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!!

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??

Exactly, the state is already doing the job of thousands of parents in providing for them by means of tax credits etc so if the parents aren't feeding them or meeting their basic needs (i.e. Sanitary items etc like the other threads) then those children need more than just free food. They need intervention if they are going to have a chance as adults.

Hopefully the removal of more and more state assistance will ensure parents actually do their role and step up.

the universal breakfast is not viable at the suggested level of funding. Staffing it would be the costliest element, not the food purchase

I can't see how it's possible. How can they even feed a child, let alone pay staff too? Not only kitchen staff if school kitchens are expected to do breakfast, but staff to supervise. Will the funds come from the already being dramatically reduced school budgets?

ExLtEveDallas I agree a lot with what you say!
In my class there is always fruit available, cereal bars, milk and toast before national tests. I pay for these because some, not all of the children in my class need them. A pp said that children are always hungry, which they are but I know the children in my class who haven't eaten. I couldn't not do anything because these children need to have the best start in life I can give them . I can tell sometimes they are hungry by behaviour, sometimes they ask for food, sometimes they arrive looking like they need it. The children dont take advantage of this either. For some posters in here that will be the wrong thing to do. I let a couple of my children sleep when they first get into school because of they're chaotic home life. That's probably wrong too.
Children do not have proper food at lunchtime for many reasons but you would judge what many people believe is a good policy because you can afford it. The cost of the making many meals is cheaper than making it for the few.
I honestly cannot believe some of the views on here!

I'm from a country where there are no or have ever been school meals free or not In the 70s there was free milk but that's long gone.
Learning to make a lunch is on the curriculum. Food costs proportionally more than in the UK and there is poverty
but it's part on the culture to pack a lunch and it's extremely rare for a child to have nothing unless they forgot their box .

I could actually cry at the ignorance on this thread.

Some very caring Teachers on this thread. So sad that you have to do this out of your own funds.

Fab, it is sad that teachers are led to do this. Sadly their are many failing parents with no shame.

I believe it is a public health initiative to set up good eating habits for life. It also takes the stigma away from eating school dinners, as everyone has them.

When I was at school only those on fsm had school dinners, and there was stigma attached.

The cost is very small in relative budget terms.

Exlt....who do you mean by "these children"? Not all children go to school hungry, a vast majority of them are well fed and who have parents who can afford to either pay for school lunch or put a sandwich together. I don't doubt there will be schools where the uptake if schools is high, but our school only has 9 percent uptake of free school meals dye to being on benefits, and I'm guessing there will be other schools very similar. There will be cases where parents are on low income, but there are lots of cases where they aren't, and their lunch is being paid for by the taxpayer.

Hubble...the majority of kids in our school have school dinners, no stigma at all to having it. The difference now is whereas parents paid for it before, now they don't.

Exlt...also....not punishing the child for the actions of the parents .... It makes no sense for taxpayers to pay for that child's lunch when the parents can afford it. The welfare state is there for people who need it, not for people who want it, and who prefer to spend their money on other stuff.

Big cat...you say the cost of making many meals is cheaper than making it for the few....but I'm confused by that as they are making the same number of meals as they did before, it's just now the govt is paying for it rather than the parents.

Mummy, the uptake of school dinners at KS1 has increased hugely since UIFSM were introduced. In our school, it's about 90%. When my DS1 and DD were in KS1 before the free meals were introduced, most children had lunch boxes.

Sorry, should have been MUMzy, autocorrect fail!

I can't really begrudge anything involving free food for children to be honest....

I personally would like to see funding for free school meals at least in part (perhaps for those on higher incomes) be redirected to a better standard of school meals.

Previous work has taken me into a lot of primary schools and the standards are generally very very poor. I would not eat most of what is provided. I have been in one school which served exceptional food so I know it can be done.

I would prefer it if they offered subsidised ( eg £1 each )school meals for all pupils carrying through to secondary school too. That way, they could increase the uptake of hot balanced meals as the cost would be on a par with making a packed lunch without the hassle and with more variety. The price would more than cover the cost of the ingredients so the taxpayer funds the actual running of the kitchen, instead of the whole meal. There would be savings from economy of scale. From an environmental point of view it would be better too because of all the packaging waste that results from packed lunches.

Sorry pumpkinpiloter . What foods were you offered ?

