to think the new free school meals for all KS1 children is a ridiculous idea?

[Flexibilityiskey]

I just don't see the rational behind it, when benefits are being cut to the bone, why give free school meals to people who don't need them? Yes it may benefit the odd family but there will be loads who just don't need free meals, and at what cost? My DS's school will have to build a new kitchen as they currently don't have the facility to provide hot meals. There must be loads of schools with similar issues. Add to that the cost of feeding all the children in KS1 for each school year, the cost must run into millions. Surely the money could be better spent being targeted at those who genuinely need it or am I missing something?

YABU I see it as a public health intervention more than anything else. One decent hot meal per day for all kids regardless of background (and to compulsory nutritional standards). Excellent. I'd like to see more investment in breakfast clubs, with proper nutritional standards there to.

IMO the initiative would be even better were it compulsory, but the electorate would never swallow that!

I don't think it is a problem that people who don't need them will get them. Those are the people who will be paying through their taxes for both their own children to get them, as well as for everyone elses children.

On the other hand, if the food is crap, that is a problem. Don't nationalise lunch-provision if you're going to do a half-arsed job, the food needs to at least meet the standards of the people paying for it.

It will be turkey twizzlers and chips followed by stodgy sponge for all, how dare you even consider a healthy packed lunch? The government have decided that your children will eat what they say, you will no longer have the choice. How are schools going to cater for food allergies and many childrens food preferences, I can see a lot of children going hungry at lunchtime,

Most children get a cooked meal at tea time and if people are really poor they already qualify for free school meals but hey lets waste more money on giving children food they wont eat, we can always let a few oldies freeze and cover the cost.

I would prefer if they raised the threshold for fsm to include the kids of the working poor of all ages. Children don't stop needing food once they get to year 3.

My daughter will get fsm next year and we really don't need them. I can see the logic of universal fsm in schools where there is a high proportion of children entitled to them if it improves uptake.

It's all a bit sinister if you ask me. Get people dependant on then then take it away at yr three. After three years of extra money each week. And then what happens with one kid In yr three and one in reception? Oarebts gonna feel obliged to pay for the older kid so squeezing more money out if people who hasn't got it.

It should be the whole of primary up to y6, you will have cases whee one sibling will get fsm and one won't. It is a bit divisive. We send a packed lunch cos we can't afford £10 pw.

One "healthy"(it's debate able whether school meals actually are) does not a cure for obesity make.Given how paltry the sizes are I suspect many kids will walk out if school and simply load up on shite.

Oh and we're tax payers and we're not getting free school meals,just funding those that don't need it whilst having our CB eroded in the process.

I agree with the OP, even though we'll benefit. Still, as we've lost child benefit it will help us financially!!!

Yanbu, it's ridiculous.

Its crazy. Its going to cause so much hassle. Plus I don't want my child having two hot meals a day as will need to cook for the rest of the family in the evening. Will dd feel excluded if I give her sandwiches? Its madness.

Its crazy. Its going to cause so much hassle. Plus I don't want my child having two hot meals a day as will need to cook for the rest of the family in the evening. Will dd feel excluded if I give her sandwiches? Its madness.

Can I ask what your opinion would be if your head teacher said you could only have hot school dinner and no packed lunches were allowed in school

Yanbu. I think it would be lovely if there was lots of money to spare but not when benefits are being cut. Much more sensible to increase tax credits or make more eligible for fsm.
DD will still take a packed lunch anyway.

I'd go absolutely nuts tbh.

My kids eat pretty well and I've worked hard to get then eating a wide variety of food plus eating their vegetables and loads of fruit. I do not want all that undone by serving vile era ions if what I make and soggy veg hey won't eat. Having seen the state of dd1 after two terms of school meals I paid for I certainly do not want a repeat performance thank you.

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It's a great idea. I was once so skint I would have qualified for the free school meals for dd but I wouldn't apply for it because of the shame I felt. I didn't want the other kids thinking of her like that.

But parents ill still have a choice. Packed lunches are not going to be banned.

Opinion people still need to let the school know if they would qualify for the 'free school meals' under the old rules, as schools really do rely on that 'pupil premium' funding for the school. By not telling your DD's school, you lost them quite a bit of money that would have benefited your DD. None of the other kids (or the pupil premium kids themselves) know.

Overmydeadbody.

At my school they are

I agree with you OP - it's nuts in this economic climate. Better to raise the threshold maybe if some are missing out.

Ds's school meal has gone up twice this academic year and will go up.again in September. I guess this is helping to pay for it at his school

The meals at our school are tiny. I would not say they are big enough for most children to count as a main meal. I find that they are not only hungrier than ever but they were much more satisfied by packed lunches and all the bit I put in for them.

So don't think that they are a meal they aren't.

not

It won't be a good meal though. One of the mums works for the catering company that makes our schools meals an she refuses to let her daughter have them as the meals aren't great quality and the portions are tiny. I can't see it getting better when more children are having school dinners.

Added to that, my DCs wouldn't eat half the things on the menu so would still need packed lunch at least half the week.

I also don't see the point if its only going to be for reception, year 1 and 2. It might help some families at first but then once the DCs get to year 3 then its back to paying for dinners or sending packed lunch.