Changing from school dinners to packed lunch without giving any notice

[dinny]

ie. tomorrow dd going to take a packed lunch

we are supposed to do it term by term at our school, but the lunches have gone RUBBISH during the last quarter of the summer term after being good previously and am not happy with her eating them

what can I say when I inform scary school secretary tomorrow am (first day back)

Pathetic as it sounds, she terrifies me!

Well, at the start of a new term, (particularly a new year) I think it's expected that some people's circumstances will have altered and so there'll be some changes. Our newsletter today just re-iterated that you can't change from one to the other mid-term, because of the kitchen bulk-buying in advance etc... People still do, however.

what can I say, Intolerant??? - that we aren't happy with the shit they are serving? I did speak to them 3 times last term about them serving chips apparantly every fecking day (there's no choice at ours, just one meal)

You don't have to give any explanation. Just say (or write a note, if you're not feeling brave enough!) saying that dd will be having packed lunches this term with immediate effect. It's not as if you've signed any legally-binding document.

I know, Clam! I am such a wuss (also preggers and ridiculously hormonal and drippy)

right, will screw my courage to the sticking place tomorrow.....

We are allowed to change on a week by week basis. All they do ask is that we have a full week - i.e. no having pack lunch mon, school dinner tues, pack lunch weds thurs.... you get the picture!

we blamed dd's whims... " Mrs Scary Secretary S doesn't want dinners any more, we really did try to convince her but, to no avail" The little sod dobbed us in later, so prime/bribe/blackmail her first.

Our school office get narked when people change without informing them. So they send a bill for lunches unpaid for, and the parents get narky back and say, "but they've been having sandwiches for weeks." But the kitchen didn't know, and have been providing (and paying for) meals that have gone uneaten, unbeknownst to anyone. So the school loses out financially. At least you'll be telling them your plans. And don't let some arsey woman in the office scare you into paying for something you don't want. Do you really want to pay out a couple of hundred quid just so you don't have her glare at you? Go on, take her on!

A the state school my younger kids go to, you are meant to pay in advance, at the minimum at the beginning of the week. Presumably, if you don't pay, you don't get a meal.

Which is great. Because you don't want a meal. DD will be having a packed lunch! Sorted.

Our junior school is fab - we choose each day and the child registers and pays in the morning if they want school lunch.

We prepay online, so I make a payment for a few weeks worth of lunches and it's electronically deducted each day. But because it's quite a big school, they like to know that x pupils will be having lunches that week so that the canteen can cater accordingly.