Free school meals

[heatseeker14]

Why do KS1 kids get free school meals? I think it is such a waste of public money. I can't understand why it is still being pushed? I understand that some parents struggle, I get that, but why open it up to everyone else?! Our school doesn't have a functioning kitchen, the best they can churn out is tinned hot dogs, so they buy in meals from a catering company. This must cost a fortune & it makes me mad. Why should tax payers fund school meals, it is up to parents to provide for their kids. Set a good example and cook decent food it is not that difficult!!

The wrongness of MPs getting subsidised lunches doesn't make the universal FSM any more right.

Are people actually aware that in many schools it is not necessarily a hot lunch either? DS has a choice of hot lunch or a cheese or ham sandwich with the normal packed lunch items.

One of the best arguments for it that I read is that more quality can be achieved when catering for large numbers, so it works out much better for the children who really need it, if those who don't need it as much also get it.

Also as other posters have said, the communal experience, healthy eating, and in particular those "working poor" families.

We wouldn't qualify for FSM or even working poor but we live on a knife edge and it would make a huge difference to us.

The problem is..a lot of people who say they struggle to afford to pay for a lunch, choose to spend their money on other things such as an expensive car, x box for their kids, expensive clothes etc.....it's all about life choices. Still no reason for their kids lunch to get paid for.

It is a strange question to ask today as the Tories have fought the election based on abolishing them so it is not a problem you will need to be outraged about for much longer

Have you not read the other reasons Mumzypop?

We drive a small elderly car, don't take holidays, don't have Sky or games terminals, buy our clothes from supermarkets. It will make a difference to us.

Still amused by the person who posted further up who was outraged her child had been fed maccaroni cheese and a biscuit....she went on to explain...white pasta and white flower biscuit. Horror of horrors...how disgusting..pure poison.

I thought the thinking behind it was that when you introduce means testing- it cost more money due to the admin. Also bulk buying keeps costs down and quality (hopefully) higher. So it is more cost effective to have a blanket policy.

A family could earn a decent amount but have lots of debt/pay a large amount of rent plus other reasons I'm sure. You might think the parents are feckless- whatever, that's your opinion but at least the children don't suffer and there's no stigma as they're blameless.

I'd like to see it all the way through to the end of secondary school. Having well fed, engaged pupils is becoming a distant memories in a lot of areas. And that's not just the low income areas either.

as for teachers providing fruit at school out of their own pocket, kids are hungry all the time...its a fact of life...perhaps if school allowed parents to give them a more substantial snack, they wouldn't be so hungry

These children get nothing. They come to school having had no breakfast, or an inadequate breakfast and then have no lunch. The parents took advantage of the UFSM in KS1, but then can't afford or don't bother to feed them in KS2. The teachers know that the child will be a nightmare by 1pm so stock up on apples, carrots and bananas so at least they can get something in to them.

I think there are an awful lot of people on this thread that live in some kind of bubble - I'm not knocking you, until I came here I was too - but now my eyes are open and it is heartbreaking.

The problem is..a lot of people who say they struggle to afford to pay for a lunch, choose to spend their money on other things such as an expensive car, x box for their kids, expensive clothes etc.....it's all about life choices. Still no reason for their kids lunch to get paid for

So you think it helps to punish the child for the actions of their parents?

Mumzypopz you are being over dramatic and making stuff up. I was not outraged by my son eating white flour. He eats it everyday! My point is the argument for free school meals is so children can get better nutrition - and if there is nothing nutritionous in the school meals than it's a complete waste of tax payers money. I don't have a problem with him eating macaroni cheese and biscuit - infact he and I choose it together when we register his meal plan. I just expected it to be served with at least one veggie or piece of fruit.

I'll take DS1 off FSM when the school stop telling me what I can and can't put in his lunchbox. He's a growing boy, very active, and if I want to put a piece of cake/chocolate bar/bag of crisps in his lunchbox then it's really none of the school's business.

Ittakes2. By LAW all schools HAVE to provide at least one portion of vegetables and fruit every lunchtime. If yours doesn't then you can report them. I suggest you check carefully first.

I think free school meals for all is crazy too, but then I am in NI and we don't have it here. Our school meals are crap, so we only let the kids go once or twice a week. The other three days are chips chips chips. I think it should be a subsidy so all school kids can get the meal cheaper or else expand the current FSM system so more qualify. Why should ALL KS1 pupils get free but KS2 and KS3 go without?

I have children in KS1 KS2 and KS3, the youngest doesn't need food more than the others do

EVEDALLAS ours definitely doesn't but I don't believe that is 'law' here in NI, never heard that before in my life!

I'm afraid I'm not aware of NI standards MissDuke. Schools without kitchens here who outsource meals have to choose providers that ensure compliance, and schools with kitchens have this:

The school food standards apply to all maintained schools, and academies that were founded before 2010 and after June 2014. They must provide:

high-quality meat, poultry or oily fish
fruit and vegetables
bread, other cereals and potatoes

There can’t be:

drinks with added sugar, crisps, chocolate or sweets in school meals and vending machines
more than 2 portions of deep-fried, battered or breaded food a week

The shared experience of children eating together regardless of parental income builds a sense of equality and community from the beginning which in my opinion can only help to build a better society.

I remember vividly the stigma attached to being the child who received a free school meal and this 'them and us' attitude becomes insidious and can only contribute to this image of the 'feckless' rather than those in need

Me too madame I was such child in High School. Having to pay for my lunch with a ticket whilst everyone else paid cash. My parents were no feckless. My mum worked part time and my dad was retired.
It is trivial aspect too. I can afford to pay for lunch for my youngest and my older two were too old to benefit but I think it was a good policy.
Working people on less disposable income than benefit claimants are not entitled so they really benefit for this. So some middle income families get a free meal too. They can always OT if they want and that money could go direct to the school.
But it was a Lin Dem coalition policy to it will go.

Lin dem.? Lib dem

If you don't want/need the UIFSM then don't take it. The school only gets funding based on the number of children who eat.

Having about 90% of children in KS1 taking the meal funded at £2.30 by the government makes the provision of PP FSM and paid for meals (£2) at KS2 (overall about 60% take up) a lot more viable. Economies of scale.
IMO (based on working with a large school on reviewing their meal provision) the universal breakfast is not viable at the suggested level of funding. Staffing it would be the costliest element, not the food purchase

Take this money & give it to the NHS or to the police or to teachers.

But that's now how government funding works. If they get rid of it, the money will not go to the NHS.

And there's plenty of money (literally dozens of billions) being wasted on entirely pointless things like procurement errors, unused government flights, etc. and no one ever suggests that money go to the NHS.

I'm never sure I agree with FSM either. If you're on a low income you get child tax credits. If you're getting tax credits for your child and not feeding them then surely that's a safeguarding issue??

No it's a Tory cuts issue, UC takes six weeks minimum to claim.

Im one of them horrible school cooks that give kids macaroni cheese with ahh white flour and pasta !!!! Do you believe everything your child tells you .
It is always wholemeal pasta rice and bread . We use organic meat ,always vegetables . And its not biscuits every day ! Fruit greek yogurt and apple crumble are just a few offered .
And food is only fried once a week for chips .
So many people are thinking that school dinners are shit but they are not . It is bloody hard to do to make them healthy and nutritious for the the little darlings

Not everybody can afford to pay for school dinners. I would suggest that not even the majority can afford it. When my dcs were at school I had a monthly shopping budget of £250, so about £8 per day. For all household goods, not just food. At that time it cost £1.25 for a school meal. Paying for school dinners for my two dcs would have been too big a proportion of my available household budget. I was able to supply a decent packed lunch far cheaper and my dcs ate dinner with us in the evening. UFSM would have made a huge difference to us - we were definitely in the 'working poor'category. Our kids didn't have games consoles, expensive clothes or holidays abroad. In fact, most years, no holiday. We ran one, old car, no mobile phones or sky TV.
The school where I now work has a large proportion of children who do not get FSM (KS2) and there parents have to supply packed lunch. I see some children have well balanced lynches but do many have nothing of nutritional value at lunchtime - 1/2 a family bag of doritos anyone? - and I then see those children struggling to concentrate in the afternoons. I dread to think what they are faced with for an evening meal. The biggest problem I can see with the UFSM in KS1 is that parents don't then apply for FSM when their children enter junior school and the school loses out on funding and the children don't get a decent lunch.

Pot noodle - our cook works miracles too. There is always a choice of fresh hot veg as well as a fantastic salad selection every day. The kids bypass both and most of it ends up on the bin. Her sweet potato wedges are to die for.