School dinners - tiny portion sizes

[QueenStarlight]

Can anyone advise what to do? My son and daughter attend different primary schools. Both say that they are hungry at dinner time after their dinners and that they only get a toddler size portion.

They have good breakfasts. A huge bowl of porridge or Weetabix (4 biscuits each) followed by yoghurt with lots of nuts and then a piece of fruit. Dinner is fairly late-ish but they get a snack when they get in from school.

Both are of athletic build.

I have never asked if they have enough, they both independently moan about it. I have spoken to the office of my daughter's school who have confirmed she finishes everything on her plate. I know my ds does as he always has.

I could send them in with an additional packed lunch but that kids of defeats the objective of school dinners (1 I pay for, 1 I don't).

Both offices have said there is bread, but this appears to be rationed also according to my children (as other kids who get it then don't eat their dinner).

I have no idea what to do next.

When I worked as DL only one child ever regularly cleared her plate. One 6yo in a sea of 4-11yos. I thought she was amazing (not a sporty or plump child, but poor family, on school meals).

Mine never eat lunch at school.

Some kids at our school eat loads and still say they are hungry. To be honest they are usually the ones with larger frames. They eat more than most of the adults.

there is a solution. send a packed lunch.

why on earth would you faff about with photos or speaking to the school and arming yourself with food fir pickk up when you could solve the problem with a packed lunch tailored to their tastes and appetites.

I don't know why you are getting a hard time. From what you have said it sounds like your olsder children eat very well. Everything they eat is healthy.

My 3 year old DD eats 4 weetabix in the morning. She is tiny. Really tiny. I don't know what you can do about the small portions but you aren't doing anything wrong by trying to fill them up with healthy food. Plenty of children have chocolate or crisps every day. Nuts and fruit and yoghurt are a much better way of filling them. I would probably give them a big packed lunch. You could make it the night before or instead of cooking them eggs in the morning which must take time. It's important that kids are not made to feel bad about having an appetite as that can cause all sorts of unhealthy attitudes to eating when they are a bit older.

Because dd's meals are free (though not after next year), and because ds has ASD and coping with canteen social eating with clicking cutlery (gross motor skills) is a part of his education. It will also be quite hard for him to get used to the change that will be involved.

x-post Prince.

Thank you. I don't know why I'm getting a hard time either.

But what use is free if it's costing you a fortune to make up the short fall. things like pasta salad or a hot meal in a food flask would solve the cutlery issue.

U could find out teh menu and create something similar fir him to take in?

good point (though his programme is about eating off a plate). Unfortunately packed lunches are a)rare and b)not eaten in the canteen.

I know that schools like to do whatever they can to encourage the take-up of the school meals, whether free or otherwise because most of them make a profit on them, particularly if they haven't had to invest in new equipment (i.e. the larger schools).

speak to them and ask if he could eat with them on the canteen? then you can send in his food and he could eat with the others

Giles lol - I LOVE that idea in principle. In practice, not so much. I'm already struggling with all the charging around afterschool activities on foot. The best I could do would be to make extra dinner one night and give it for lunch a different day.

Thanks though. I've got some ideas now and don't feel that it is all quite so hopeless.

the MN slow cooker would be your friend.

I'd get a copy of the school menus in.

My kids know that school dinners are their main hot meal of the day. Firstly I would check neither are regularly picking the jacket potato or bread roll option both of mine have tried that trick

We have found some meals seem more filling than others. So a pasta and tomato and other veg bake we tend to have on less filling days or when there is sport in the evening.

We have found eggs for breakfast helps. Mine will usually eat cereal and a couple of eggs boiled or poached.

We were told to cut out sweet snacks or fruit at playtime as DS has issues with teeth . So tend to go either for a peparammi or scone for break. This has been good too.

Fwiw year 4 was particularly bad as they don't up the portion size until year 5. Great if your year 4 is as tall and proportionally well developed as a year 6.

Also worth mentioning that it's not unusual for kids with ASD not to be able to interpret the full feeling correctly. Know a few with this issue, including DS

Have you tried actually speaking to the cook?

I'm a school cook, if a parent rung me and asked me in a nice way if there was a chance that their dc could have a few more carbs and veg on their plate it wouldn't be a problem. We have a few dc with issues that we feed up. Couldn't give extra meat or main part until the end as everything is for set numbers but a couple of extra potatoes on a roast day wouldn't be a problem.

If you can see the kids ribs I wouldn't worry too much about weight. More about getting the food on when they need it.

My two both easily eat twice as much as their friends. But their height and weight is in proportion which is the main thing for me

I can tell you exactly what the portion sizes are as well if you'd like. How many potatoes ect ect.

You are supposed to see their ribs!

Brillo, my DS trains for his karate black belt (2-3 times a week) and for his rugby team (twice a week), so he is like OP's kids and can be tearful when school dinners are so small. Like OP's kids, he is athletic (muscly, not in any way fat)

Have you ever SEEN the average school dinner plated up? It is tiny.

Luckily he is now y6, and is allowed seconds (thirds) as they are the last ones to eat.

OP, I solved the problem in previous years by giving him a sandwich for "snack"

Op

We are also experiencing this with our children. School lunches are just inadequate for my children.

Last Friday my 11year old daughter was served two fish fingers and three chips for lunch. My eight year old was given a choice between a cheese n' chicken 'quesadilla' and a plain baked potato - they had run out of toppings.

My children are extremely hungry when they come out if school.

It's not good enough.

I wouldn't worry about it. Your ds is quite long and lean isn't he OP? hopes to fuck I have the right OP here as will look like a weird stalker if not and ds2 can't be 3yo already

My ds, same age, seems to have massively increased his appetite recently. Has two bowls of porridge for breakfast which I couldn't manage. He's also athletic, and complains a lot about the tiny portions he is given for lunch (he is apparently the "unluckiest boy in the world" )

Ubik - that isn't portion size though. That's running out of food isn't it?

Ubik fishfinger portions should be 3 even for the four year olds, then chips and then beans, peas, salad or coleslaw or all four if they wanted! Plus a triangle of bread and pudding on top. If the cooks are not providing the food that's on the menu you need to complain directly to the cooks. If that doesn't solve the problem complain to the council who sets the contracts that the school supplies.

2 fishfingers means they aren't adding the numbers up correctly in the morning.

The school I work for has a 88 to 90% intake of dc having dinners. We're the highest in the area. Now I know why!

Well yes Cordia tend to run out of food towards the end of a dinner service.

But portion sizes are still small without that. Pudding is a tiny frozen yoghurt or jelly.