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)

It's fine to chuck in parental responsibility. But those parents who don't take responsibility it is the children who suffer

Sad though it is, some children will always suffer as a result of their parents' choices; I wish it was otherwise, but short of taking over every parental responsibility from them, I'm not sure that can ever be really changed. In my area several taxi companies are contracted to pick up and take to school children whose parents can't even be bothered to get up and get them ready ... just how much more support are we going to put in place before saying "enough - over to you"?

Isn't there also a long view to be taken on here, in that enabling this kind of thing will simply result it yet more children being born into terrible disadvantage, possibly going on to raise their own children in the same way and so continuing a cycle of deprivation?

As I've said so often, nobody pretends this whole subject is easy ...

We had a kitchen built in our school for universal meals.

I would support a policy where it was means tested and didn't exclude people on WTC as this does not support people into work.

My children't infant school also had free breakfast a couple of years ago. I assume it still does. It worked very well. Children would come in at the same time as usual and eat before registration in the classroom.

I believe it was the TAs who cleaned up the table while registration was taking place. Staff took it turns to make the toast. Of course they may not have thought it worked well like us parents did but children came in at the same time and the staff only had to clean the one table.

"In my area several taxi companies are contracted to pick up and take to school children whose parents can't even be bothered to get up and get them ready "

How do you know that's the reason?

If taxi drivers are gossiping about the children they drive as part of a school contract, the firm shouldn't keep the contract. Just my opinion.

Tanith and Lineys the information came from someone at the LEA who has to deal with the bookings; it wasn't a taxi driver who shared the information, though I quite appreciate some might feel it's no better for a council employee to have shared it

Then again, how do any of us ever find out about such things? After all, it's not as if they disclosed confidential information about any particular family - it was more about the widespread expectation that, yet again, the state should take the responsibility

Oh, and Social Services also ... I'd wondered about the accuracy of it myself, but was told that apparently it's very common in this area

I strongly suspect it's because of parental mental health issues, addiction, disability etc rather than just can't be bothered. Even if it is because they can't be bothered it's probably cheaper in the long run to pay for a taxi whilst the parent gets back on track than to deal with the consequences of a child leaving school illiterate and virtually unemployable.

It's a waste of money. Feed your own kid! It's basic parenting.

wrenika, do you not agree with any free school meals service at all? That's quite an interesting point of view, if you don't mind me saying.

I have arranged for children to be collected for school in a taxi before - have never told the taxi company the reason why - they may assume however

LEA officers (LA officers) shouldn't be gossiping about things they don't understand either.

I don't think we should have ever got to the stage of offering free meals, be in means tested or universal. With every thing the state take on responsibility and cost for, it just means more parents failing to step up.

Rather than throwing money and free things as those people, we should be spending the money better elsewhere. More interventions to ensure the child breaks the pattern and doesn't repeat it themselves or with their own children.

Sorry but it IS basic parenting to feed your kids

Parents on low incomes get topped up with child tax credits so that they can pay for their childs food.

Any disgraceful individual who gets child tax credits and still doesn't feed their kid should be reported to safeguarding. Why should I pay more tax so that everybody can get free school meals because a tiny amount of feckless individuals spend their child tax credits on fags/booze/drugs/trinkets - THAT is a safeguarding issue surely?

It is a matter of priorities, of course there are some households who struggle but it is relative, poverty is rally absolute in this country. Various findings are in place to support families who need it ,free school meals for all is not a good use of resources

*I don't think we should have ever got to the stage of offering free meals, be in means tested or universal. With every thing the state take on responsibility and cost for, it just means more parents failing to step up.

Rather than throwing money and free things as those people, we should be spending the money better elsewhere. More interventions to ensure the child breaks the pattern and doesn't repeat it themselves or with their own children.*

YY.

We must break the pattern so that children don't 'repeat the mistakes of their feckless parents'!

Here's hoping that my 2 boys are encouraged to not make my mistakes & take after me.
They're on free schools meals, as I am on ESA so clearly there is intervention required.

I would hate to think that they would both end up earning c£40k per annum and paying tax for 20+ years prior to their health failing spectacularly.

Obvs this intervention would put a stop to them getting a chronic lifelong physical illness and they will never have bipolar either (because that was just me being feckless)....

Economy of scale?

'It is a matter of priorities'

And

'Free school meals for all is not a good use of resources'

Yes it is a matter of priorities. Westminster has 11 bars and restaurants, the same politicians that are telling us (and you're agreeing with them!) that we cannot afford to feed 4-6 year old children one free lunch a day are raking it in on full expenses paid lunches at £30/40 a pop.

Is that a good use of our resources?

Could they not make sandwiches? Is it not a fundamental responsibility for most adults to be able to feed themselves and be able to prepare themselves a lunch?

Good grief! Has everybody gone insane? So it's ok to top up politicians on 75k a year with a free lunch but not school kids whose parents might 'cream off' an extra £15 a week off 'the taxpayer'

I strongly suspect it's because of parental mental health issues, addiction, disability etc rather than just can't be bothered

I realise this is MN where nearly everything is said to be down to MH issues, but while I accept this may apply to a few, isn't there a "chicken and the egg" thing going on here?

As a PP suggested, there are sadly some parents who regard any state intervention as an opportunity to do less themselves - is this really something it's wise to encourage?

isn't there a "chicken and the egg" thing going on here?

I don't understand this. What are you suggesting?

Sorry, makeourfuture, my fault for not explaining properly

I guess I was trying to say it's a question of which came first - in other words, whether there really is a genuine need for all these children being taxied to school, or whether some parents have seen an opportunity and taken it

It's actually incredibly difficult to get funding to taxi a child to school if the parent is the one with a disability/illnesss. Councils are not legally obliged to fund it. So I'd hazard a guess it's only done where there are significant issues/social services involvement.

Plus some parents fund it themselves/contribute.

Councils are not legally obliged to fund it

While I believe that's true, I guess it's one of those things that's down to the council and what they consider priorities?

The particular area I'm thinking of has money absolutely thrown at it by ours, and yet all the indicators keep getting worse and worse - why is perhaps why many believe it's time to start putting much of the responsibility back where it belongs

The thing is, free school meals for all has a clear and measurable educational benefit (c. half a term's extra progress every 2 years).

If we look at it that way, rather than as a 'parents should feed their children', is it worth it, ie is there a cheaper way of getting that half a term's extra progress for every child? Or not? A lot of the things other people have suggested that the schools should spend money on instead - more books, even more teachers (smaller class size has an almost invisibly tiny effect on outcomes, despite what everyone 'feels' must be the case) - may have less educational impact.

Does anyone have a good 'extra progress per pound spent' comparative study?

Does anyone have a good 'extra progress per pound spent' comparative study?

Good lord....you are suggesting we actually think?