Too many snacks.

[Yoshi]

just found this on bbc news site and its seriously bad, a kid got taken out the lunch hall because he had one more snack in his lunchbox than the school allowed.  Who the hell gave the school the right to tell parents how to feed their children when the parents pay for it??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6049790.stm

[tomcat]

what is going on in this country it seems to me that this place is going to dissapeer up its own ar***le it makes my blood boil.dont get me started :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:
                        john t

[strapping young lad]

yes but on the other hand when you are given instructions on what the child is supposed to have as snacks, the school is trying after all to keep kids healthy not shove crud down their throats and encourage snacking.

what makes me more angry was seeing parents buying their kids maccy d's and pushing them trhough school fences cos they didnt want their kids eating healthily

flipping dumb folk  

[Yoshi]

SYL not quite true, its not wanting them to not eat healthy, its giving them the freedom of choice.  The school has no right to tell parents what to give their kids to eat.

[missroadrage]

I can understand both sides of this being a mum but it is proven that a high percentage of kids are obese - so are too many adults - would you want to encourage your kids to be overweight & unhealthy or struggle with their weight all there lives.

It is a fact that obesity or even just being overweight leads to higher risk of heart problems

[Yoshi]

But the point being missed here is the fact they enforced something that is not their place to enforce.  How would anyone like it if someone came into their home, told them their food exceeds a certain fat content and made you sit outside away from everyone else?  Thats what it is.

[drmike]

However, it does seem to be the case that many parents expect schools to undertake many aspects of the upbringing of their children which when I were a lad far too long ago was firmly the parents' responsibility.

Thus the school is caught between a rock and a hard place. I don't think what's been described sounds reasonable but again when I were a lad you certainly could take a packed lunch but no fizzy drinks mainly for practical reasons mind you.

If parents took more responsibility, gave their children more time and stopped bleating about not having time to do this that and the other then I'd hope the country might be a better place.

My oath I truly am a grumpy old git.

Mike

[steve howes]

i put a small mar's bar in my 5 yr old's lunch box about 2weeks ago and was called in to see the head master to explain to me and i quote ( its against the school's healthy eating policy )  so please don't do it again.  i was bl**dy furious how dare she tell me what to give my child to eat. made me feel like a naughty school boy.

[rollazuki]

Few schools locally have a NO CHOCOLATE policy.
I guess if the kids concentrate better, and dont have big sugar spikes and slumps when theyre supposed to be learning then its a reasonable idea.

[muddyjames]

So let me get this right. I am kinda confused.

The kid took one too many snacks in his lunch box and wasn't aloud to eat it in the dinner hall. He was removed and sat out side and supervised whilst eating his lunch.

This is the area I am confused with.  Eating his lunch in the dinner hall means the food is bad for him and has too many snacks, BUT as soon as he is supervised and out the dinner hall the food becomes healthy for him and doesn't get sugar highs etc?

A magical dinner hall then. They could make loads of money with that.

[simdeb]

has anybody seen the new school menus? as ,y 9 year old son says 'they're horrible, not very nice and don't get enough to eat'  my children get
2 slices of bread in their sandwich
1 cake
pop
1 packet of crisps
yougurt
chocalate bar

what makes me angry is that my kids only have these once a day at home we sit and ALL have a meal together.
i work in a school and seeing how much food gets thrown away that the kids don't like is quite scary they must be hungry in the afternnon. not to memtion kids coming into school without breakfast. i sooner my kids eat tham go hungry and get all the feelings that go with it.

[drmike]

Simdeb - I'm not sure what your point is? And I'm treading on eggshells as I really truly do not want to cause any offense I just want to put another point of view.

What's in the sandwich? There's no fruit in the lunch you describe and to be fair cake, pop, crisps and chocolate bar are all of questionable nutritional value. I'm no fusspot and have a chocolate bar in my lunch too but I also have salad in the sandwich (although that's to avoid calories!) and an apple.

Don't get me started on kids and breakfast. I used to walk to the office as some kids were going to school and breakfast for some was obviously crisps and or mars and or Coke. Holy bananas that ain't good.

It's damned hard being a parent and made no easier by others imposing the views on your kids.

Mike

[simdeb]

it depends what the kids want ham,cheese today put grapes and cherry tomatoes in their pack ups too but two ate the friut and two didn't like i said before we have a 'proper' dinner when they come home and we all can sit togther to eat which a lot of families don't. i don't buy bisuicts for home or crisps as the kids have them in their packed lunch's so my kids don't have 'that' stuff when they are at home but i can keep an eye on what they are eating fruit and veg wise at home.

