Free school meals extended over the holiday- are they needed?

[GotAnyGrapes17]

Have been chatting about this with various people during the day. Opinions go from "if you can't afford a couple of quid a week to feed your kids something is wrong" to people feeling this is a hugely essential scheme.

I just wondered if anyone who is entitled for FSM genuinely struggles during school holidays with out them.

No judgment here, my child use to be entitled to free school meals, however I didn't miss them during the school holidays....I am just interested to hear other views.

I wouldn’t take mumsnet as an accurate portrayal of U.K. society. Although there are a variety of people on here from all walks off life, mumsnet is much more middle class than other similar forums. Plus the very people we are discussing if can’t afford food and electric most probably can’t afford broadband or data for thier phone in order to be online and commenting on here.

@chipsahoy, was that directed at me?

This thread genuinely makes me feel sad.

Surely there must have been a lot of money saved from all those YR,1&2 children who would normally have received free school meals but were not eligible during this period? I am more than happy for that money to go towards children on pupil premium receiving the summer holiday voucher.

Well done Marcus Rashford and others campaigning for this small piece of humanity.

The issue is the cut off of £8,000 maximum income to qualify for the vouchers.

This is not going to help the people who were getting by fine but one parent lost a job, or are struggling on furlough. The majority of people in receipt of FSM were reliant on benefits before the pandemic and are the only people to almost universally receive a pay rise through this.
I don’t begrudge any child free food but the means testing is not going to help the majority of those who are in need of support now more than before.
It should be extended to an ‘if you need it’ scheme.
I’ve been helping at a food bank and it’s not just (or even mostly) the children who’s parents are on benefits who need it at the moment.

‘’ if you can’t afford a couple of quid a week to feed your kids ,something is wrong ‘’
Yes there is a lot wrong with this country and often children suffer as a result.
I am glad the FSM vouchers are continuing.
I always worry about the children who receive FSC , during the school holidays, particularly the Summer break.

So many users on here were worrying about vulnerable or disadvantaged children not being in school a few weeks ago. How the tide has changed!

FSM for impoverished children should not be a debate. It should be a given.

Child poverty is rising here, in a wester democracy in the top 8 global countries in the world!

Ask yourself why we have child poverty not why we are feeding children in poverty.

@Speckledhen10 wow is all I can say “Thanks Marcus...he’s done something good how can you display a tone! Maybe respect is earned by the person you are not the uniform you choose to wear! Massive appreciate all the NHS staff but it doesn’t give anyone the right to be like that!
Maybe write to someone about your pay if it’s so bad as I think that’s the issue here!
The only person I have saw display such coldness to what he has done is Katie Hopkins, are you putting yourself in the same bracket!
I don’t receive the vouchers but doesn’t mean I’m negative to those that do if it means there kids eat well for the summer

@butmiss you are spot on.

It's absolutely disgraceful that some posters are openly suggesting some children should go hungry over the summer.

There will always be those who receive the vouchers but don't need it but I'd pay twice over to ensure that no child goes hungry. My children have never known what it's like to have no food in the house and we lived very close to the line when I was little but it's a no brainier for me.

The difficulty is that people on this board may not be exactly representative of all/most mothers. Are there many here who use every penny they get hold of to fund drink, drugs or gambling? Probably not, but the general population has lots of negligent, feckless, or even abusive parents, whose children might well go without food regardless of the household income.

Are there many in here who cannot be bothered to lift a finger to assist with their childrens' home schooling? Apparently, the general population has a lot of mothers whose children haven't had even a single hour of the available lessons. It seems unlikely that they think ahead, plan budgets, allocate their benefits sensibly, or make good cheap nourishing meals.

There is a silly idea among politicians that 'child poverty' can be eliminated by giving women more and more money.

Another silly idea is that handing about £500 a month to one unemployed person, and up to £250 a month to the next, will hide the fact they are both out of work i.e. both unemployed. Whatever else it is, that isn't fair.

