Primary school - not enough food on school lunches

[mommy0601]

Hi everyone. I am quite a new mom on here so please accept my apology if I do anything wrong.

In my child's school there is constantly not enough food, especially meat and deserts on school lunches. Several parents complained, including myself, as children often receive only mashed potatoes or jacket potato on its own. Nothing has changed and it has been a few months now. The headteacher is aware of the issue, but as mentioned, still not enough food a week after week. I am boiling literally inside as it is not the only issue we parents have with this school (there was no such problems before the new headteacher came, I do not know if it is just a coincidence or something else). It seems that nothing is being done with the complains. I, along with other parents, are afraid to take it further in case this is taken on our children. Apparently, some teachers are friends privately with the headteacher and hence our worries, possibly completely baseless of course, but I do not think any of us want to risk it.

Would you have any advice as to what we could do about it?

Kids don't need meat or dessert, they aren't even good for kids. Are they actually just giving them potatoes and literally nothing else?

If you're unhappy you need to take it further, move school's or put up with it. It's advocate the former

BabbiesDontNeedDaddies, yes you make a point here, but I do not think it is about that.
Yes they give them literally just potatoes or whatever else they have, when everything else has finished. It is a regular occurring that the food finishes when still other classes did not eat yet.

Babies the issue isn't that the school had gone vegetarian or given up desserts, which would be fine, it's that some children are getting a full meal and then the rest were getting scraps. In low income families, the hot school meal might be the only proper meal they get and possibly the first meal of the day too. It should be a property meal, not just half a pain baked potato whilst the earlier group get a full lunch

SleepingStandingUp, if I would like to take it further and the headteacher has already been spoken to, where do I go to? Governors?

SleepingStandingUp, what you said and to add: other parents, like me, we also pay for the meals, and children do not receive those meals.

Yeah, I would think so, Anand I would think a collective approach would be better to prove it isn't just one kids say so.

Do they always go into lunch the same order so is out always the same class missing out?

Most schools, or outside caterers publish the weeks, or four weeks menu in advance. Could you look on the school's website to see this?

SleepingStandingUp, they change the order weekly. I have spoken to quite a few parents now and it looks like it happens to quite a lot of children on a regular basis, especially if children happen to be at the end of the order.

Governors and your local authority.

Or get yourself down to the school every lunch time and demand to see what your child has been served.

I would be there everyday until they sorted it out; they need to provide a meal for any child staying in school for lunch.

Start tomorrow; just go keep going down. Keep calling your local authority. Then a wee call to your local paper next week if there is no change.

Elephantoverthehill, yes we do have a three-four weekly menu in advance. Unfortunately that does nothing. Still not enough food regularly.

Can you email or write to the head so you have formal proof she's been notified of a problem then you can forward that to the Governers if she doesn't reply?

The school should have a complaints procedure on its website. Generally if the head doesn’t respond satisfactorily then you would escalate to the governors.

Have you complained in writing to the head or just mentioned it in passing?

If you are paying for the meals, it’s outrageous that they aren’t buying in sufficient food.

This may help you look at the menu and identify key areas of concern

www.schoolfoodplan.com/actions/school-food-standards/

I will speak to one of the governors tomorrow and seek advice, as it is one of the teachers I got to know better and she has been there for a lot of years and all parents appreciate her, including me.

However, someone told me that nobody will ever win with the school and if they see me as a problematic parent, they will call social services on me. But surely that is too extreme, right?

What would they tell social services?

Sounds like scare mongering to me.

Ok thank you so much everyone for your advice, really appreciate it. You made me feel more confident, really.
I will speak to the governor tomorrow and seek further advice.

Who on earth told you that?

What utter nonsense. If they were doing that, they'd be getting sued and dismissals would be happening every other week.

If you've somehow got a head teacher capable of that, it would be pretty easy for social services to see through it. Also, half the parents could back you up and infirm social services that the children aren't being fed.

Put your big girl pants on and go in there and help your child

Sorry Mommy I am quite slow at typing. I think you have a case, with evidence, to contact the governors. Are all the FSM/PP pupils being served first? It is an Ofsted thing about 'how are you supporting your PP students'

Rocinante1, that is what I thought that it cannot be a case, as they would have literally no reasons to report us. I will do exactly that (with the pants) :)

Elephantoverthehill, I am not sure if FSM/PP kids are served first to be honest. Should they be served first? My child is not under FSM/PP, thought he was in KS1 under FSM.

Kids don't need meat or dessert, they aren't even good for kids. Kids do need some protein though, just mashed potatoes is a very unbalanced meal. The staff should be trained to give portions that will mean everyone gets lunch. Imagine if you had paid for lunch and were told "sorry we ran out you just get a plain potato".

The social service thing is clearly rubbish. The social services are over run and if schools were wasting their time making malicious accusations it would be taken incredibly seriously.

Could you send a packed lunch instead?

I would imagine the kids go in by classes and maybe the younger ones first as they take longer to eat. A lot of schools have to stagger lunchtimes as they don't have space for the whole school to eat at the same time.

Perhaps try a diary of what your child is eating so you can evidence the paucity of lunches to the head. Mind you, when I ask my year 2 child what she ate at lunchtime, you know, just 3 hours ago, I usually get "can't remember".

If you go about things in the right way and follow procedure then your child will be fine. Sometimes even better than fine as the teachers don't want to upset the child with the mum that will follow through on her complaints.
Always stand up for what's right. Lunch should be equal for all children and the school need to look at what's gone wrong. The fact that they need prompting to do it would not sit well with me.

gallcgirl, thankfully I have a menu and that helps me to remind my child if he happens to forget, however he is a very good eater and when he has not received a full lunch he will remember that.

QueenUnicorn, unfortunately the lunches is just one of the many things that are being complained about to the head and not resolved. The only problem is that I have noticed that not all parents want to speak out and they would rather send their children with lunch boxes than to say anything.

Snowysky20009, yes absolutely I could send my child with a packed lunch, but I should not really have to. I am paying for that food at the end of the day.