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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

School Lunch or packed lunch?

23 replies

Afiwo · 03/08/2019 06:24

Hi all,

Just wondering why people choose what they choose. What is your preference and why? Have you had good experiences with school lunches? I keep going back and forth, leaning towards school meals from a time saving point of view but that's by no means the most important consideration.
Thanks!

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AwdBovril · 03/08/2019 06:32

DD is starting packed lunches in September. In KS1 she has consistently struggled with the school menu - mostly because a lot of the food appears to have been cooked by someone with no proper experience or even a basic palate. DH works at the school & quietly commented to me, one evening, that that day's attempt had resembled cat sick, & smelled little better. DD is not a fussy child but frequently comes home hungry.

Orchidflower1 · 03/08/2019 06:33

It gave mine the chance to have something warm in winter. They were often hot dinners in winter packed lunch in summer.

Heulog · 03/08/2019 06:39

Packed lunch. Because costs.
I have 2 primary school aged children and spend around £10 p/w making them packed lunches, we don't access free school meals, but that doesn't mean I can find £2.40 per day per child for a school lunch.

LifeIsGoodish · 03/08/2019 07:30

Dd was a fussy eater, and would have had cheese and cucumber sandwiches for the whole of primary school, if not longer.

School dinners helped ds widen his repertoire. He'd see his friends eating something, and eventually try it himself. There was enough variety in the school dinner menu that he would always find something to eat.

stucknoue · 03/08/2019 07:35

No free meals back when mine were in infants so always took packed lunches. School lunches are very expensive for what you get, for under a pound a day (and a lot less if you are savvy) you can give them a really balance meal and tailor it to their tastes. Dd was seriously underweight and super fussy (asd) so I would add olive oil to tuna and other tricks to add calories, and she brought home anything she didn't eat so I could monitor her intake (but she sat on a table with 4 others like her and a teaching assistant)

user1474894224 · 03/08/2019 07:38

In England in Reception, year 1 and 2 all children get free school meals. at our school there is a choice of hot options or sandwich lunch. It's a no brainer to get this. (Although my youngest bitterly complained and last term of y2 I gave in and just made his packed lunch).

When older I have preferred packed lunch because of cost ....but there were some days when we were doing swimming straight from school that I asked the kids to have a hot dinner so we could just have a sandwich for tea. My eldest went through phases where he would ask for the hot dinners. My daughter has never liked them. We are lucky in that we just have to order the hot dinners on line ourselves about 10 days in advance so we can be flexible.

When my eldest started primary there wasn't the free school meals so he started with pack lunch.

Paddingtonthebear · 03/08/2019 07:38

School lunch, we are at an infants school, the food is made on site and pretty healthy. Nothing like my school dinners which were mainly chips, burgers, hot dogs and pizza!

cliffdiver · 03/08/2019 07:41

DD1 - lunchbox as she's fairly fussy and I know she'll eat a lot more than she would with a school dinner.

DD2 - school lunch because she eats anything, often opts for the healthy choice and it's free

Both DDs will have a lunchbox most days in KS2.

caughtinanet · 03/08/2019 07:46

Honestly you need to look at what's provided by the school versus what your child likes to eat, the cost comparison, your available time etc

There are many factors in people's choices and they are personal to them, please don't make your decision on what suits me and my child, it might not be the best thing for your circumstances.

Original poster

Afiwo · 03/08/2019 08:24

Yes of course I'm not going to make my decision based on what suits you 🙄, I'm just curious to know what other people's preferences are and why in case there's something I haven't thought of.

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Original poster

Afiwo · 03/08/2019 08:31

And thanks everyone for the helpful input, lots of food for thought (pun intended) 😉

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Allyg1185 · 03/08/2019 08:44

In my case my ds 8 has commented to me the line for the school dinners is long then add on his friends finishing before him equals him leaving half his lunch and being hungry by 3pm.

