# Angry and frustrated



## Lorna (Apr 8, 2004)

I am so furious with the school. They have introdiced a policy of only allowing fruit and veg to be eaten at breaktime.

I have a 6 year old, that doesn't like eating breakfast. It is a real struggle to get some food into him,before he goes to school. He would happily eat a bowl of cereal and yogurt at 9.30am, but before that he just isn't hungry.

I sent him in, with a carrot and parsnip cake, which the school will not let him eat. He felt so pressured he threw it away. Yes I can send him in with fruit, but in order to get his blood sugar up, he needs to eat a fruit bowl, not one piece of fruit. And the trouble with twin1 is that if he doesn't eat, he loses the ability to think. He can't concentrate so he isn't learning. And the other thing is, when his blood sugar drops, he gets upset easily, and lashes out. He has hit me before now, quite hard, but as soon as I feed him, his blood sugar rises, and he is full of remorse.

It is like light switch with him. Low blood sugar, and he is a monster, feed him, and he is a delightful little boy.

I have tried to talking to the headmaster, but got nowhere. The school governors are just implementing national policy, and our school is way behind. So how many other kids are suffering like my boy? I get told "They behave better when they eat better." I provide, carrot/apple/parsnip cake, just a couple of bites and it is gone. And I make the snacks myself. And I think, that children who don't eat anything, are going to find it difficult to concentrate, and their education will suffer. 
Twin2 would rather die of starvation, than eat anything he didn't like. He has has a will of iron, that can easily outlast me. Believe me I have tried. And if twin2 is not eating anything, he isn't going to be doing his best at school.

I am getting so frustrated. I am going to continue to send in cake, and dried fruit, but dried fruit alone, IMO, is not enough.

My twins have school dinners, and twin1 eats the fruit provided by the school. So I back the school up, on the rest of its policy on healthy eating, but at snack time, I want my children to eat a something more than fruit. IMO. fruit alone is not a balanced snack.

I am going to have to write a letter to the chair of the school governors, but I don't hold out much hope.

Any ideas, what I can do?

Lorna

PS I feel very strongly about this. They are **MY** children, and I want what is best for them. And a parsnip and carrot cake at snack time , IMO, is what is best for them.


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## honneybee (Feb 21, 2007)

Hi Lorna

I can relate to what you are saying   I got hauled in and told off and then made to open my dd lunch box all because I made her ham and lettuce sandwiches with white bread not rye bread, we can only put in fruit veg and sandwich, I have calcium probs with my dd and I was providing her with those yakult drinks as she doesn't have milk or cheese and was told she was not allowed them, she has never had milk even from a baby and it is hard to find things they can manage (she has projectile vomiting with dairy things, 


if it is medically then you really must insist, (go to your dr if that helps) or maybe suggest that twin 1 gets to eat this cereal bowl in the staff room or supervised elsewhere away from the other children, it is not the case of special tx but certain dietry needs are given a different policy? is he diagnosed?

can't really help hun but didn't want to read and leave, I meet my dd and give her the drinks at lunch or I come in at break, but we are allowed to do this.

mitch
xx


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## Damelottie (Jul 26, 2005)

I really hope you get this sorted.
Its way way over the top - hauling people in for using the 'wrong' type of bread.

Education is great but its become out of control imo.
My best friend is having the same problem with her twins. She sent them in with carrot cake once and all hell let lose! A balanced diets includes fats etc as far as I'm aware.

I'm just like your son actually - if anybody tried to get food down me before 9.30am there'd be a nasty mess! 

Love

Emma x


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## Lorna (Apr 8, 2004)

Thanks for your support

The thing is I have been sending them in with dried fruit *and* a cake, or a tomato or cucumber *and* a cake, or something on the list *and* a cake since the beginning of the year.  Dried fruit, a piece of fruit, or a piece of veg on its own, is *not* enough.  They need something extra.
They had an experiment in the Autumn term with this policy, and IMO, it was a disaster for my two.  

By the way, I make and dry my own fruit, so there are no preservatives in my stuff.

What annoys me is that they still allow the cake sales, in order to raise funds for the school.  So people bring in Chocolate cakes, or homemade iced biscuits, or parents even go to the shops and buy cakes, so that they can be sold, to make money for the school.

Lorna


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## Damelottie (Jul 26, 2005)

I really do hope they listen to you.

It just sounds like a good balanced diet to me. I don't think just fruits and veggies are enough. 

That is unbelievable about the cake sales. Somewhat hypocritical


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## Lorna (Apr 8, 2004)

I was beginning to feel a lot calmer, well just until the school sent out their parental contact letter, explaining how well, the fruit, vegetable and dried fruit policy is going.

I have waded through a couple of hundred pages of documents, so I appreciate, just how hard it is for the governors to set a policy. I am writing a letter to the governors. On version 2 at the moment, and I suspect it will go to version 10 or more.

The approach I am going to take is that I am concerned that, on occasions children get very hungry. The sugars in fruit and veg only weakly raise blood sugar levels, so if all a child is allowed to eat, at snack time, is a piece of fruit or veg, that child will still be hungry after eating a snack. I think it would be difficult, for a child to concentrate, and learn, if they are still hungry. So I feel children need to be allowed to eat something more.
For example a wholemeal cheese sandwich. The complex carbohydrates in the sandwich would break down slowly, and the protein, and fat in the cheese would slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates, so the child's blood sugar levels would rise slowly, and be maintained over a long period of time. so that they wouldn't feel hungry. Then the child could concentrate, and learn.

I have been reading many of the documents availed on this subject, like The National Governors Association - Food Policy in Schools, FoodInSchools - Healthier Tuck Shops and so on.
The Healthier Tuck Shops document discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both a Fruit and Vegetable Tuck shop, and a Healthier Tuck shop. It is clear from point 3 of this document is that other parents are concerned as well, as quoted below.
"Some parents worry that fruit and vegetables do not provide enough energy to keep young children going until lunch time".
http://foodinschools.datacenta.uk.net/topic%20files/Tuck%20Shop/tuckshop6.asp?idTopic=9&idPage=6 
So I don't think I am the only parent in the UK who has this concern.

The Healthier Tuck Shops document allows a wide range of foods to be sold/consumed at school. I think I understand, why the school wants to run a fruit, vegetable and dried fruit only Tuck shop, but I do not understand, why the school has implemented a fruit, vegetable and dried fruit only policy. I can support a Healthier Tuck Shop policy, as defined by the foodinschools program.

Having read all those documents, I can appreciate how hard it is for the governors to set a policy. There are pages and pages of stuff to read on food in schools, and I only looked at the ones related to snacks. There are also, school dinner requirements, and in some cases, breakfast, and after school club rules as well. It is a bit of a nightmare.

Sades, thanks for mentioning exercise.. My two are incredibly active, which would, perhaps, explain why they eat vast amounts of food. And why I want my children to be able to eat a wholemeal cheese sandwich, at break time. The school is applying enormous pressure to my 6 year olds to only eat fruit. And I am upset about that.

If I can resolve this, later on I will raise other concerns about their policy, like, they haven't reminded parents, not to send in kiwi fruit, or to check what sort of dried fruit they send in.

And when I have done more research, and got my facts straight, I will check the school is not giving, children, soy milk to drink.

One day, I will do something other than what I need to so to get through today. I WANT TO DO SOME GARDENING!

Lorna


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