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Jamie's School Dinners

First off, find out what's being served up to your kids every day at school.

Younger children, up to 11 or 12, are usually served from a set menu with little or no choice. If your school doesn't send home a menu regularly (and it should), ring the school office and ask for one.
At secondary school, students use the school café and choose food for themselves from a range of main dishes and snacks. You can ask them what's on offer but if the answer's a teenage grunt, ring the school and ask for a copy of the menu. If your children don't mind, drop in and see it on display in the canteen. Call in during school hours and you'll see the food being served, which will give you a good idea of the choices on offer and what the students are actually eating. If your children do mind, don't set foot in the place or you'll lose their co-operation for good.

Now you can work out whether your school is providing a healthy, balanced meal, or if your child is being offered a load of rock-bottom junk food.

Still not sure if your child's diet has enough of the healthy stuff? Keep a food and drink log for a week and find out the hard facts.