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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Stand and eat

24 replies

FlyingLoo · 04/09/2020 10:38

Hi, so I’ve received an email about school starting next week and one of the rules is lunch will have to be eaten standing up? What do others think about this? I’m really quite annoyed about it, high school is going to be a big change and it sounds like it’s going to be no fun at all.

OP posts:

Babs709 · 04/09/2020 10:39

What on Earth is the benefit of this? Sounds awful to me! I wouldn’t want to eat lunch standing.

Original poster

FlyingLoo · 04/09/2020 10:43

I have no ideaam waiting to hear back from school but just wanted some other opinions

OP posts:

Butternutsqoosh · 04/09/2020 10:46

Mine have to eat outside on the front lawn and lunch is at 11 🥺

ShakeaHettyFeather · 04/09/2020 10:49

Ours are eating in classrooms rather than being able to eat in the grounds, which is understandable as part of keeping year groups apart.

I wouldn't like the standing up idea - where are they doing it?

Original poster

FlyingLoo · 04/09/2020 10:51

@Butternutsqoosh that is early ! And what if the weather is bad? I’m not exactly happy with timing of lunch either.....year 7 staring at 8.30 and lunch at 1.15.

OP posts:

Comefromaway · 04/09/2020 10:54

My son's girlfriend had to eat her lunch outside in a torrential downpour on Wednesday.

Original poster

FlyingLoo · 04/09/2020 10:56

@ShakeaHettyFeather yes I wouldn’t mind so much if they could have it at their desks, at least they’d be comfortable. I think in the lunch hall.....as I said I’m waiting to hear back from school but it said lunch menus were reduced as lunch would be eaten standing up.

OP posts:

AliMonkey · 04/09/2020 10:56

Agree standing up unreasonable but 8.30 start with 1.15 lunch is perfectly normal (in fact at DD’s school if you were third lunch sitting it was 8.25 start 1.40 lunch).

Original poster

FlyingLoo · 04/09/2020 10:58

@Comefromaway that’s dreadful! Is this the school that were in the paper and said they were “caught unawares” but will be implementing a plan for when weather is bad?

OP posts:

WeAllHaveWings · 04/09/2020 11:09

[quote FlyingLoo]@Butternutsqoosh that is early ! And what if the weather is bad? I’m not exactly happy with timing of lunch either.....year 7 staring at 8.30 and lunch at 1.15.[/quote]
ds's school have similar timings, do they not have a break? ds has a break at 11:20 where he eats a couple of wraps with meat/salad to see him through to lunch.

bravefox · 04/09/2020 12:32

Sounds pretty bad, but there's a lot of stuff schools have had to put into place which is not ideal, both for staff and kids. I very much doubt they will have taken such a decision lightly.

Wolfiefan · 04/09/2020 12:35

I can’t see an issue with this. They can’t use the classrooms. Who would supervise and clean up afterwards? The kids will be sitting down for lessons. They should be able to manage standing up to eat a sandwich.
Schools are in an impossible situation at the moment. They aren’t set up to enable social distancing yet kids are still expected to be in school.

Comefromaway · 04/09/2020 12:36

[quote FlyingLoo]@Comefromaway that’s dreadful! Is this the school that were in the paper and said they were “caught unawares” but will be implementing a plan for when weather is bad?[/quote]
I've just googled it and no, it's a different school.

raspberryrippleicecream · 04/09/2020 13:17

DS2's school has created Di I g halls for each year group bubbles by using the sports hall and performance hall and staggering lunch times. PE is only happening in good weather this term!

cricketballs3 · 04/09/2020 18:12

As a school we can't win with anything atm - if they are in a classroom all day including lunch then we get complaints. If they go outside to their bubble space for lunch who is going to fund the new furniture to enable them to sit? If they are having lunch in a different space indoors then how is cleaning being done? If another year group needs to use that space as well when is everyone going to have their lunch break?

As school staff have been saying for weeks (and keep getting told we are work shy lefties) having a covid safe school is impossible, having a covid safe school will please some, anger a lot.

We have not received any extra funding or magically been able to create more space, time or staff so we are having to work with what we have

AdelaidePlace · 04/09/2020 19:05

Keep finding fault with the actions that schools have put in place to try and keep your children as safe as possible and we'll end up with closure. They are doing their best in really difficult circumstances without any real government support.

Standing up for lunch or ill with COVID.....🤔🤔🤔

ShawshanksRedemption · 04/09/2020 21:11

Is it annoying? Yes. But it's what some schools have to put in place as part for their risk assessment to comply with covid guidelines. If children sit to eat, then afterwards that seat and table would have to be cleaned before anyone else sat there. It may be that with the times and staff available this is not possible. Perhaps ask the school why this has been implemented.

Believe you me, as someone who works in a school and having to also cope alongside the pupils with these changes, there's nothing I'd like more than to get back to normal. But we can't, there's a bloody pandemic, and things have changed for now.

BostonCalling · 04/09/2020 21:52

I would have an issue with year 10 and 11 being expected to stand for lunch but I think it’s perfectly acceptable for younger age groups.

DIKateFleming · 04/09/2020 21:59

DD has just started yr 7, and they have the same. I’ve no idea why someone thinks there’s an issue with yr 10 and 11 standing for lunch, but not younger years. I know schools are in a tough situation, but it’s not good. At DD’s school they’ve been told they’ll be eating in the class room when it rains. They’ve also been told off for sitting on the ground and eating.

Lunch is in 2 sittings, you’s hope they’d be able to find some spaces such as canteen/ sports hall/ main hall to be able to have lunch. Give each child spray and wipes and make them wipe their own spaces, which they’ve done when they change classes

BostonCalling · 04/09/2020 22:53

@DIKateFleming

Tbh year 7 pupils are 11 or 12 years old. 11 year olds having to stand and eat their sandwiches is not a big issue.

Year 10 and 11s are more mature though and will want to sit and chat at lunchtime, so I’d not be happy if they didn’t have chairs and tables.

borntobequiet · 05/09/2020 08:36

11 and 12 year olds don’t want (or need) to sit and chat? Poor things.
Many schools are doing their best to manage an unmanageable situation and implement guidance that is fundamentally contradictory and dishonest. The comfort of their pupils will be way down the list of priorities, as long as they tick all the boxes on their profoundly misleading risk assessment. If anyone gets ill, it won’t be the school’s fault because “guidelines”. I’m in FE, and if anything, it’s worse.

Noodledoodledoo · 05/09/2020 12:05

I will say in my 12 years of teaching at two secondary schools I will say about 50-75% of students don't sit in the canteen/dining hall for lunch and do eat moving around. This would have been by choice before the last 3 days.

MissScarletInTheSnug · 05/09/2020 12:15

I think it is what schools are having to do to keep the bubbles separate.

Our canteen is now closed to sixth formers and staff and each year bubble has a ten minute slot to do a grab and go purchase with cleaning in between, only year 7 are allowed to sit and eat in there.

There have been years of under funding in schools and they just dont have the space, facilities or money to make it all Covid safe without comprimising somewhere.

MarchingFrogs · 05/09/2020 12:26

If the standing is being done in the lunch hall, then presumably having no chairs and tables to wipe in between means that the school can allow everyone at least to eat inside, with only the floor to sweep / mop at the end of the process? It's one way of doing it, I suppose. DS2's school have done it the other way round, with food having to be taken away to the group's 'designated area' immediately on purchase. I haven't quizzed him on this yet, as he is on sixth form and has relatively few full days in school on their new timetable.

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