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 was just saying- I hadn't heard of the need for it first hand

What a lovely bubble you must live in.
Where I live, they have ha feeding kitchens for years - some cleverly hidden in play schemes to disguise the need and people's sense of shame or embarrassment. Churches, Gudwaras, Children's centres, community halls have been providing cooked meals for the long Summer holidays.

Surely the anger shouldn't be at the fact it has now been agreed they will provide the vouchers, but at the fact they are needed in the first place ?

@strugglingwithdeciding - the blanket YR/1/2 free school meals haven't happened since lockdown started - only kids on pupil premium are getting them.

@Italiandreams

This thread has made me feel incredibly sad that we live in a society where people genuinely have a problem with children receiving a free meal. Only families who are entitled to FSM will get this, not all key stage one children. As someone pointed out there has been a huge rise in the use of food banks in recent years, and that was before lockdown. People have lost their jobs and the cost of food has definitely gone up.

I can’t understand the mentality of wanting a child to go hungry, some families are really struggling and if we can help them we should. I don’t understand the mentality of wanting to make life even harder for those already struggling and suggesting children go without food.

Not every child who automatically gets a voucher many don’t

In England we are not in poverty most of the time we have a welfare system.
Real poverty in 3rd world Countries their kids have no shoes on their feet no nappies or anything and kids walk for MILES to get clean water. Infact some people live a better life on benefits (careers allowance and TOP rate of PIP). There’s people who don’t work and yet they are going on holiday and driving cars.

Obviously not everyone but there is some.
£15 in addition to the usual for shop is ok unless your shopping in Ocado. Places like Aldi it definitely will stretch.

A big problem in UK people have poor money management. Another poster stated how are they on MN?? It’s kind of true.

june2007 - I think the ones who will get it are the ones who currently get free school meals so if you have been effected by furlough you may not get free school meals unitl September when it is reassessed and one reapplies.

I work in school and parents can apply at anytime not just September. We have had families apply due to hard times during the Coronavirus pandemic. Their applications have been approved very quickly and I’ve ordered vouchers for them the same day the approval comes through. Only adding this in case it helps anyone to know they can and should apply now if they have become eligible during the crisis but were not before.

Sweetlikecocoa - I don’t understand what point you you are trying to make ? They shouldn’t have it because some people in the world are poorer?
I know of families that the money have made a huge difference too and I am very glad they have it.

Those posters saying people have abused the system, does that mean all children should miss out? It is a scheme that helps to ensure children are fed , how can anyone be against that?

@Sweetlikecoca you need to stop thinking the Internet is a luxury. It is a utility now just like electricity or gas
Online schooling or homework in normal times - need internet. Signing on - need internet. The internet is a relatively cheap utility.

I would say that if people on benefits are going on holiday and driving cars they have fabulous money management skills to make the pittance that is UC allow them to do that.

Surely the anger shouldn't be at the fact it has now been agreed they will provide the vouchers, but at the fact they are needed in the first place ?

This.

We seem to have become hardened in the last 10 years. My Sil says no one should have benefits as she now lives in her big house with her new partner. She started off as a 15 year old single mum on benefits.

What's happened to our society?

We know that child poverty is a very real issue. We know children go hungry and we know food banks are used. I'm not sure why extending FSM into the holidays (not just during a pandemic but always) is even a debate. It should have been done years ago. What I don't agree with is the universal free entitlement for children in year R, 1 and 2 - I think this should be means tested too.

Totally agree @pommes, I said that upthread. The govn should not be wasting money on free school meals for kids in those early school years of their parents don’t need it. My kids are at a school in a good area with lots of v wealthy parents and the fact that all those kids get free school
Meals in the early years is baffling

I'm a struggling working single mum but I'm not entitled to free school meals because I'm on working tax credit. How is this fair ??

Because your income will be above the threshold.

@Willowmartha1 I think we get forgotten about

@BertNErnie

To the poster who said those attending school only have sandwiches - that's simply not true. We are offering hot meals every day. Tomorrow it's a roast!

It was me. Also I commented on my school. Don’t forget my child was at a hub and I don’t know weather it’s in the process of having hot meals but I’m TELLING YOU he does I can private message you the proof of the school site.

They are in bubbles so can’t have all kids in the dinner hall. My child in R class and usually 3 x 30 kids that’s just one year group x by 3 is 90.

I should know what goes on at MY childs school

@sweetlikecocoa don't we just!! There needs to be more help for JAM's (just about managing).

The government website lists where the vouchers can be spent including M and S and Waitrose !!! Lovely so while I work and struggle financially others will be buying lovely food for their kids while my daughter gets Lidl !!

I don't even have children and we are struggling. I can't work due to my chronic illness. I was only diagnosed a couple of years ago and damage has been done to my joints. My husband works but only gets the living wage and our rent is really high. We don't live in a nice flat at all but it was the cheapest we could find that would accept us with me receiving benefits. I am in the shielded group so his work furloughed him early on when business dropped off.

My DH is now on 80% of his wage and even with a top up of benefits we are still finding things tight, especially as DH normally does loads of overtime, which is now cancelled for the rest of the year. He walks the hour to work and back and his lunch is leftovers of the previous nights meal.

For some there is nothing left to cut back. I remember being so broke once I had to count out pennies I found down the sofa for milk. We sat in the dark as the electric ran out. I know what it is like to go hungry, I would never wish that on a child. I have been glad lately that I proved to be infertile.

Also, for those commenting on how they aren't getting much more than people on benefits, that indicates wages are too low for the cost of living, not that benefits are too high.

@parker231 the threshold needs to be higher,
I earn a few pounds more therefore missing out on fsm.

Those of you acknowledging that you are struggling, think those who have even less than you should be made to struggle more?

Is that really the answer, more help should be available to you if you are struggling to feed you children, yes. That doesn’t mean taking it away from someone who has even less. Argue for the threshold to be higher, don’t try and take something away from someone struggling to feed their children.

We've got children at my school who definitely need them. It's why some of our children are back in school under the vulnerable category.

@Willowmartha1 - M&S and Waitrose are included as they are the nearest shops for some people and although the vouchers would go much further at Aldi, the costs of getting there would mean they loose the value.

Yes particularly this year when there aren’t as many holiday clubs and schemes to provide food.
Support for food for children in poverty is needed all year. There are reports about food problems in summer each year 2017
2018 2019 and this refers to studies back when Marcus Rashford was growing up.

[quote Parker231]@Willowmartha1 - M&S and Waitrose are included as they are the nearest shops for some people and although the vouchers would go much further at Aldi, the costs of getting there would mean they loose the value.[/quote]
This is bullshit. Nobody struggles will be doing their full food shopping in Waitrose or M&S. Even to pay for transport you are still going to save. What on earth.

What an insult.

So who gets to decide which supermarkets are affordable ? How is that decided ?

Every little helps 🤷‍♀️

My dc would not starve without the vouchers but instead of the constant rotation of apples, bananas and pears, we can add in strawberries, blueberries and mangoes to the weekly shop. Being poor is like being sucked down a black hole. Every month you sink further and further down and it only takes something like a cooker breaking to swallow you up. Crawling out of the hole is fucking hard without help.

It is fact - it’s regularly raised by claimants at the foodbank I volunteer at. Particularly an issue in small villages/rural areas with poor public transport.