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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 Dinners or Packed Lunch?

57 replies

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 10:52

What is the norm for reception school children, when they first start?

DD really wants a lunch box to take with her!

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Clary · 10/05/2010 11:14

It varies from school to school tbh.

I know of schools where a child on packed lunch is the odd one out - and vbice versa!

At our school FWIW (not a lot as I don't imagine it will be your school ) it's about half and half.

I do school dinners as I cannot face the grief of prepping 3 packed lunches every morning and more to the point, the extra shopping involved!

Original poster

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 11:16

So should we start with school dinners and see what the consensus is at school then change if needed? What about DDs lunch box?!

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Tryharder · 10/05/2010 11:21

It's 50 - 50 at my son's school as well. DS1 initially took a packed lunch but then had the school Xmas lunch and was so impressed with it (!) that he decided he wanted school dinners from then on. He's taken a packed lunch since then from time to time but on the whole prefers the school dinners.

I think they are quite good value, actually, menu seems lovely, very varied and healthy whereas the packed lunch got a bit samey.

There's no reason why you cannot chop and change though. I agree with Clary though, school dinners are definitely the way to go if you want an easier life. You will probably find that your DD wants to sit with her friends and that may well affect her choice.

Tryharder · 10/05/2010 11:23

Pavlov, if your DD wants a packed lunch, then let her take one. She will soon let you know if she's not happy.

Clary · 10/05/2010 11:24

I would ask at school what most people do in case there is a massive swing one way or another.

Probably actually more like the election tho and a bit of a hung parliamtn

sfxmum · 10/05/2010 11:25

I started with lunchbox partly because dd can be picky partly because the feedback about school lunches was not great

but dd fought me on this and by half term of second term she was on school lunches which she assures me she likes

although I know she does not always eat it but it was the same with packed lunch
regarding percentage of take up it seems to be about 50/50

Original poster

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 11:27

Yes, I think she will want to sit with her friends, and when she first starts, she will want to sit with the majority, rather than on her own. Which is why I am wondering what the norm is, so she is not on her own for the first few days/weeks while we find out what other children do.

She wants a lunch box, not sure she has any clue that it might actually contain her lunch! She is only 3.10 bless. She will be 4.2 when she goes to school .

We have a parents evening next week, I shall make sure I bring it up then! Not sure it is the most serious thing to be concerned about, DH thinks I am nuts, but I hate the thought of my little girl tucking into her cheese sarnies all by herself, or picking at her cottage pie on her own

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meltedmarsbars · 10/05/2010 11:29

Mine have had school dinners every day at primary umless there's a special trip out or a special "whole-school healthy packed lunch" day.

It teaches them to eat food prepared by someone else.

It teaches them that home cooking is delicious!

It varied their diet - school dinners contain things I would never cook.

It means I never have that mad panic of "there's no bread/cheese/ham/tomatoes in the mornings.

It saves me valuable coffee-drinking time in the morning.

Having said all that, dd1 now has a packed lunch at secondary school because she found the queues too intimidating and Dd2 has a pack-up of Ketocal, Polycal and Protifar mix in 120ml bottles which I mix up every day.

meltedmarsbars · 10/05/2010 11:30

School will deffo talk about lunches at teh parents intro - the first term is all about settling in, after all!

Francagoestohollywood · 10/05/2010 11:31

Ds chose school dinners, as he prefers hot food to than sandwiches.

DramaInPyjamas · 10/05/2010 11:32

It's 50/50 here as well. DS is a packed lunch some days and school dinner others, depending on what the menu is (not sure about other schools, but we get a monthly menu home)
DS loves that he can sit and spend time with either packed lunch or school dinner friends.

lal123 · 10/05/2010 11:33

in our primary school we get the terms menu beforehand so kids can decide which days they want school dinner and when they want to take packed lunches. Most of the time DD takes dinner at school

Original poster

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 11:34

melted oh will they! good. I am so nervous. I know she will be fine. She is a very sociable girl and she loves learning and she keeps asking when she is going to Big School (she is at pre-school now). But sometimes she takes herself off on her own and I would hate that this happens at lunch time. I had packed lunches at school because I was a socio-phobe and wanted everyone to leave me alone. I made myself have school dinners just to be more sociable as that was when many children got together, ate together then hung out for the rest of play. I don't want DD to be like me!

