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AIBU?

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Original poster

Free school meals to go

60 replies

MsJamieFraser · 03/10/2015 12:45

AIBU to think this is bloody shocking! For some kids is their only decent hot meal per day.

Sorry if this has been done, but I've only just found out about it, after a memo to all council housing staff stating the proposed effects on households.

OP posts:
m0therofdragons · 03/10/2015 12:48

Are they? I thought it was just the ks1 meals and those on low incomes would still get them? People on certain level of tax credits get money instead so aren't entitled as the money should cover food. Although I'm not sure what the current proposal is I don't think it's worth worrying about until it happens.

Ohbollockstothem · 03/10/2015 12:48

I don't understand , are you saying that children who's parents are on low income will no longer receive free food ?

Original poster
MsJamieFraser · 03/10/2015 12:49

Sorry should say also a lot of councils are against it so their is a petition

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/107913

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 03/10/2015 12:49

This is the free meal for all KS1 pupils, yes? TBH, I think it was completely unustainable from a financial point of view.

Original poster
MsJamieFraser · 03/10/2015 12:52

Yes soup, KS1 I thought I put that in my title Hmm bloody iPhone!

Sorry for the misleading title

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 03/10/2015 12:55

I was also under the impression that it was the free meals for infant school children not FSM that is being stopped . Frankly it should never have been started ,if the government , and I believe this was a lib dem idea ,had extra money to throw at school meals it should have been targeted at lower income families across all age ranges not just a blanket free meals for a particular group . Personally I don't want my taxes paying for free dinners for people who are capable of paying but I'm more than happy to feed children that actually wouldn't get fed properly otherwise .

SoupDragon · 03/10/2015 12:58

if the government , and I believe this was a lib dem idea ,had extra money to throw at school meals it should have been targeted at lower income families across all age ranges not just a blanket free meals for a particular group

Absolutely.

It was a nice idea but very stupid to think it would work in a sustainable fashion. I would rather the money went elsewhere in the education system.

SaucyJack · 03/10/2015 13:02

Decent meal........?

But I dunno. I don't think it was the best use of money. I think it's highly offensive to suggest that a significant proportion of parents won't feed their children themselves- regardless of income- and the few who really won't need SS intervention, not schools trying to paper over the cracks with a free dinner.

Pico2 · 03/10/2015 13:02

Where has this been reported?

MissFitt68 · 03/10/2015 13:03

Decent meal?? I'd question that bit!

auntyclot · 03/10/2015 13:04

YABU, it's completely unnecessary for all KS1 pupils to have a free school dinner. We don't have a free meal for KS1 in Wales anyway. Even when we lived in England the school meal was so shit that I wasn't happy for DC to eat them and sent a packed lunch anyway.

I think the scheme was a lousy idea and a complete waste of money. Low income families will still qualify for a free meal. Other families can send a packed lunch, which is just the same as the child would eat if they had lunch at home anyway.

BoGrainger · 03/10/2015 13:04

The amount of food waste is upsetting. Agree that the money should be targeted through primary and secondary in the right places. Whatever the objectives for this rash scheme were, it would be interesting to know if there are signs that these have been achieved but I suspect it wasn't in place long enough.

rainbowunicorn · 03/10/2015 13:04

People who need free school meals due to a very low income will continue to receive them all the way through school.

It was never going to be sustainable to give free meals to all pupils at KS1 and nor should it be.

I work in a school and we have children getting a free meal under the scheme who have both parents earning over £30,000 a year.
Ridiculous and should never have been started in the first place.

Original poster
MsJamieFraser · 03/10/2015 13:05

I don't think it's offensive to state children aren't being fed, for some it's their only meal a day, hence why hundreds of food banks are being opened monthly, I'm involved in 3 and we are opening another one next week!

OP posts:
2ndSopranosRule · 03/10/2015 13:05

I'd rather have seen this money go toward subsidising childcare, including out of school provision.

CookieMonsterIsOnADiet · 03/10/2015 13:06

Good, it was a complete waste of money. Schools are there to educate the children, it's a parenting basic to feed them.

Better the money is spent on more teacher, social workers and resources than food. Something is seriously wrong in a childs life if a parent won't feed them.

Alibabsandthe40Musketeers · 03/10/2015 13:08

I didn't think this should ever have happened. The money could have been much better targeted IMO - I would rather see it added back onto benefits for those with young children and very low incomes.

DS2 is in YR and has just started having school dinner a couple of times a week. I would happily pay, but there is no mechanism for me to do so. Along with the free fruit in the morning, the free milk in the afternoon because he is not yet 5 - that is a crazy amount of food to be providing for children.

Original poster
MsJamieFraser · 03/10/2015 13:08

I know children of this age (not that I agree with a cap on this) that are just over the threshhold and are using food banks monthly.

I agree with the cost implication but I KNOW, some families rely on this.

OP posts:
hippoinamudhole · 03/10/2015 13:09

Try telling the child whose lunch consists of only a mouldy sandwich and whose parents don't qualify for free school meals that the lunch he gets given isn't decent

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 03/10/2015 13:09

Where has this been reported

www.theguardian.com/education/2015/oct/02/tim-farron-tories-set-to-steal-childrens-lunches-school-meals-threat

This is England/Wales only though

dannydyerismydad · 03/10/2015 13:10

A lot of schools in our area spend quite a sum of money expanding their kitchens and facilities as the result of this scheme. It would be a terrible waste of resources if families went back to packed lunches, which they probably will if this funding is pulled.

I always hoped that by encouraging most children to have school dinners the quality would improve, with some of the pushier families kicking up a stink about some of the food served.

MrsCorbyn · 03/10/2015 13:11

It was always ridiculous and little more than the lib dems trying to win votes (hahaha) Very well explained why here : dominiccummings.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/babble-in-the-bubble-ufsm-clegg-and-the-general-dysfunction-of-the-british-state/

Floralnomad · 03/10/2015 13:11

i would rather the government subsidised food banks then to ensure that the help is being targeted at the correct people , for example extra money should be given to families that qualify for FSM ( due to low income) during the school holidays as obviously in those periods the children have to be fed all their meals at home . I'm fairly sure this doesn't happen at the moment . I really cannot see the point in providing FSM for people who are perfectly able to afford to pay ,there is little enough money to go round and it really should be used more effectively.

hippoinamudhole · 03/10/2015 13:12

And the child for who this is their only meal of the day whose parents would not qualify for free meals

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 03/10/2015 13:13

Also, due to the tax credits cuts, many people who were formerly entitled to FSM will be no longer