Free School Meals; all or nothing

[paso]

The school my children attend are offering free meals on an all or nothing basis ie they have to have school lunch every day or opt out and only bring packed lunch, they are no longer allowed to choose between the two, week to week. Other schools are being flexible and giving pupils a choice.
Does anyone know if I have the right to purchase a school meal for my child on the days my child would like it?

I don't like this attitude to school meals at all. It seems commonplace though.

At my DC school we get a dinner envelope on a Friday for the next week. We tick the meals we want and put the money in the envelope. We give a packed lunch on the other days.

I don't see how a school needs to plan meals a term in advance. That just seems crazy.

We have a two week notice period either way (from dinner to packed lunch and vice versa) This enables the cook to plan her recipe measurements for her set 3 week menu and also to gauge the staffing requirements - the cook and assistants are paid by the hour on a scale which alters in accordance to how many children take meals.

The schools meals aren't that healthy with cakes for pudding most days. So I would rather my ds had the choice which thankfully he does.

Today at our school was 'census' day. If the infants had their free school meal today, then the dfe (or whoever) will pay for it for the rest of the year. If they didn't have it today, then the school has to pay for their meal for other days they do want a free meal. Needless to say there was a lot of encouragement for the children to take up their meal today. However, today was unusual.
On the whole the children are allowed to choose daily, but maybe that's because we are a reasonable size and the total numbers don't vary that much.

That'll be why DD's school asked the infants all to try hot dinners today, 'so the lunch staff can see how it runs if all children have hot dinners'

Our school is also all or nothing, but you can change your mind at the each new term.

Ours allows the children to choose daily (and offers a brunch bag for children who don't have school dinner).

I should add that whilst you're either on school lunches or you're not, we operate the pupil choice menu (Herts), so there is a meat, veggie and packed lunch option available each day, which the children can mix and match from, though they choose their whole week's worth on the Monday morning.

We choose daily but it does cause problems - we've recently spent a lot of money on a new dinner system as it was taking one of the receptionists the whole morning to sort out the dinner accounts. Then we get children accidently ordering a dinner when they have brought lunch so the dinner either gets wasted or the parent gets an unexpected bill. I think it would be a lot easier to do it weekly or even a certain number of days a week.

Ours is choose daily as is every school I've worked in as a teacher. I've never come across a school where you had to commit to having dinners or not for a week, half term or any period of time.

We can choose for each day, but order and pay on Monday for the week. The children then make the meat, veggy or jacket potato choice at registration each morning.

We choose each day.I'd be furious if we'd couldn't.Wouldn't want my 3 eating zero veg school dinners every day but work so they have to have some school dinners.Couldn't afford every day either.

Ours have a monthly menu, so you can just tick whichever options for whichever meals you want.

Ours have a half termly menu so you can pick in advance, includes a lunchbox choice if the meat or veggie doesn't appeal, but yes, you have to pay every day.

The older children ie non UIFSM can choose at the beginning of the week which days they would like school dinner, so the school can plan ahead and there is no waste of food. I agree with you missunreasonable, I don't want a free meal, I've asked if I can pay (effectively paying twice, as a tax payer) for a meal on the days my child would like it and I know they will eat it. As I can do with my older child. Some days are great, on other days its a choice between cheap meat slop or meat free slop. I think it is completely unreasonable.

Just seen your comment prettydaisies. That is interesting. Can the schools fine out when their census days are I wonder?