Does your reception age child eat their vegetables at school?

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Unsurprisingly my vegetable dodging ds is not eating the vegetables in his school dinner. He only really eats peas and carrots anyway, but now he doesn't have a parent watching over him he is of course leaving even them. and then happily consuming the totally unnecessary daily pudding

I'm sure it's not uncommon, particularly at the start, but is it worth me asking the school to make sure he eats some vegetables before he has a pudding or do I just leave it for now?

It depends how they run the canteen.

For example, at my children's school they have to either clear their plate or have it checked by a lunchtime supervisor (adult) before they can move on to pudding.

My DC tell me that if you'd eaten none of your vegetables you would be made/encouraged to eat some before your pudding (which might well be melon rather than cake).

In the absence of that kind of blanket system it would be very tricky to remember that Billy needs to be told to eat his peas but Susie can never finish everything. Make sure you're asking for something realistic if you go in.

Peer pressure can get children to eat vegetables they wouldn't touch at home, but there's a limit to the responsibility schools can take for children's eating habits.

How do you know this? Have the school told you? If so they may have time and energy to help

I just ask what it was for lunch and sound excited. It is impossible to police food from a distance else I would make dd the one who is not allowed juice

I discovered from chatting to DS that he was often only eating the bread roll and cake and custard . He is an excellent eater too, but the meals were not at all appetising and the veg was all soft and watery. Anyway, I give him packed lunches every day now.

Mine (twin boys) are yr 1 now and I don't think a vegetable has ever passed the lips of one of them, the other might eat the occasional pea or carrot if he's in the mood...the TA does mention it every now and then and I know they try to encourage them but tbh there is only so much the school can do

I've just resigned myself to it now...

At my DD's school they have one or two lunchtime helpers for the reception children. I believe they encourage them to use cutlery properly, encourage them to cut things (and help them if necessary) and encourage them to eat their veg! As others have said, they can't be expected to enforce the wishes of specific parents, but I get the impression they are quite useful! From talking to friends, it seems that this sort of help/encouragement is quite common?

Mine eat well at home, I have no idea what they eat at school. I think they do eat veg as they talk about some strange concoctions they ate. To be honest I just leave them to it and just feed them healthy for breakfast and dinner and weekends and holidays and assume it balances out

I have no idea other than relying on what the DTs tell me. I have had no information about what they're doing either in the classroom or in the canteen. They are in their third week and DS just says "I don't know, I can't think" to every question about anything school related. DD tells me with great detail so I'm relying on her!

To be honest I just leave them to it and just feed them healthy for breakfast and dinner and weekends and holidays and assume it balances out

Yes, this. IMHO they mainly just need energy in a school lunch (though preferably quick and slow release), so any other nutrients that sneak in are a bonus.

Yes, but he loves veg. it is becoming a running joke between myself and hubby though that he has fruit salad for pudding though. We can see what they have online though and from what DS has also said I think he tries to get salad and veg if possible.

I always assume that they've not consumed any of their five a day throughout the school day (even though mine are now a bit older). So they get them during breakfast and the evening meal. If they did actually consume any fruit or veg during the school day that is then a bonus.

I have absolutely no idea!

I've no idea. He says he eats carrots but he could just be saying that!
Tea usually involves a couple of vegetables and he loves fruit so I don't worry too much.

Dd likes a fair few types of veg but we're on week 2 of school and the only veg served (as far as I can tell from the menu) have been peas, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumber (and the last two aren't even veg...).

I suspect she's filling up on bread, pudding and milk (ffs why serve milk with lunch??). Not surprisingly she's constipated.

Like others have said, I rely on her having a healthy breakfast and dinner.

Ds happily tells me he hasn't eaten any of the vegetables! I'm waiting for him to figure out he'd be better off lying....

No idea what DS is eating, or even if he is eating, he's been down for salad bar as the hot meals have been stuff he doesn't like. He has no prob eating veg, but it's a bit of a change from the daily food reports at nursery

No idea!

Mine pretty reliably eats veg if it's served plain. She is suspicious of mixed up things like risotto where she's not sure what it is going to taste like, but so far has actually liked all the lunches. They always have fruit or veg for morning snack too by the sounds of it.
We're getting the full lunch narrative thanks to two DC comparing what they got/what they ate of it. It's quite enlightening as to older DS's habits, he's the one that leaves bits.