[Horness]

The arguments fall on both sides, but why do we send our children to school?  Is it to eat healthy, or to get an education?

My 6 year old son came home hungry because the dinner ladies would not let him have the rest of his dinner (crisps, yogurt, cookie) until he'd eaten ALL of his sandwich, which he said he did not want.  They have also practically FORCED him to finish his dinner, when he has said he was full up, however they would not let him leave the table until it was all gone.

I make sure I send both my children to school with a varied meal which includes savoury, sweet and fruit.  If I want to take them to McDonalds, order a pizza, or shove a bowl of steamed vegetables on the table when we get home - that's MY choice.

I've written to the school about this, and over 2 weeks later had no reply.  

Bullying is rife (that's another issue for another topic!), the so called "full school" has recently taken on nearly a dozen eastern European children who do not speak a word of English, and tonight's parents evening was a complete waste of time, as when asked what good things my son had done this term, the teacher just ummed and ah'd, yet she was armed and ready with a list of "issues" which she felt were making her job difficult.

Once again, the completely clueless few cause absolute turmoil for the rest of us.

[Horness]

It gets worse...

I've just picked up my eldest, who handed me an envelope...

Inside was a letter, along with a "charter" explaining that my son, and a number of other children had been role playing "Army" games on the playground, which the school deems too violent, and could lead to possible injury.

Solution - the Headmaster has made them (these are 5 and 6 year olds remember) sign a charter saying that they will refrain from playing these types of games at school.

 :shock:

I'm almost speechless.

[thermidorthelobster]

I'm not sure crisps, chocolate etc are of questionable nutritional value.  It's pretty well accepted that crisps aren't really going to do you much good.

Horness, remember that your school is responsible for the safety of your children while they're there, and teachers don't expect to be given the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong.  When your head is standing in front of a court with the opposition barrister saying "so you let the children in your care play DANGEROUS WAR GAMES in the playground?" then he'll be wishing he'd written you a letter.  I can see why you think the letter is stupid, but from the school's point of view, they have to cover their backside.

I'm 2 months into a teacher training course, and if anybody thinks teaching is easy or that teachers are generally clueless, I suggest you try it.

[Horness]

if anybody thinks teaching is easy or that teachers are generally clueless

That's a blanket statement.  Your saying anyone who is a teacher cannot be clueless.  I beg to differ.  Not all, but the one's running this school are.

I agree - they should be encouraged to play safely, but a child can get hurt playing ANY game.  Running, football, "tig", etc.  
Role play in children is a good thing, and what should have been done was to make sure those people who are looking after the children in break/lunch times are stepping in when things start to get a bit rough.

Not ban it all together because the school is inadequate.

This is the school that also banned conkers if they were on string as they were seen as a "weapon".

Crazy world.

[att]

Crazy Country the UK.
The do gooders will not be satisfied until there is full scale rioting on the streets......It is coming.

[steve howes]

went to school yesterday morning with my 4 & 5 year old boys walking round the playground was a young women carrying a clipboard asking parents could she please look in there childs lunchbox to see what the child will be eating that day .I lost count how many time's she was told to p*ss off . i think she though she was jamie bl**dy oliver. BEWARE BIG BROTHER IS HERE .    PS SHE WAS NOT TAKING NAMES JUST CHECKING FOR THE EVIL CHOCOLATE .

[V8MoneyPit]

It's a fine balance between encouraging healthy eating (which is a perfectly good thing to do) and ruling with a rod of iron. As with all things in life, some people are better at drawing that balance than others.

I do think that some schools are run more like a concentration camp than a school, with power hungry staff who see the 'inmates' as something to be controlled rather than nurtured. This environment is not healthy (excuse the pun) for teachers or children. It is this approach that can spill over into the healthy eating area and end up with teachers wasting their valuable time checking lunch boxes.

Teachers should be doing what they are trained to do, teaching. Not having to patrol playgrounds looking for rogue chocolate! Healthy eating should be taught, not imposed.

[thermidorthelobster]

if anybody thinks teaching is easy or that teachers are generally clueless

That's a blanket statement.  Your saying anyone who is a teacher cannot be clueless.  I beg to differ.  Not all, but the one's running this school are.

Actually, that's exactly why I chose the words "if anybody" rather than "if you".  I'm not saying at all that a teacher cannot be clueless.  But on the other hand, there is a tendency to make blanket statements about teachers, not that I was saying in any way that you were.

[steve howes]

i totally agree with you steve , teachers should teach not worry about lunch boxes.  :lol: