Get involved: Are your school dinners big enough?

Child eating sandwichImage source, Getty Images

Are you left still feeling hungry after eating your school dinner?

Wales' children's commissioner, Rocio Cifuentes - who's job is to stand up for the rights of children in Wales - says guidance on the amount of food given to children for their lunch should be looked at again.

It's after she carried out a 'snapshot' survey of children's views on school dinners which suggested many still felt hungry after their lunch.

We want to hear what you think. Take our vote below and let us know in the comments whether you think your school dinners are to small or if you end up leaving some of yours on your plate.

If you cannot see the quiz, click here.

Portions too small

The survey was answered by 490 7-18-year-olds individually and a further 1250 took part in groups.

Ms Cifuentes said the "overwhelming" message from children about not being full was a concern because "in this current cost of living crisis, so many children are relying on that school dinner as their main meal".

Current guidance, suggests different portion sizes for primary and secondary school children.

The children's commissioner said her survey heard complaints from older primary pupils that they received the same amount of food as four and five-year-olds.

The survey follows concerns from authorities in Monmouthshire said guidance meant that portions could be too small for older pupils and too big for the youngest, contributing to food waste.

Image caption,

Year Sixers Kryspin and Melanie felt there were good and bad things about their school dinners

Year 6 pupil Kryspin, said his favourite thing about dinners at his school was "the food is really good, you get a lot of time to eat".

"The thing I don't like is that we've got to wait last to get our food in year six," he said.

He said some friends "eat a quarter of it and then they put it straight in the bin, or they sometimes give it to me or someone else".

Melanie, 11, said she thought school dinners were "great" but added that she did not like some things.

"It depends on the food they give us. My favourite days are Thursdays - we get cooked dinner and cooked dinner's nice," she said. "Sometimes if I'm hungry I ask my friends for their broccoli, because they don't like it."

What did the Welsh government say?

Image source, Getty Images

The Welsh government has been introducing free school meals in Wales and said it would soon be reviewing guidance on school meals.

The children's commissioner said that plan was "fantastic" but that it had to "meet children's needs in order to fulfil its full potential".

The Welsh government also said it would consider the most recent health recommendations for child nutrition, including portion sizes.