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?

stoppinch - everyone's different and sounds like school meals would be great for you. they wouldn't for us though and i would prefer a choice, rather than higher taxation for something i don't want or money being funelled away from education.

Well in our school its £1.90 a day ...just a quick question -is there something in the pipeline for this from the goverment OR is it just a random question from op? If its the latter lets not put ideas into their heads cos im sure the pm and his staff spend many a day on mn

It's just a random question Lol

phew

stoppin - think it's just a random question.

Entitlement to FSM's is also used for extra funding from the Government for schools as well. Both my DS's school request that EVERYONE that is eligible for FSM's tick the box on the form - even if they never intend to claim them (many don't claim) for this reason.

All schoolchildren should get a free lunch as I believe they do in France. It would be money well spent and if we had gone along these lines many years ago we wouldn't have certain problems now.
Also, Maggie shouldn't have privatised school meals provision. This meant a decline in standards - let's face it - these companies are only in it for the profit whereas when councils ran the school meals service the only aim was to cover costs - profit wasn't a requirement.
Things have become altogether too lax with children being allowed off school premises during school time. Keep them in for a nutritional lunch - it might be the only time that they get to use a knife and fork and have the opportunity to learn the art of conversation.

OK - I'M READY FOR THE BOMBARDMENT OF RUDITIES AND WHATEVER ELSE IS COMING MY WAY!!

£2.10 per day here.

And that blooy well adds up when you have three in school..

Euphemia - I still haven't quite got over my x post with you earlier about getting their next hit

fifichef - you obviously didn't eat at my school if you think catering standards could decline under privatisation! the only thing i remember eating were the jam donuts and gypsey pie - rest was disgusting

its only this term that my son's school are starting to do hot meals and i was told that was due to some gov legislation - and thats the same in much of the county at primary/middle schools i think

The kids are not allowed off the school premises at lunch time here thank goodness.

At the moment (since I split with my ex) I and my children are living on £55 a week. I am supposed to get tax credits but it's taking weeks for the application to be processed (almost 6 now) and free school meals are vital for my children at the moment. It'd be impossible for me to provide a decent varied diet to a 10 year old girl that eats like a horse and a 12 year old boy that seems to have hollow legs on £55 a week!

I'm frantically searching for a job, and make sure my children have a proper home-cooked meal every day by going without food myself at the moment, but if my children's FSM were taken away we'd be utterly screwed right now.

It's all well and good for those that have never been in the position of desperately needing these kind of handouts to survive to look down on those that do. It doesn't take much (1 nasty breakup for me) to end up stuck in the position where these things are absolutely necessary for children's wellbeing.

dreamingofsun - I am inclined to agree with you as to the quality and as I wasn't that keen on meat I don't recommend much of it either. These days I am sure that this could be imroved on. In Maggi's days hot meals were done away with in alot of primary and middle schools. At the time I was Head Cook at a comprehensive and had to supply packed meals to the areas primary and junior schools for the children entitled to free meals.

I agree that free meals should be stopped.

I lived on a council estate for 2 years and claimed income support for over a year. Lots of the parents would feed their kids crisps and other crap for tea as they had already eaten a proper meal at school.

Whilst on income support my DD always had clean newish clothes. She was clean and well fed. I used to buy fresh fruit and veg that was eaten daily. We couldn't always afford meat from the butchers so we didn't eat meat every night.

A few of my neighbours would moan reguarly about not being able to afford to go out. They would drink, smoke and wear designer clothes whilst their kids suffered.

But still I believe it is the parents responsibility. So many leaflets are given to you whilst pregnant so they cannot claim ignorance.

The main reason I think they should be stopped is the impact it has on a family when they go back to work. The benefits system make sure you are better off when going back to work but only just. If you are 20 pounds better off but then have to pay bus fare and school lunches etc why would you bother???

I had god awful parents and spent most of my childhood surviving off FSMs, baked beans, bread and chocolate. But surely, I didn't deserve them as the daughter of dole scum Anyway, in my adult life I've paid 40% income tax, so I probably paid back my burden to the taxpayer tenfold.

I agree that free meals should be stopped.

I lived on a council estate for 2 years and claimed income support for over a year. Lots of the parents would feed their kids crisps and other crap for tea as they had already eaten a proper meal at school.

Whilst on income support my DD always had clean newish clothes. She was clean and well fed. I used to buy fresh fruit and veg that was eaten daily. We couldn't always afford meat from the butchers so we didn't eat meat every night.

A few of my neighbours would moan reguarly about not being able to afford to go out. They would drink, smoke and wear designer clothes whilst their kids suffered.

But still I believe it is the parents responsibility. So many leaflets are given to you whilst pregnant so they cannot claim ignorance.

The main reason I think they should be stopped is the impact it has on a family when they go back to work. The benefits system make sure you are better off when going back to work but only just. If you are 20 pounds better off but then have to pay bus fare and school lunches etc why would you bother???

Free school meals should be stopped.

They hail from a paternalist view - that the "man in Whitehall" knows best and that people (the "poor" in particular) should be saved from themselves.

Let them eat turkey twizzlers and drink fizzy pop if they want!!

I don't live on a council estate - haven't done for about 7yrs now.

I do however claim FSM's, tonight my DS's are having a lazy meal (because my sleeped is fucked up again and I'm bloody knackered) of burgers, home made chips wedges, and peas. Last night they had carrot and lentil soup, tomorrow they'll have chickpea curry

sjm123-you should be getting more than 55 pounds. I believe you should be getting about 55 pounds income support plus 30 pounds child benefit. When your CTC comes through it should be around 80 pounds a week. Then your rent and CT will be paid. keep ringing tax credits as they are useless.

turkey twizzlers - god that brings back memories - haven't bought those since I was with exH and we were living on a decent wage with no debt ahh them were the days of walking into the supermarket and just throwing any old shite in the basket without thinking of cost

Mutznutz on the first page you said "I've often heard it said that "It might be the only proper meal the child gets" but to be honest the Government are already paying parents to feed their children with child benefits and other benefits." These two points are, unfortunately, sometimes completely separate, i.e. the parents are being paid to feed their children BUT a free school lunch is still the only meal that child will get.

Most of the arguments I have (admittedly skim) read above focus on what the parents SHOULD be doing. And yes, those who take their responsibility seriously (and the chances are that anyone on a parenting website probably does) would agree. But what about those people who don't? Your suggestion punishes only the child, not the irresponsible parent who doesn't look after their child's wellbeing. Sadly, for many children, the school is the only backstop for their safety and health. Until workable ideas have been put forward to tackle those members of society who don't protect their own children, the schools should continue to be utilised as the way to scoop up these children.

Lisa Yes that's a good point. As you said you only skimmed the thread (don't blame you!) you wouldn't have seen this post by me.......

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