So for this reason I give him a packed lunch. He can start eating straight away and I know he eats everything in his packed lunch. Whereas the hot meal is a hit or a miss and if he picks a cold lunch it's just a roll and a muffin. In my opinion I can do a far more nutrious packed lunch than that!

NerrSnerr · 03/08/2019 09:40

Mine has had a school dinner all year in reception. They get a choice of hot meal or sandwich. She occasionally comes home saying she hasn't eaten much but they have toast and fruit in the morning so she's not starving.

Youngandfree · 03/08/2019 09:43

Well for us it’s packed lunch as in rep of Ireland there’s no such thing as school dinners, so it’s a packed lunch or starve

Zinnia · 03/08/2019 14:23

School lunches always, mostly for time reasons (both DH & I work full time outside the home) but also to support the school (the fewer kids have school lunches, the lower the overall budget), to give the kids a hot meal and try to stop them being overly fussy. It takes time to make healthy packed lunches from scratch for less than the school meals cost and we just don't have it. They have packed lunches in the holidays and that's enough, frankly!

Vinorosso74 · 03/08/2019 21:14

School lunches. All primary aged kids in our borough get free lunches. DD is always hungry after school but she also is if she has a packed lunch for a trip.
She sometimes complains about the lunches but it is a faff organising packed lunches and it soon gets boring with what they can have each day too.

AtleastitsnotMonday · 04/08/2019 18:11

Have you had a look at some of the menus online? Usually on the school of county council website or if out sourced to a private company they should have a website.
Do you have to sign up to packed lunch or school dinners or is there an option of mixing and matching? Just depends on the school really.
I’d say If your dc is unlikely to be phased by unfamiliar dishes it’s worth a trial. If they are less confident maybe let them settle in first and then tackle lunches.

ritzbiscuits · 05/08/2019 16:08

My DS just finished reception and had school dinners. They're free and he gets a choice of a hot dinner, sandwich or jacket potato each day. He's very fussy and has a mix of ham sandwich or a few of the hot dinners he likes.

Once they start charging in KS2 he'll take packed lunches as I'll be able to offer him a better range of food than paying £2.20 per day for it.

ElstreeViaduct · 05/08/2019 18:01

Our default is school dinners. The convenience is worth it for us while juggling both our work and school. Partly the hassle factor in making them but also because if they have had a hot dinner at lunch, I can sometimes give them a sandwich and a few bits for tea and DH and I have readymeals, plus it's less washing up. I'm not too bothered about the stodge because the portion sizes are not enormous. At the moment DC get the choice and they mostly choose school dinners.

If we were to go down to a one income family then they'd be packed lunches every day, maybe school dinners Friday if they want.

happytoday73 · 05/08/2019 18:12

My default is school dinners. In reception Yr 1 and Yr 2 it's free in England.. So it's cheaper and less hassle than sandwiches.

I've found it makes them try new food in the long run. My school has two choices each day and a back up option of jacket potato with a range of filling options. My youngest picked jps 3x a week at first... But slowly increased options. A friend had same issue, was concerned so put child on packed lunches so not eating same food each day... She then sent in same packed lunch daily!

I like the fact they've had a hot meal in winter... It also means we don't always need a full meal every night which can sometimes be hard when life gets hectic.
At our school they will let you know if child struggles with school meals...

AllFourOfThem · 05/08/2019 18:19

School lunches. DD1 eats pretty much anything given to her in a childcare situation but is still quite fussy at home, so it means she has a better range. You can buy a packed lunch at her school rather than make one to send in, but I can’t see us ever choosing that option.

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 05/08/2019 18:20

Packed lunch at DS's request. He doesn't like it when his class is last to join the dinner queue.

drowningincustard · 05/08/2019 18:41

We are going for school dinners while they are free from a cost and time point of view... I'm unimpressed with the choices (we are veggie) but sticking with it as its easier for us as a time poor family. When older sister hits Yr 3 I suspect we will go with packed lunch. Little sister will be in reception and we will play it by ear as I suspect that the time and cost of a second packup will be minimal.

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