Free school meals to go

[MsJamieFraser]

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.

It was never sustainable and should have always been means tested and be given to those that are in most need. It was ridiculous that children of high earners got them free.

It also had a knock on effect on the rest of the school and put an enormous strain on school kitchens. My DC had school lunches once a week but there was never enough food left to go round

I can pack them up for less than the £2.10 school lunches cost and I always make sure they have a cooked tea/supper/dinner depending how posh you are

bakeoff - paper, pens etc are a necessity for learning; eating lunch is something that most kids would do anyway even if they weren't at school. my point ref taxes was that there were much better ways to use this to educate our children (eg enabling kids to pass key exams) and that is unfair to expect someo one on low income to pay for the lunch of kids whose parents are well off

margaritte well said!

Op the man who was made redundant....why wouldn't his child get fsm at any age?

Excellent post margaritte and very well said.

Blimey mrsdevere, next you'll be telling us that your kids have clothes that fit and sheets on the bed! I too hate the assumption that low income = neglect. My mum was a widow very young and struggled for money. She hated the fact that we were always selected for school medicals and various visits from different people as it implied we needed monitoring. As a single mum I received a lot of snide comments about my child going without, how no one expected "people like you" to be able to provide a decent home etc. hurtful and untrue in most cases.

DS2 gets the KS1 free meal but often doesn't eat it. It's endless processed meat - sausages, fish bites etc and lots of stodgy mash, wedges and the like. He genuinely prefers much lighter food and and would rather eat egg salad or soup.

Not true;

Free School Meals will not be cut, says Cameron

Op for those groups of children, they would more likely be getting free school meals anyway!

maybe the government should subsidise school dinners making it more affordable for families just over the threshold for FSM my LEA subsidies school dinners its £6.25/child /week and has been since ds1 was in reception now in yr 4

I think we all agree ideally more help would be available to the children and families of those on a low income, but there is a cutoff somewhere and some will just fall over this. It's frustrating but will always happen.

As someone up the thread said quite articulately however - good parenting will ensure children are fed, poor parenting will not.