How much lunch money do you give secondary DCs?

[TheScottishPlay]

DS starts secondary tomorrow. He wants to go to the local shop for lunch to begin with. I just wondered what the 'going rate' for lunch money is.

Will he be allowed off the school grounds? It's a complete no no at the school I work at.

Mine have to have school dinners or bring a packed lunch. Going out for lunch if for y11 and up (15/16 year olds)

Mine aren't allowed off site during the school day (apart from trips obviously). School dinners are £3 day ish plus a snack at break is another £1 ish. I top it up on parent pay and they use their swipe cards to pay.

They are allowed off school premises, yes.

S1s aren't allowed out of the grounds at ds' school (Shawlands).

He's just started S5 but from S1 onwards I've done a deal with him that he gets his "dinner money" (whatever the school dinner would cost), but he can make his own packed lunch with ingredients in the house and keep the money.

That had the added benefit of getting him to think healthily* in making his own lunch and* making sure he tidied up after himself in the kitchen.

Nowadays I'm quite remiss about giving him the lunch money (hence I don't know how much a school dinner is now ) but he gets reasonable pocket money and every so often I give him an extra fiver as I know he likes to go out to Spicy Hut or Subway for a treat on Fridays.

£4 per day for my DS2 and DD who both go to the local shops. School discourages leaving grounds for S1/S2 but that's never stopped any of my DCs. I upped it from £3 per day in January in the hope they might buy something more healthy but I suspect the extra £1 has just gone on more rubbish. Some of my DCs friends get less and some more or do a combination of bringing stuff from home and buying from local shops

What shops are nearby? A supermarket meal deal (drink, sandwich and snack) is about £3 but this depends on the supermarket.

Ds started getting £2 a day when he was in first year and that had went up to £3 by the time he left school last year. He was allowed off school premises from first year.

Ours get £3 per day, they can get plenty in school for that or a supermarket or subway meal deal if they go out.
We pay monthly plus small amount of pocket money into their bank accounts and like prettybird if they take packed lunches can keep the money.
DD1 mostly takes her lunch and saves her money, while DD2 usually buys lunch as that's what her friends do.

Mine take £5 per week and can ask for a top up if needed. Dd often walks to the bakers or Tesco and ds goes to the bakers or stays in school.

At school a panini or a pot of pasta is £1 so we do get good food for decent prices and both drink water.

Mine take a packed lunch and have done since S1, they are now S5 and S4. Technically they are allowed out but there isn't really anywhere to go, if you run really fast and get served straight away then it's just possible to go to Tesco.saves money and stops them buying crap :)

I think how much to give depends on what shops are available, I hear from friends that a lot of places do special lunchtime deals for kids, even the likes of dominoes Tec.

The local shop sounds like an adult idea, expensive with most likely unhealthy choices.

I'm surprised they are allowed to leave the premises at lunchtime. No secondary schools round here allow it. I just top up DD's "finger" via Parentpay every now and again.

Are you absolutely sure that year 7s are allowed out at lunchtime?

Andnowits . Rather unnecessary, judgemental and wrong. School hols getting to you?
Thanks everyone else. They definitely get out. Small town. Shopkeepers rely on the lunchtime trade possibly.

They aren't year 7 though, S1 isn't the same. S1s will be at least 11 and a half. I agree with you though, a lot of schools don't allow S1 out either,

• bad idea not adult idea. No I love my dc being off school It's not great though is it sending an 11/12 year old to the local shop to buy school lunch.

More judgement.

Although S1 and Y7 are both the first year of secondary school, S1 is more closely aligned to Y8: the youngest kids will be 11.5 and some will be close to 12.5 if they deferred entry.

We have 7 years at primary in Scotland, followed by up to 6 years at secondary.

Having said that, there are some schools (like ds' one) which don't allow the S1 pupils off the premises. There isn't the room in the social/canteen area to force more of them to stay although Cordia did try to put forward a proposal making all kids stay in school

I send my S3 dd with £10 a week, she takes a bottle of water and a small treat from the house. (When she remembers) She also has plenty of money on her parent pay if she decides to stay at school.

I give my DS (just starting S2) £10 a week, he goes to the local shop for lunch. He also takes a piece of fruit and water for during the day.......okay I'd like him to take fruit but really its a sweetie and water.

Mine started off wanting to be all grown up and go to the shops. Until the first pouring wet day when he requested a packed lunch from then on.

It will be a rare teenager that buys a balanced mealdeal with their £3. A full tray of doughnuts can be had at Asda for around a pound, and a bottle of irn bru to wash it down. I see them having this for breakfast sometimes at school. I would suggest checking out the local shop for yourself - is there anything other than snack food available there?
I ate two bars of chocolate for lunch myself for a year (till my dm cottoned on) so it's not a new thing!

I gave my dc £2.50 a day each. There was no shop near the school so they did spend it in the school canteen. The youngest left six years ago

£3 a day and a bottle of tap water, or a packed lunch.

Lots of our local shops sell sandwiches, samosas, baguettes, wraps etc that are cheaper than the secondary school canteen's endless servings of burgers and chips / cookies.

Canteen food at secondary is very different from food at primary.