School policies on free school meals take up

[MamaMimi]

Our dcs school is a small village school. School meals are made off-site and brought in each day.

There is a main meal option and a jacket potato option as an alternative, followed by a pudding option with yoghurt and fruit as an alternative.

Well, that's the theory anyway. In practice there is often no pudding left yet no alternative left either, for those on later sittings.

Both my dds have been having the school dinners. Dd1 has enjoyed most foods. Dd2 is fine with a lot of it but has an aversion to acidic foods (an instinctive aversion I believe due to her suffering from eczema), so anything tomato or orange based isn't really an option for her. Unfortunately she also doesn't like potato. Therefore on the days when there is a meal with tomato based sauce like, say pasta sauce or pizza, she is stuck as she really doesn't want to have the jacket potato option either.

So far, on these days (only 3 days over 3 weeks), I have provided her with a packed lunch as a more suitable alternative than the jacket spud. So far no-one has told me this is a problem. Until now.

A newsletter came home advising that the governers had decided that arranging 'occasional' meals and having pack lunches on other days is not practical for the school.

AFAIC I have not asked school to arrange 'occasional' meals, I am simply providing some food for my child so she won't go hungry on the odd day where she won't want the dinners provided. The school can still order her meal for that day, she is eligible to receive it for free, but if she can't eat what they provide what is wrong with having some food there that she can eat?

I wonder what other peoples' schools are doing about pupils with food aversions Is it just a case of 'tough, they just won't eat much on those days' like it appears our school is saying? Or is it that because a child doesn't want a meal 3 days of the 3 week rota that they will have to take in a packed lunch everyday? In other words, all or nothing. Thereby missing out on a free hot school meal most days for the sake of 3 days where they are not wanted.

I often wonder how kids with coeliac or who are vegan, or who don't eat meat, or who only eat halal/ kosher manage having school lunches. My guess is that they probably don't.

concerned , the school/caterers are meant to work with such kids' families to come up with a menu/eating plan that will accommodate their individual requirements.

I wonder how many people are aware of this tho' before they just opt for the easier pack lunch option.

Blimey, i think that sounds awful.
My Ds goes to a small village school, meals brought in from larger school
We have to book school meal about 10 days ahead. They order enough hot meals for all of KS1.
If nothing on menu i knowhe will eat, then he gets a packed lunch. What use is it being free if he won't eat it.
Surely its up to me,the parent , what heeats

That is my point exactly kilmuir but I feel like the point about 'occasional' school meals not being practical for the school that was written in last weeks school newsletter was almost directed at me as I have been taking in pack lunches on the days that I know dd2 won't want either of the dinner options (limited as they are).

Just this morning I have looked at a lunch menu for another local school where the children have the choice of the main 'meat' option, a vegetarian equivalent, jacket potato, or fresh sandwich and salad. I can't believe the difference and feel that the kids at our school are missing out by not having these choices.

This other local school is a bigger school but they also cook and provide the meals for another smaller school in the next village to us, the meals are provided by the same catering company that do our school's meals, so why do we have a much more limited choice? how will our school have come to the decision of providing such a poor choice to their pupils? Will it come down to budget? And if so, how is the other village school not affected?

I guess I will have to ask these questions of the school, which I will do by letter to the Head and the Chair of Governors.

Apologies for the repetitive use of the word 'school'!

My children took packed lunches but are now entitled to a free school meal. I complained on the council website that my children would end up looking like a jacket potato as it's an every day meal :/