Nor is it fair that one person works, while others laze for the same money, or even more.

Nor is it fair that qualifying for one benefit is a passport to other perks, to the point where people actually pay to work.

Also to be fair, I think it's actually only @speckledhen10 who has suggested this.

Are you Katie Hopkins in disguise?

It is very much needed. I work in a school in a deprived area and I can’t tell you how heart breaking it is to have children turn up to school hungry and unfed. A quarter of kids in my area are living below the breadline and that is certainly reflected by the amount of kids in my class currently using vouchers. I am so relieved that the government has finally done the right thing with this and can’t believe anyone would actually question this.

I don't think this is a debate about the fairness of someone on benefits receiving the same amount of money as someone who works full time, it's simply about ensuring vulnerable children have enough to eat over the summer.

20mum, does it occur to you that some "mothers" might not have the skills to do that.

Our society is based on free at point of use. That means anyone that needs help, be it police, NHS, education, council services etc can have it regardless of who they are. This is paid for through taxes. This system is always going to have people that pay for more than they use and others that don’t pay anything in but take a lot out in benefits, port health, drug abuse, social services etc.
The alternative is an American system where everyone pays for thier own services as they use them, meaning people who can’t afford healthcare die, children go hungry etc. It breeds a mentality of only looking out for yourself and those without are scum and should just work harder to have the same despite them working 2 jobs cleaning etc.

I know what sort of society I would like to live in.

I’m glad they’ve reversed the decision, it must be a horrible feeling not to be able to afford to feed your kids properly.

And to answer previous posters, we all know a real life school gate example or two of the stereotypical benefits family but it’s not the children’s fault their parents are that way. It feels beyond callous to begrudge a child a free meal because of the parents’ poor decisions.

As a teacher who has regularly used my own money to provide children in my classes with breakfast I can safely say yes, it is definitely needed!
Ever had a 6 year old child crying on you because it's the last day of summer term and they can't face the prospect of being at home for 6 weeks because, to put it bluntly, they won't get fed? I have. And it is heartbreaking.
It isn't the child's fault, and most of the time it isn't the parent's either (not always...) but hard times can happen to anyone and life doesn't always go as we planned and hoped.
I just hope that the children I'm lucky enough to spend my days with will at least be able to have a slightly more comfortable summer, and not come back to school thinner than when they left us.

I do not want to be part of a society that bregrudges food to children. What does that say about us as a community???

Think what you want about the parents (but maybe bear in mind that many of us are a redundancy, death, illness, or accident away from being able to afford our children to not - especially in the current economic state) but it is the children who will suffer if the government and charities don't help. Children who didn't ask to be in poverty and who can't feed themselves without help.

I appreciate it is not a perfect system, some will just miss out who need help, and some will get help that don't really need it. But I would rather imperfect than nothing. And just perhaps if the government is providing fsm, then food banks will have the capacity to help those just missing out. Again, not perfect, but better than shrugging our shoulders at child poverty because 'its not my problem. They shouldn't have had kids'.

Absolutely agree that this is needed. We are fortunate enough not to need it at the moment but circumstances can change. For those saying they dont want to pay for other people's children to eat, what do you think the rest of your taxes go on? Other people's healthcare, other people's social care, other people's education, do you not want to pay for these either?

Well done Marcus, it will be a lifeline for some families.

@NoNameIdeas exactly. There are children that I have worried about all summer and holiday before. It gives me some comfort to know that their families are getting this support. There is no excuse for children to go hungry in this day and age.

It doesn't matter how many friend of a friend made up scenarios of feckless mothers you've heard. This money will help children and it's worth every penny.

I see child poverty every day. It is real and it’s scary. School holiday hunger has been around longer than Coronavirus. Numerous charities in my area have been working on this issue for some time.
I think Marcus Rashford has done a brilliant job in raising awareness.