Are you in GLASGOW? Paying for lunch??

[Weegiemum]

If you are in Glasgow, have you heard what is happening for the free trial of free lunches for children in primary 1, 2 and 3? We greatly benefitted last year (though the £1.15 was hardly that onerous!)

Have one going in to P4 but she hardly has school lunches anyway. I will just send ds (P2) with money on the first day, just in case. Dd2 is about to start and is VERY excited about lunches - but she won't get them for ages!

Just swondered if anyone had heard what was happening?

[amazonianadventure]

i was under the impression it was a scotland wide thing introduced by the scottish parliment for all p1's,2s and 3s.

maybe im wrong but unless you had prior notification it should continue

[amazonianadventure]

i was under the impression it was a scotland wide thing introduced by the scottish parliment for all p1's,2s and 3s.

maybe im wrong but unless you had prior notification it should continue

[Weegiemum]

I thought it was just Glasgow but my cousin in Fife says they had it but it is being discontinued there.

Glasgow is pretty generous, there is already free breakfast club for all kids, but we haven't heard about the lunches and I just wondered?

[expatinscotland]

they are not free in Argyll and Bute.

in Edinburgh, there was a fight to keep some hot lunches on the menu at all.

[Weegiemum]

We're really lucky in Glasgow City with this kind of thing.

Transport laid on (because of language provision in the school),

free breakfast (for mine it is great as they get the bus at 8, so by 8.45 are ready for a bit of toast after early breakfast),

free lunches for p1-3 (I hope) and last time I had to pay lunch was £1.15.

3 different options for a hot lunch, plus soup, plus a sandwich/salad option.

Free milk (either plain or chocolate/strawberry) and fruit every day.

Free toothpaste/toothbrush and supervised brushing every day.

We had wondered about moving out of Glasgow as dh now works over in Argyll and Bute 3 days out of 4 and does out of hours work in Dunoon as well, but the school was a big pull keeping us here right now - not just for the above, but for many other reasons. But the copious amounts of free stuff helps!

[expatinscotland]

For the Gaelic medium pupils the wee Argyll and Bute council bus collects them and takes them home as it is only at Sandbank Primary.

The non-Gaelic pupils get free transport as well if they are over 3 miles - easy enough here, but some have to use the West Coast Motors so not really practical when they're very young.

Also the free toothbrush/supervised brush.

The hot lunch (Sandbank Primary) is £1.20 and the menu looks pretty good. Didn't look too closely at it, however, as DD1 is Retained at Age.

They also get the free milk and fruit.

The Gaelic medium unit does have mucho parental support and the community around it is extremely supportive. Very easy to make friends and a great group of people who truly look after one another. Good teachers and available at nursery level - full, too!

Yes, for us the pull is definitely the people and, additionally, the support for DD1's dyspraxia has been outstanding. VERY co-ordinated and on the ball, with terrific healthcare providers across the board.

We love it! For us, the West Highland way is definitely the way!

[expatinscotland]

Glasgow is lovely, too!

[MrsMuddle]

Glad you're happy, Expat. I thought you were thinking of moving again so your DDs could go to a different school, but that was months ago, so I've probably missed out on an update.

I work in Glasgow city centre, and today, when the sun was shining, I did think how lovely it was. There are so many gorgeous buildings that you don't fully appreciate until you see tourists photographing their details. There are gargoyles everywhere.

In answer to the OP, I think the school meals in Glasgow are continuing to be free for P1-3. It was a 3-year pilot, IIRC.

[expatinscotland]

Yes, we are moving so our daughter can go to a different school from the current catchment one, but it's only a few villages to the south.

We'd have to move, anyhow, as our landlords are coming back from Africa next year, but had planned to stay in the region as the East has grown far, far too expensive for us.

DH and the girls are from Edinburgh and it is the only place I have lived in Scotland besides here. It's the only place they'd ever lived at all.

But Glasgow does grow on you!

I don't think I could handle a big city again, it always makes us a bit dizzy when we go there, but it's a terrific city.

[KristinaM]

i think its continuing but I'm not sure

[waves to expat] you are sounding all up beat and happy today expat! counting down to Monday, are you?

[Weegiemum]

I'm so glad to hear your healthcare providers are so excellent, expat

[prettybird]

According to the Glasgow.gov web site, the free meal trial was only extended until the summer holidays.

It was funded by the Scottish Goverment, so didn't come out of our (high) council tax.

[Aefondkiss]

wow lunch is cheap down there! It is £1.70 a day for my dd, who is going into P3, though she seldom wants school lunches.

[prettybird]

My ds was very disappointed that we wouldn't let him have packed lunches last year - but why would we, when school dinners were free?!

[Lomond]

Lunches are £1.47 here in, about 30 mins from Glasgow

[muggglewump]

Ours are about £1.50 I think, I don't pay as we're a low income family.
I'm nearish Glasgow, I'm assuming near Lomond going by the name!

[goldndiamonds]

Here in Glasgow, the free lunch trial has stopped and you have to pay the 1.15 again. (Although it's not an issue for me as my child only wants to take a packed lunch - fussy eater + hates queues!!!)