Schoollunch

[Lunchlady]

I would like to ask a question.I know a lady from the UK and she says her schools don't have lunch ladies.She said that all the children eat free so no cashier is needed. Please tell me about your school lunch policy. Thanks.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

If the children want a cooked lunch they have to pay for it, currently £1.65 in my sons school, they have a number of cooked items with dessert and a drink, they can choose a jacket potato or a salad. A lot of children on certain benefits get their lunches free but it is arranged in the classroom or school office on a Monday morning which days of the week the child want a school lunch. Alternatively, some children take a packed lunchbox from home sometimes containing a reasonable selection of healthy foods often crisps and chocolate bars and other unhealthy foods are in there! I've seen them as I used to be a 'dinner lady' (playground supervisor).

 

[emily1982]

The school i work at has dinner ladies, serving staff and a cashier. Some children do get free meals, it's normally based on their parents earnings or living situations, but the rest pay, unless they bring their own packed lunches.

 

[wifey]

School dinners at Ds's school are £1.80 a day The menu choices are very limited and they wonder why the kids are not keen to eat them We looked at the rotation of food choices for 6 weeks and there was very little Ds would eat and I'm not paying that much to provide a packed lunch full of good nutritious food each day. The only children up here who get free meals are those whose families are unemployed and on benefits and they have to fill in forms in advance of the start of each term to get those meals for the kids so that the school can check that they qualify for free school dinners. Up here they call the dinner ladies "Dinner Nannies" not sure why All school dinners must be payed for at the beginning of each week to the teacher or main school office and they want 2 weeks notice if a child wants to change to packed lunches!!

 

[DisneyJo]

The same as everyone else has said but regarding packed lunches our school has a healthy eating policy so no cakes, cookies, crisps (chips), etc except on a Friday. Oh and no fizzy drinks at all!

 

[Lunchlady]

Thanks for all your answers. I knew you could help!

 

[hildasmuriel]

Just to put in my two-pennorth...
at our primary school the children pay £1.54 and have a choice of a meat based meal, fish based, veggie based or a salad. The menu rotates over 3 weeks. The only children who recieve free meals are those whose parents get benefit and have proved their entitlement to the school office.
Actually very few children eat the meat based dish at it is not usually made from halal meat so most children at our school can't have it. The majority of children bring a packed lunch.

 

[wideeyes]

My dd lunches cost 8.75 a week and I send the money in every Monday in an envelope.

At secondary school where I went and my sister still goes you pay a dinner lady at a cash machine. students who have free lunches are given a pass to show the cashier.

 

[Queenie]

Just adding another option in here. I went to a private (fee paying) secondary school. At that school the parents would pay a set amount per term in advance (I think it's around £100 now), that way none of the pupils had to carry money into the school. My school didn't allow packed lunches so you didn't have that split. We had no dinner ladies but teachers kept an eye out as they wandered over the site.

 

[Haworthfamily]

DD's school lunches cost £1.45 and the school follows Jamie Oliver school meal plan.
No crisps, choclate bars or cakes are allowed for break time, only fruit or cereal bars but on Friday chips are served for hot dinners and they cna have whatever snack they like.

 

[Laurafoster]

My school had fab school dinners but you paid for what you wanted - which usually meant most people went for the chips!