Tories going to axe free school meals

[cannotbelievethistoday]

So I have 2 children in private school.

Labour want to put VAT on private school fees, and extend free school meals to all primary children.

Tories are going to remove infant free school meals.

Bloody hell. And still people will vote Tory.

(My 2 kids are in private school - I totally agree with labour on this one)

rainbow wants an essay on why social economic stability is important for the country? Of course it is not simple. The free school meals, EMA, university fees are only part of the degradation of our society. Without a balanced society we can not grow. Throw backs to the glory age of "Victoria" is not going to benefit the growth of a nation. If all the money is at the top and the gaps gets too great it causes instability and stunts economic growth. If all the small gestures that help our young people regardless of any judgement on their background or standing are taken away - we risk reducing the number of decent workers we need to grow. The healthier and better educated our society is, the better it is for the country.

My understanding is that universal free school meals is to stop FSM being stigmatised, which is horrible. If some children are picking on other children because their parents are struggling financially that's a massive social mobility issue

I believe this was one of the issues, but I never really got it. How on earth would 4-7 year olds know if their peers were getting free school meals? And can you imagine them being vaguely bothered at that age?

Voting for the Tories is not something I could ever do, but I didn't agree with the free school meals for all KS1. DS2 benefits from them but we really don't need it and I would rather the money was spent elsewhere.

I think its fine to scrap FSM for all children, as not all children need it, there are still going to be FSM for those who really need it,the poorest in society, which should be.

PuckeredAHole would you really run the breakfast sessions at no extra cost to the school? Will you be the one ordering and receiving supplies, setting up tables, sweeping up, wiping spills, disposing of waste before the hall is needed for assembly/activities at 9 a.m., then rushing off to playground duty and register? How many sittings will be required for several hundred kids? Our school has a paid for breakfast club at the moment that raises a bit of money for the school in addition to covering the wages of external staff who run it, which we will now lose. There is no way every teacher would be in early each day, serving and cleaning up breakfast for hundreds of kids just before class.

I suspect you are quite right though that this has a lot to do with getting more people to work or increase their hours.

Yy, swirlywind, my DC's old primary school has 330 children. They need the hall to be ready first thing for lessons. It's a Victorian site and they're constrained for space.

This school is also due to lose over four hundred quid per pupil in the 'fair funding' cuts for schools.

I suspect you are quite right though that this has a lot to do with getting more people to work or increase their hours.

That sounds great to me. What's not to like? It enables those like me to finally be able to go to work again after having two children whereas it was too expensive to do before, and also provides both free school breakfasts and lunches for those who needs it.

swirly

I agree

I dont think either of the local schools has a breakfast club, i know one doesn't for definite

This makes me wonder if they were ever going to plan to do the cuts in the first place or whether it was a move so parents didn't feel so hard done by when they took away the free school meals for infants?

I've just been discussing the breakfast proposals with a teacher friend. Neither of us can work out how it can possibly work. Apparently the money will cover only the food cost, not the additional staffing costs. I expect teachers will be asked to step in for free (they shouldn't be required to do so), but will additional kitchen staff work for free? Of course they bloody won't.

In both dc's school and her school there are around 630 children (three form entry primaries). Lunches are already eaten in shifts and children spread between the dining hall, the hall, and classrooms.

Both schools already have a paid for breakfast club, mainly used by working parents. Both free for fsm children, but not much take up. Food is limited to toast or cereal.

It's a batshit and poorly thought out idea. As I said upthread, if they must get rid of universal free school meals they should extend fsm to more of the working poor and use any left over cash to better fund education.

"DS2 benefits from them but we really don't need it and I would rather the money was spent elsewhere."

How about adding up the cost for your DS, and then giving it to the school (directly, or via PTA)

Redistribution can be done by everyone, not just the government.

Depends what the cut of is.

And then, of course, we have the proposed 'Dementia Tax', which pretty much removes any chance of anyone but the wealthy inheriting anything. These people have paid into the NHS all their working lives. They've paid for their future care. It's so wrong.

*off

After thread after thread of essentially, 'Vote labour - take what the wealthy have and give it to the poor and needy', we seem to have suddenly moved on to 'stop taking food and winter fuel payments from rich families and rich old folk you nasty old Tories'!

Yup! here too!

Jesus christ dementia tax, seriously??

It's a reasonable policy. Why should young people who can't afford to buy a house until they are in the 30's if at all pay for care for older people who have houses with significant value. And in a lot of cases a significant part of the value is as a result of house prices increasing over a period of time rather than what people paid for their property.

And people with dementia are more likely to end up in a care home so this policy is an improvement for them.

katronfon

I think glitter said it best It's a batshit and poorly thought out idea.

For all the posts saying what a good idea it is there dont seem to be many about the costings of it

Extra staff, extra hours for existing staff..as i am sure many appreciate its not just the cost of the coco pops

Breakfast is going to have to start at about 7 to get the children through some of these schools

katron

It wouldn't surprise me i have a sore tummy and i am self medicating with wine

It might not be one of my better ideas

My understanding is that the tories want to bring in free breakfasts for all the primary schools

I could be wrong...like i said....wine!!

And then, of course, we have the proposed 'Dementia Tax', which pretty much removes any chance of anyone but the wealthy inheriting anything. These people have paid into the NHS all their working lives. They've paid for their future care. It's so wrong.

Except people will still be able to inherit - up to the value of £100k.