · 10/04/2014 08:38

My grandchildren's school has sent a letter asking parents if they would like their children to have the free school meals. My dd has said no thanks as it would take dgs2 forever to eat, he is very picky and dgs1 isn't eligible. They will continue with packed lunches.

Gileswithachainsaw · 10/04/2014 10:06

Not heard from dds school yet but given there's no kitchen and everything is brought in and everything is already done in several sittings I have to say in intrigued how it will work out. The queuing time alone could be a big issue. It's a two form entry primary school so roughly 180 in infants alone.

curlytoes · 10/04/2014 10:42

Not much will change at my DCs school. I will have two children eligible for free lunches and will save £20 a week. Grin School dinners are already very popular at the school. They are cooked on site by a catering company. They have a good range of choices and my children enjoy the food. Sometimes parents are invited to try the lunches or tasters are given out at parents evening etc. At the moment we can pay online, in advance by cash or cheque, or pay on the day. It is very flexible and well run which I think is why so many children already have the dinners. I think we are lucky.

Sheneverdid · 10/04/2014 10:46

Not heard anything about the free meals yet.

Dc's school have their own kitchens and have just sent out a letter informing us that...erm....they will be putting the cost of dinners up for the summer term. I wonder if that's to cover the hidden costs of the idea? ponder ponder

JimBobplusasprog · 10/04/2014 17:18

We are in a small rural school with no kitchen. The meals are delivered from another school and kept hot. The food is pretty good and the children like it. It won't make any difference as kids are seated together whether they eat school lunch or packed lunch. We have 2 sittings.

I can't help thinking that the headteachers and parents kicking up a fuss with their "can't do" attitude might be just a bit politically motivated.

mrz · 11/04/2014 09:03

Yes I'm in Durham LemonMousse I was uder the impression ours were increasing to £2.00 but could be wrong

telsa · 11/04/2014 09:05

Small school with fantastic lunches cooked on site, all the children have them anyway....so no change.

Groovee · 11/04/2014 09:37

My son leaves primary this year but already they have to do it in sittings as when they built the extension they forgot to consider a bigger dining hall. They have a separate gym hall and drama hall. They cook onsite and it is nice, but a 45 minute lunch break isn't long enough. They may have to consider a longer lunch break to fit everyone in.