I am over analysing this aren't i ?

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Original poster

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 11:35

lal oh yes, when we took DD around for a viewing, the headteacher explained to us that those eating dinners get a pre-planned menu to choose from. I did not ask her then about how many eat them. I should have.

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sfxmum · 10/05/2010 11:37

dd was about the same age
don't think you are over thinking it imo it is quite a big deal but schools tend to be supportive, dd really wanted packed lunches to start with but I think she was so used to home cooked lunches she soon changed

FiveOrangePips · 10/05/2010 11:39

Can you go and try school dinner with your dd? I did this as part of the induction week for ds - the food was disgusting and when ds asked for an orange instead of the dodgy desert - they said they didn't have any, so ds didn't get pudding! It cost £1.90 and I couldn't eat my spaghetti, I felt sick all day after it, it had globules of stringy cheese in it, with some tinned tomatoes and slightly grey-ish peas - I didn't get desert.

DS had three tiny little bits of chicken with three very small broccoli florets and a bit of dry bread and water, not exactly sustaining! He did eat it - they are not getting the bread any more due to the cutbacks of the council in spending. M

FiveOrangePips · 10/05/2010 11:40

dessert

annmar · 10/05/2010 11:43

DD1 started on School Dinners and was happy with this until Christmas of Y1 when she asked if she could take a packed lunch.
Now (still Y1) she has a mixture of both.

It might depend how flexible the school are. We pay for school dinners on a weekly basis, so DD1 decides on a Sunday what she will eat for the week. Some weeks she has school dinners everyday, some weeks she has a packed lunch every day and some weeks she has a mixture.

BooKangaWonders · 10/05/2010 11:43

OUr school dinners are very good and we do get the menu in advance. Both dh and I have had the 'intro' lunch with the dc before they start, and it was fine. (getting on a tiny bench in a skirt while trying to keep up a conversation with the head teacher was quite another matter!)

One thing to note is that we have to give half a term's notice when changing from packed to school or vice verse (might be because a very small school). You might want to check before signing up for anything.

Original poster

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 11:44

fiveorangepips Bleurgh! that is gross!

I had school dinners, many moons ago. And I loved it in primary school! Not in secondary school though. We queued up and had a choice of two or three different things and we walked along. I loved meat crumble and smash type mash! and span fritters! Oh they were tasty. I am sure they wont be serving that grease fest anymore! Oh and pudding.... even now, I like to reminisce and have sponge pudding with jam/coconut and custard, prunes and custard. DH thinks I am gross

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Original poster

Pavlov · 10/05/2010 11:45

boo oh that is worth knowing, I will ask, as this is a tiny school too. 157 children this year.

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Clary · 10/05/2010 11:48

pavlov you are very good to be thinking about this. Dinners (and toilets) are what new DC at school get most stressed about.

Our school dinners are yummy, parents often go in to try one (on a special day).

At our school you have to give notice to change and you can't swap about within the week either, but I know from previous MN threads that you certainly can with some schools.

lilmissmummy · 10/05/2010 11:48

Mine have school dinners in the Autumn and Winter term and packed lunches in the Spring. Our school dinners are fantastic, they have a choice of 3/4 foods and 3/4 puddings! They get their menu a week in advance.

Ours is a small school 70 children in total (aged 4-11) and it is done on a week by week basis.

lilmissmummy · 10/05/2010 11:50

Also with regards to sitting together at our school they all sit together, packed lunches and school dinners in their year groups.

veritythebrave · 10/05/2010 11:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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