Free school meals and summer holidays

[McNewPants2013]

I was thinking about this today.

I will have an extra £10 per week dude to not paying for school meals, but if people are entitled to FSM I can see many families struggling to provide these extra meals at home.

Do you think that school canteens should open or the parents get extra money to cover the shortfall.

[MinimalistMommi]

"I think it's not just the cost, many families will feel the pressure of having to provide all meals for children for 6 weeks without any support."

Wasn't this thought of when child/children were conceived?

Is everything being cut back on, right to the bone? Like alcohol and fags and junk food? And non essential clothing? Sky? Internet?

This is a great website, she is feeding herself and her son healthy food for £10.00 a week.
agirlcalledjack.com/

[ImNotBloody14]

I agree mumofmonsters- i think the school should be the only place to buy the uniform from, it should be cost price and they should run a second hand uniform donation and sale facility throughout the school year.

[ImNotBloody14]

The logo stuff i mean. But they should relax the rules on non logo stuff too.

[MinimalistMommi]

Happydoll said upthread: "It's a big WHAT IMO. Those parents should face charges of neglect. This is why I believe (in answer to your earlier question of my actual opinion) benefits should be paid in food and accommodation vouchers.

Couldn't agree more.

[hermioneweasley]

A friend of mine was raised by an alcoholic father (mother left when she was young). It wouldn't matter how much extra he'd got in benefits, she woukdn't have seen any of it. She survived on the kindness of her friends' parents who took care of her at weekends and made sure she was fed and clothed. Her maternal grandmother turned her away saying it was her job to take care of her dad!

I suspect a school canteen over holidays would have been very welcome.

[IneedAyoniNickname]

MinimalistMommi

Wasn't this thought of when child/children were conceived?

Sigh! My dc were conceived when I was in a solid, long term relationship. Their father was there physically, emotionally and financially.

I didn't plan for him to leave, and 6months later move in with a woman and her dc (who he is now classed as being financially responsible for)

[alemci]

do they not do second hand uniform sales anymore in schools.

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

MM - see my earlier replies to similar responses. As I said "It's not only about the cost" - it's about the organisation/ parenting/ cooking and coping skills as well.

But if people don't have the empathy to imagine people different to them (and it's not me I'm talking about here) then really, what can you say ?

[ImNotBloody14]

Anywhere alemci? Why not?

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

And "wasn't this thought of when child was conceived" makes me LOL really ....

Quite possibly conception of baby wasn't even thought of, let alone how to feed in school holidays in 5 years time !

[Rufus43]

Our school does 2nd hand uniform sales run by the PTA a few times a year. Seems to work well, and I live in a very naice area! They all have an eye for a bargain!

Only 8 Children receive FSM in our junior school of nearly 200, which is why I think it would be difficult to roll out in schools in this area, you could always make arrangements in a central place but that may mean travel issues

I do appreciate that in other areas that there may be a much higher take up of FSM which might make a solution easier

[MinimalistMommi]

Quite possibly conception of baby wasn't even thought of, let alone how to feed in school holidays in 5 years time !
Maybe they missed sex education classes then? Sex=Baby

[crashdoll]

The child whose parents work 16 hour days and still does not receive adequate food has as much right to be fed as the child whose parents waste all their money on iPhones and cigarettes. To me - regardless of their parents' financial situation, those children equally deserve to be fed. Say what you like about feckless parents who prioritise themselves over their offspring but children do not deserve to suffer because of it.

[GobbySadcase]

Re the parental obesity I do know of some who eat absolute shit to make sure their kids eat properly. High fat and sugar convenience meals, or sugary hot drinks replacing meals.

They're not troughing whilst the kids starved. I used to do similar and now have only lost weight through food shopping at markets. Supermarket healthy food was too expensive for all so I ate Iceland ready meals.

[MinimalistMommi]

There should be free parenting classes that focuses on cooking healthy meals on a very restricted budget and that help with working on a budget but getting parents that actually need to the support to attend would be another matter. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Healthy meals can be made on very little. But, basically, the children in greatest need will suffer no matter how much money is handed out.

I agree with the fact that the food needs to go directly to the child's stomach so a summer time scheme would be ideal. But would the parents actually get the children to the location to let them eat? If they're not prepared to feed them at home and spend on other areas then I doubt it.

So how can we get the food directly to the child's stomach during the holidays?

[ImNotBloody14]

I see i have misread alemci's post. Apologies.

[MinimalistMommi]

Aqua I assume you're feeding your children though to the best of your ability? What we are talking about here is the children that don't get fed.
I realise circumstances change.

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

Yeh, so maybe they did miss sex ed classes MM. And ?
As crashdoll says their children still need feeding.

[ImNotBloody14]

I find it really interesting that people object to free meals for hungry children but happily dole out suggestions of free therapy, free cookery lessons etc for the parents! Why is free food not ok but free other stuff that costs more than the food and doesnt guarantee the kids get fed is ok? Logic anyone?

[JazzDalek]

Alemci: no, but the parents could use a food bank.

This is not a solution. I cannot speak for other areas, but where we are you can't just turn up to a food bank, you have to get a voucher, available from the CAB and a few other organisations.
At the CAB we can only give out a total of three to any individual. When you've had three you can't get another. Each voucher provides 2-3 days' worth of food.
The very fact of somebody needing a food voucher is seen as evidence of a fault in the system, and as such for each one given out we are required to write a report on the circumstances which led to that person being in such need; these reports are collated nationally.

[JazzDalek]

I should add that the limit of three vouchers per person is not in any way a judgment, it is purely due to the fact that demand is high and food banks don't have the necessary resources to help as much as is needed.