Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Feeling shocked!

31 replies

friendlyedjit · 05/10/2007 21:18

Feeling slightly shocked- recent new rule seems to have appeared in dd's infant school.
The children with packed lunches have them in a sort of log cabin and are not allowed to speak!!
The children who have school dinners go to the hall and are allowed to speak albeit in quiet fashion- which is acceptable.
I'm all right Jack as my 2 love school dinners.
Don't you think that eating should be more than just about a quick shovel shovel and out to play. That encouraging conversation with food has just got to be a good thing, and this all sounds so negative.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

chankins · 05/10/2007 21:20

Does sound a bit scary! Personally I think chatting while eating is fine. Why on earth are the ones in the hall allowed to and th eones in the log cabin aren't ? Weird!

Hulababy · 05/10/2007 21:21

I agree. Lucnch should be a social occasion, with children chatting (albeit sensible) and enjoying their food.

At DD's school the girls sit in little family groups of about 8, with a member of staff per table - and they are encouraged to talk to one another, pass each other things if required, and eat together. All very pleasant.

feetheart · 05/10/2007 21:22

Sounds terrible. All mealtimes should be social occasions. How on earth do they enforce the 'no talking' rule?

Original poster

friendlyedjit · 05/10/2007 21:24

I'm told that if they speak they miss playtime..what a way to screw up any childs relationship with food and speech!

OP posts:

TheArmadillo · 05/10/2007 21:26

When I was at (senior) school pack lunches had to eat their dinner outside. Whatever the weather - even in the snow/rain whatever. We weren't allowed inside at lunchtime.

But we were allowed to talk - that seems very odd and almost impossible to acheive if there are a quite a few of them in the cabin.

Have they given any reason for it?

Original poster

friendlyedjit · 05/10/2007 21:26

I need to speak to someone at the school. This can't possibly be agood thing for any of the children, and need to make sure that these what I've been told is entirely true.

OP posts:

Original poster

friendlyedjit · 05/10/2007 21:27

It sounds almost so weird it has too be true!

OP posts:

TheArmadillo · 05/10/2007 21:27

Banning playtime is ridiculous as a punishment especially for primary aged kids. LEads to more bad behaviour imo not less as kids who haven't had a good runabout are too hyped up/full of energy in the afternoon.

hippipotami · 05/10/2007 21:28

That sounds absolutely awful! At my dd's infant school they have just done the complete opposite.
They have replaced the rectangular tables with round ones - each table seats 8 children. All the tables have tablecloths, a wooden box with napkins, and a centrepiece containing a piece of fruit (children sit in fruit groups)
Lunchbox children sit with hot-dinner children. All children have porcelain plates and metal cutlery. Lunchbox children have to put the contents of the lunchbox onto the plate.
Each child has a glass and on the table is a pitcher of water for the children to help themselves (this inlcudes lunch box children and we have been asked NOT to include a drink in the lunchbox). The children are encouraged to use good table manners and chat amongst themselves.
Every Friday is 'Celebration Friday' where one parent from each class is invited to take lunch with the children (today was my turn)
It is absolutely wonderul!

And no, this is not a private school, but our local, brilliant LEA infant school.

feetheart · 05/10/2007 21:28

It sounds TERRIBLE. I really hope its not true.

wheresthehamster · 05/10/2007 21:29

If a child told you this then definitely find out first if it is true

Original poster

friendlyedjit · 05/10/2007 21:32

absolutely The armadillo. Would seem much more sensible to give awards out for those who could eat and converse nicely. Rather than a punishment for "speech". I want my children to be able to converse and enjoy chatting and eating.
I think they are almost inextricably linked.

OP posts:

feetheart · 05/10/2007 21:33

hippipotami - now that sounds brilliant.
DD has only just started Reception and we are going to be invited in for a meal soon - can't wait though they might be hard pressed to live up to your school

Original poster

friendlyedjit · 05/10/2007 21:37

Hippipotami that sounds fab.

No not another child, but parent of child who also works at the school.
But agree need to find out whether chinese whispers being played and get all facts etc. As I said in OP my lot for the time being love their school dinners so we're not directly affected but if this is completely true it is soo unhealthy, and surprising as the infant school in all other respects has been excellent for my children.