Potnoodle - I don't just 'believe what my little darlings say' = I read the school menu. Not sure why you felt the need to reply in such a sarcastic manner, makes it hard to take your post seriously which is a shame.

BIGCATLITTLECAT you sound absolutely lovely and a huge credit to your school, I hope you get the recognition and appreciation that you deserve.

Potnoodleforbrains

The menu looks really good and I believe it is the same for the whole county. It is the general implementation of the menu that was poor.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly why it was so sub standard I think it was generally just poor execution. Over cooked veg, poorly constructed salad using not the best ingredients.

To take a basic example. Hamburger with a salad. Very cold not particularly nice bun. A dried out puck of a burger which tasted of bad quality meat. with a tiny dash of factory produced relish. When I had to eat at school I would order a baguette (which was sometimes hit and miss) even if I loved the sound of the menu as it was just that poorly cooked.

Conversely one school I visited had an amazing salad bar and the erst of the food was just as good.

I suspect a lot of the problem is how much they pay the dinner staff and how little hours they offer so there is probably little choice.

My experience is limited to a dozen primary schools in an area of the South West.

"I would prefer it if they offered subsidised ( eg £1 each )school meals for all pupils carrying through to secondary school too. That way, they could increase the uptake of hot balanced meals as the cost would be on a par with making a packed lunch without the hassle and with more variety. The price would more than cover the cost of the ingredients so the taxpayer funds the actual running of the kitchen, instead of the whole meal. There would be savings from economy of scale. From an environmental point of view it would be better too because of all the packaging waste that results from packed lunches."

I like this idea in principle although I am not sure the amount you suggested would cover ingredients. Perhaps it might mean that they could pay a little more to employ people with a passion for food rather than whoever they can get to fill the hours at such low pay.

Totally agree that free school meals for every ks1 child is over-generous and even when it was announced I didn't understand why it was brought in. Most parents can feed their kids, if it's a matter of them putting unhealthy food in the lunchbox that's irrelevant because there's still the option of hot meals from the school kitchen.
It goes without saying that those who genuinely need FSM should of course get them.

Nennynoo.....so most of the parents who provided a pack lunch previously now often for a free lunch? That's not really surprising is it? If someone offered my child a free lunch I would go for it too. However, I can afford to pay for that lunch, and so can absolutely thousands of other parents. I just think it should be means tested.

Re the mandated school dinners (& no option for lunch boxes), it was introduced when DS was in yr1, when the new ht started. The school raised money for a proper kitchen and they employ a chef. It's definitely a 'thing' that won't be vanishing just because I, one parent, cannot afford it.

The explanation at the time was that they catered to all dietary requirements and that lunch boxes were 'unnecessary' and caused division.

I remember it was actually written that 'for reasons of INCLUSION all children will now have school dinners'.

Quite how that will work when I have to pay the £17 a week come September, I don't know. It's not sodding 'inclusive' as any kind of benefit. As I now won't be able to afford a hot meal for DS at dinnertime. So by enforced 'inclusion' within the school family dining experience, they are breaking apart the actual family cohesion. They are prioritising school above home and by imposing this upon us, they are tipping us from coping to an unsustainable situation.

He will go from 7 good and mainly hot dinners a week at home, to 5 hot meals at school and great difficulty in providing anything more than a lunch box style meal at home (or pasta and a small amount of pesto I think?). He's ravenous after school as it is so has a 'sensible sandwich' at pick up. So how the hell does the rest of DS's day work now?

And as I'm sure some posters will say I must just miraculously make more money and it's a sign benefit cuts are working that I'm going to see my child suffer, here are the personal details: I'm a professional who used to earn higher rate tax worthy amounts, had the husband, the future, all of it. But now I'm a disabled single mother, lost my job as my work deliberately delayed putting in reasonable adjustments as they thought they were 'extra benefits' vs medically essential. So my health deteriorated massively and now I have no job and no way of working or supporting my son. We have no family and no way out. I'm relying on the end of my savings and in a few weeks I don't know what the hell will happen. i did everything right and am now being punished for it. I cannot continue to live like this but I have no choice. £17 a week is massive.

None of this is ok. I'm not a bad person or a bad mother. Don't persecute me or DS for my illness. Things are bad enough already.

WellThisIsShit

I am sorry to hear of your circumstances. Your situation absolutely shows the benefit and need of free school dinners.

Perhaps you could have a chat with your school head/deputy. I am sure you could work something out.