School dinner / packed lunch question

[Saffron]

How does your school handle payment for school dinners? For example, if your child takes a packed lunch every Friday, but has school dinners the other 4 days, do you have to pay for the whole week anyway?

I've been paying online using Parentpay. My daughter only eats 4 school dinners per week, so that's what I've been paying. However, recently I was reading one of the letters from our school, and it's worded to suggest that this is not allowed. It's either all or nothing with payment.

I'm just a bit confused now. Wondering how this is supposed to work???

[redjam]

Is this for secondary school? They're free for all primary schools in Southwark, aren't they? (Well, they are at my younger daughter's primary anyway.) For secondary it's just pay as you go using a special card that you can load with cash via Parentpay - you just pay for what they purchase.

[Saffron]

No we're just over the border in Lewisham. Dinners were only free in KS1.

[Growlybear]

Individual schools in Lewisham have different policies with lunches. Some will only let you change between packed lunches and school lunches on a half termly basis, whereas others will let you change on a weekly basis, and a few will let you change from day to day. However, it's really difficult for schools to plan for the number of meals if they have children switching between school meals and packed lunches on a daily basis.

[Saffron]

I get that it can be difficult for some schools to plan. I'm not querying that. I'm curious as to why my daughter's school isn't clear about it. I'm currently looking at two different pieces of paperwork that suggest different things. Odd.

[Pugwash]

My grand kids secondary school - you pay a month up front and it is a card system (like an Oyster card you touch a screen) money is deducted from the monthly amount and days not having school meals, are 'carried over' to next month.

Grand daughter used to spend around ?1.30 per meal, but on odd days decided to spend more as she had not used up the month's allowance.