Free school meals

[mutznutz]

I was just thinking. With so many Government and Council cutbacks, isn't it about time they stopped providing free school meals that cost untold millions of pounds to provide?

I mean we're already given child benefit to help with the cost of our children. Also, as long as you're feeding your child properly at home, what's wrong with providing a fairly inexpensive packed lunch if you can't afford to buy them a hot one? (not that they are particularly 'hot' nowdays)

Plus, if parents cant afford to feed their children when they go to school...how do they manage at weekends and during the 13wks holidays they get per year?

Then there are the parents who earn just above the threshold and cannot afford school meals...their kids would have a packed lunch so why not everyone?

Crikey Riven, free food on prescription for tube fed kids?
That's an outrage, and I bet all the parents have a flat screen TV and live on truffles and pre-cut fruit.

I'm sure I wouldn't actually Riven but thanks for you contribution to the debate

crikey Riven - you scrounger - buy a blendger FGS and whizz you meals up

Dreamingofsun... A crappy parent is one who puts their own needs before those of their children, in my book anyway. I know you're being sarcastic but obviously there isn't a method of determining a crappy parent at birth - but there are many indicators afterwards, as the child grows? A parent that needs help should have enough about them to seek it - for their child's sake - if they consistently don't/won't then why should the child suffer by being left with them?

It's got nothing to do with what can/can't be afforded but a parent that doesn't wash their child or leaves it to go to school hungry isn't parenting.

I get heartily sick and tired of the NSPCC adverts - I know the kids are actors - but the scenarios are real. Why should those children be put at risk like that? I would pay for proper intervention - help for the parents with the explicit understanding that non-improvement would have consequences, ie. removal of the child.

There's no reason for children to be neglected - not in this day and age. The benefits system is here and thank goodness it is. I'd rather it be manipulated by a few than be missed out on by those who really need it.

I have to have my say on this

First my ds has packed lunch -1 because £10 a week is too much and 2- he wants packed lunch BUT if i had a letter saying "As of sept 2010 when your ds begins school your child benefit will reduce from £19.90 a week (or whatever its at) to £9.90 a week and £10 will go to your childs school for his school meals" then fine id be more than happy for this to happen - if i dont see it i cant spend it sort of thing BUT i do think all children should get a hot meal at least once a day and preferably at school - what about working parents who send their children to an after school care provision and the child only gets offered snack type food (sandwich,toastie etc)by the time they get home its late to start a full blown meal and they are tired ??!! Would it not be better to ensure EVERY child gets a free school lunch - like i say take it out of the c/b when they start school.

Well the problem with that Stoppin is perhaps not every child wants school dinners...so I think the easier option would be for the money to be stopped from the CB to replace the FSMs that we have now. If parents are being given money by way of benefits/tax credits but neglecting to feed their children, I think the Gov should step in and do this for them...the same as the CSA has to step in when absent parents neglect their children by not paying maintenance.

but NOT ALL SCHOOLS PROVIDE HOT MEALS

And £10 a week per child - holy shit - I know I said it cost me more than £11 a week to give my 3 lunches at home during the school holidays - but it's not as much as £30 a week/£130 a month

And what about those who go private or HE? I can't begin to imagine that any government could implement it without severely fucking it up.

But say you were to stop my cb - but my ds isnt entitled to free school meals- i would struggle - the extra £132 a month i get for both children is detremental to my living ,we live on very little money despite working HARD both of us! If it was being swapped with fsm or vouchers towards packed lunch stuff then fine i could live with that - even if it was only till the child was say 8 then if they dont want school dinners fine - or even as someone else said the school provide a "packed lunch box" with sandwiches,fruit and a drink in.

bitchingaroundtheclock your gonna need some nurofen after that bang

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe the problem is that neglect is very difficult to prove and SS are very stretched. In my area at least it seems that if the child's life isn't at risk then SS don't want to/can't get involved. I know of one case years ago where a child was left with alcoholic mother because SS reasoned that he didn't have a drug problem and in care he would be at risk of developing one therefore better to leave him where he was. There are lots of crappy parents, they generally had really rubbish parents themselves, there aren't enough foster carers, some children's homes aren't great.. I don't know what the answer is.

Even the local councils who run the FSM's get it wrong. I switched from LP IS to joint claim JSA/ESA with exH.......they stopped my FSM's - said as apparently I wasn't eligble anymore .

Child benefit is currently set up the same for everyone - changing benefit systems costs money - and I would be suprised if they saved more money by deducting it from people who are claiming FSM's (and some will only claim for a short time) by doing it that way.

Plus - what about those who genuinely can't afford to pay for school lunches and provide 2 healthy balanced meals at home a day (breakfast and dinner) - you're going to take away £40 odd a month (per child) to make it even harder for them??

If in September (presuming I don't find work straight away) I suddenly lost £120/130 of my monthly income a month it would seriously impact on our life. No my DS's wouldn't miss out - I'd make sure of that - but I'd certainly cut back to 1 meal a day for myself.

I live in Wales and i know how lucky i am.

We get free breakfast club here - every child in Wales has a berakfast inside them before starting their school day - how great is that?

My DS2 goes to BC about three times a week. He'll happily eat breakfast here, then breakfast there too bloody hollow legs

I think free school meals are a wonderful idea.

Por primary school here in Scotland laso has a free breakfast club, my kids love it.

"our Primary school" obvioulsy

deemented- really?!! i live in wales and didnt know this??So my ds can go to breakfast club for free?

Yes, completely free. If they charge for it there's something wrong - question it.

But they're already getting Government money to feed their kids. As many people have said, the Gov cant force them to spend it on feeding their kids though...therefore when applying for FSM would it not be best for the Gov to take the money (or a subsidy at least) to pay for the food that shey should be buying anyway?

Yes changing systems cost money, but I'm sure in the long run literally millions would be saved this way.

\link{http://www.continyou.org.uk/health_and_well_being/breakfast_club_plus/wales/free_breakfast_intiative_wales\information on Breakfast Clubs in Wales}

lyingwitch - i wasn't being sarcastic. i think its a shame that all children aren't loved and cared for, even if the parent isn't their birthparent - just a shame it would be hard to do

stoppin - i've always worked and we've always eaten a hot meal together as a family at night. its been especially important so we can spend time together. whether people have school meals should be their choice

adversecamber - thats impractical in england though as we don't get as much per head from central gov as you do in wales

if they're not feeding their children properly when they're not at school then

a) there's a damn good reason for it (many mentioned above)

b) they don't give a shit, and taking away money will just mean they the children are given even less at home

c) those parents that are managing to provide healthy food at home but just can't manage to afford the packed lunches that are filling/healthy/balanced enough for their DC's will suffer and they'll consequently have less money to give their children healthy food at home too.

dreamingofsun- We arrive home at 6pm with an almost 2 year old and 4 year old who have been up since 6.30am and out at school/nursery and then they should stay awake another 90 mins if not more while i cook a lovely nutritious meal that they probably wont eat from being too tired When we cook our evening meal (dp and i) we put a little bit aside for dc to have the next day if what we have cooked/eaten is suitable for them to eat.

I've just done a quick google - cost of school meals in many primary schools appears to be £1.85 for a 2 course meal in many areas (not sure if this is standard "cost" though)

Based on that it's just under £10 a week - per child. So that would be £130 they would take off me......which is over 1/2 of my "school holidays" monthly shopping budget!