Petition to Keep Free School Meals

[mwdurham]

I am very very new to Mumsnet. Hope this is the right place to post this. I have had a petition on the government website approved.

The government is considering scrapping the free school meal program. The petition calling to keep the program can be found at:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/107525

Please could everyone on Mumsnet pass this on to everyone they know so that the government can see how strongly so many people feel about this excellent program.

Text of the petition:

The government is considering scrapping the free school meal program.
Positive benefits from this program include significant academic & behavioural improvements along with a big increase in consumption of healthy food with better behaviour, cohesion, and school moral helping all pupils.
Program trials in Durham and Newham from 2009 to 2011 saw significant results with a big fall in consumption of unhealthy foods and a big increase in consumption of fruit and vegetables.
The academic results were astonishing with children in the pilot areas moving ahead of their peers by almost a term.
As a result, the program was rolled out across the country and is having continued excellent results.
Over the longer term scrapping the scheme will prove to be financially counter-productive.

[BrandNewAndImproved]

I like the fsm but not for the reasons you've stated.

I work in a school kitchen and healthy it ain't. It's very nice food though but definitely not healthy.

I like the fsm as it means the dc that go under the radar with having shit home life's at least get a hot dinner. Families that are using food banks at least don't have that worry of getting a hot meal into their dc.

[noblegiraffe]

Presumably you mean the KS1 free school meals?

TBH, of all the cuts they are making to school budgets, this is one of the least worrying.

[mwdurham]

Yes - Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 which started last September.

[mwdurham]

Despite not being your primary concern, bear in mind that it is saving hundreds of pounds a year for hard up families, as well as making sure all children get a meal. I think it has also removed the stigma attached to free meals as everyone is seen as equal and also it has been shown to help reduce disruption in class in some schools the take up has been 100%.

[cuntycowfacemonkey]

I'm with noblegiraffe on this one there are for more pressing areas in education that need more funding.

[BrandNewAndImproved]

Tbh at primary the dc wouldn't have a clue who's free school meals or not.

A lot of primarys have parent pay online, a lot of parents pay in the office direct and some schools still take the odd envelope with the registration.

[cuntycowfacemonkey]

I would be happy to see the thresholds for those entitled to FSM change to allow hard up families to take advantage but I can't get on board with 180 children in our outstanding primary school in a very affluent area receiving free school meals at a value of ??2.20 a day. That's about ??71,000 a year which could fund much needed TA support for children who are being left to sink.

[wankerchief]

Looking at the costs to school I'd have it rolled back too I'm afraid.

I love the idea of every child being feed a nutritional meal for free but the food is crap and very small portions. And it's not free, the schools are paying and they can't afford it.


I say that as someone who's kids are free meals

[Lurkedforever1]

I agree with dropping them for everyone in the first few years, there's loads of better ways that budget could be used. Personally I'd have the fsm threshold moved upwards slightly for all ages.

[sleeplessbunny]

I agree with FSM for those on low incomes but not for all. The money could be better spent elsewhere.

I also say that as the parent of a child receiving free meals.

[cuntycowfacemonkey]

Besides FSM for all keystage 1 may stop the odd child slipping through the net but what about once they move into year 3 and the FSM stops? Would much rather see FSM all those who need them for children of ages including secondary (do they even do FSM in secondary?)

[prh47bridge]

The petition substantially misrepresents the Durham and Newham trials. These did NOT find a big fall in consumption of unhealthy foods or a big increase in consumption of fruit and vegetables. It found that lunchtime eating habits changed with a shift away from foods associated with packed lunches towards foods associated with hot meals but, despite this, few significant impacts on the overall consumption of different types of food. The only significant change was that children ate fewer crisps.

The trials also did NOT find that pupils in the pilot areas moved ahead of their peers by almost a term. They found that they made 4-8 weeks more progress (i.e. around half a term) more than similar pupils in comparison areas. However, the pilot did not find any explanation for this. It remains possible that the apparent improvement was not linked to the trial.

There was no evidence of health benefits and parental perception of behaviour suggested no change, although classroom behaviour was not measured.

Overall the evidence in favour of extending FSM to all KS1 pupils was weak. I do not see any justification for a single adult on, say, ??20k paying additional tax to fund FSM for the children of someone earning, say, ??40k. I agree with sleeplessbunny - I am in favour of FSM for those on low incomes but not for all.