To think that free breakfast at school is a bad idea due to the quality?

I wonder how many of you actually know what is served in our canteens. Our school serves a hot meal and pudding, but there is also a salad bar, pasta bar, baked potatoes, a variety of baguettes and sandwiches etc. Our ladies are fabulous and work really hard.

The problem is that the budgets and contracts schools are subjected to means they struggle to provide the food you expect.
All schools are expected to provide vegetables with meals and they do but that will mean something has to slide.

The money paid covers not just food but staff, storage, electricity.
The companies providing meals are in it for the profit not for the good of their hearts.

Or parents could do a better job at managing their money. Iv only ever worked minimum wage jobs and their has always been food on the table. Child benefits, universal credit, food vouchers, food banks. Starving your kids is neglect. Schools shouldn't have to feed and clothe children. If people can't afford 50p for a loaf of bread they are seriously mismanaging their money. So if the government have to step in yet again because people are incapable of looking after their own children then yes people should be greatful

DD’s school offer free toast in the mornings - I volunteer and help with this. It’s entirely funded by donations and it’s the cheapest, shittest white bread and the cheapest, shittest spread.

It’s open to all and DD likes to partake - obviously I can’t stop her on the days that we’re helping out as she has to come with me. But she went through a phase of taking some every morning. Which meant that I started cutting back on the (healthy) breakfast I was offering at home because I knew she’d be getting this toast - seemed really counter intuitive.

There are so, so many children getting the toast every morning and I’m sure at least 80% of them do get breakfast at home, but I also know there will be some who get nothing and the crappy toast and spread is the difference between being hungry and at least having something inside them. They get fruit too at least - I know all classes get fruit mid morning. I wish we were offering something a bit more wholesome but it’s not really up to me.

The kids from the poorest families I’ve seen seem to have enough food. It’s just shite, carby, UPF.
If schools offered fruit alongside the toast that would be good. Porridge even better.

Do you think children aren’t getting breakfast at home because the budget doesn’t stretch to free range eggs and granary toast with bee pollen and flax seed?

We’ve had free breakfast in Wales for a few years now - schools can charge for childcare but the breakfast is free. So in my DDs school we pay £1 a day to be there 8-8.30 which a lot of working parents use, then to be there 8.30-8.50 is free. They are all allowed breakfast and stuff like cornflakes & toast is offered but tbh my DD usually has breakfast at home first so we are just using it for pre school childcare. I think free breakfast is important though , no child should be arriving in school hungry because their parents either can’t afford or can’t be bothered to give them breakfast. Cornflakes and toast is not perfect but it’s a lot better than nothing.

Toast and cereal is fine

sausage rolls, cheese bagels and sugar waffles not so good

interestingly, French kids are much less fussy. They tend to be served much better and healthier food at school, and they eat. No nonsense about only being able to survive on beige food and junk.

There are no different from British kids, so what's the difference, if not the attitude of their parents?

Because when you don’t even have a bed to sleep in a warm bagel and a hot chocolate can provide some comfort and the feeling that people might actually care

Greek yoghurt with a compote I make from frozen berries at the beginning of the week with a drizzle of honey. I have weird kids who won’t eat cereal or toast or eggs, I think they have something against chewing in the morning haha.

I don't know, to be honest, I've done no research 😂
But I have experience of living and working in various European countries, and I just know that they would do things differently if that were the case. It's an attitude thing, as I tried to indicate.

Perhaps if it wasn’t ‘free’ for everyone then the kids that really need it could be provided with better food.

Toast, pop tart, cereal. You're fine.

People can either pay for better quality or accept what their given for free and be greatful.

yes let's make sure the poor know their place shall we?
I bet George and Charlotte don't get fed unhealthy food - but it's ok, they deserve better than the lower class.

What other countries offer free breakfast to all kids

Out of curiosity what is everybody feeding their kids before school?

Mine normally have Weetabix or porridge both with fruit. Sometimes a bagel or toast with peanut butter, occasionally some scrambled eggs. Not drastically different to breakfast club.

Am I missing something?

There’s a lot going on, SS are involved and have been for years, but without school she’d go hungry, and this will be happening in schools everywhere

You're right, the food will be "lowest common denominator" shite, because most of the kids won't eat anything else, and [parents] will complain about stuff that's not packed with sugar and/or fat. It's a real shame ... as people have pointed out, many other countries manage things very differently. It's a 'national attitude' thing, and is evident in many other areas of life, sadly.

That's awful this is where ss should be stepping in and doing something. Poor kid

Some kids won't eat the posh stuff, my daughter eats some form of chocolate cereal for breakfast every morning. She won't touch porridge, Weetabix etc. Plenty of kids are the same and it makes sense for schools to provide foods kids are likely to eat