OP posts:

Majorca · 05/10/2007 21:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cadelaide · 05/10/2007 21:45

This is what happens at dd's infant school.
Apparently the idea is to rush them through asap, if they talk it takes longer.
Actually, it seems to me the whole day is rush,rush,rush from the minute they arrive in the morning.

cadelaide · 05/10/2007 21:49

....and now I'm seething about it again. It seems to be all pen-and-paper shite and SATS, what happened to manners and socialising and all that stuff?

Now i find i'm cross and inarticulate.
Time for wine.

hippipotami · 06/10/2007 08:52

Each yeargroup in our school have half an hour to eat their meal. For most that is long enough. But if there are a few left behind when the half hour is up, they are all moved onto one table together and stay and eat whilst the next yeargroup comes in for their session. The reception class has lunch from 12 till 12.30, but then playtime does not finish until 1.00, so there is still time to run around even for the slowest of eaters!

I thought this was standard, I did not realise it varied from school to school

GrapefruitMoon · 06/10/2007 08:59

All schools are different - at ours the whole class eats together regardless of whether they are having school meal or packed lunch - but in the summer time those having packed lunches are allowed to eat outside if they want. Another school close by makes all those having packed lunches wait and eat only when those having school dinners are finished....

Some schools do seem to almost discriminate against those having packed lunches - odd really because afaik the school doesn't benefit from the school dinners...

hippipotami · 06/10/2007 09:05

I did notice yesterday that those with cooked dinners received a sticker if they ate it all, but those with lunchboxes did not receive a sticker despite eating it all.

I have to say, I tried the school dinner yesterday and was not really impressed. [slight shudder emoticon]

miljee · 06/10/2007 11:30

I believe schools are almost pressurised by perhaps the government or the ed authority to get as many kids as possible eating school meals- there seems to be a bit of a thing about 'Healthy Eating Awards' that the schools have to strive for and that includes 'proving' how many delighted DCs choose marvellous, healthy school dinner over sandwiches from home... Also, perhaps the economy of scale comes into play- the more kids eating it, the cheaper the raw ingredients bill? Our schools try very hard to coax us into school meals but some schools may be trying, essentially by 'force', making the sandwich option unattractive so the kids themselves will choose school meals?

It DOES seem that there is a real government policy afoot trying to get the schools to sort out the obesity 'crisis' and controlling what the kids eat in school is part of this.

hippipotOFBLOODami · 06/10/2007 13:09

But take yesterdays school dinner. I was one of the parents invited to eat with the children and I chose school dinner. I had savoury mince - which was chewy minced beef and onions in a bisto style gravy - not too nice. New potatoes - fine. Sweetcorn and green beans - very healthy and tasty. So that was okay. For pud was a oaty biscuit - a bit dry and tasteless. And a fruit smoothie - I expected a lot from this one but it was the tiniest portion, inside a sealed plastic cup, mady by Calypso (them of ghastly artificial drinks fame). The smoothy was also so very very sweet and tasted artificial.

I appreciate school dinners are great for those who do not have a home-cooked meal in the evening, but in the case of my dd (and many of my friend's dc) we have a healthy cooked meal for which the whole family sit down together. So it does irk me when she does not get a sticker despite eating all of her healthy packed lunch beautifully!

tiredemma · 06/10/2007 13:11

Thats very odd. Slightly Dickensian- why can't they chat sensibly???

eating together is a social skill, surely the school must see this.

Bizarre.

tiredemma · 06/10/2007 13:13

Forgot to add- our school meals are FANTASTIC. Such a lot of variety (ds1 often complains as he cant choose what to eat out of all the choices)

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 06/10/2007 13:17

Our school awards a good manners sticker to children who interact sensibly and behave nicely at lunch (sandwiches or dinners- there's no limit to the number of stickers) and I think that's far mroe positive.

They do have to get 4 sitting through in an hour (share dining facillities with Junior School, so reception- yr 1/2- yr 3/4 yr 5/6) and that's a bit sad as ds's often end up bringing ahlf their food hom having run out of time, tbh i am encouraging Dinners anyway atm as it gets colder. Sandwiches fine in summer.

Flip

1 2